Loyal, Clark Co., Wisconsin Schools

 

Source: LOYAL CENTENNIAL BOOK (Loyal, Clark County, Wis.) 1870 - 1970

Contributed by the Loyal Public Library; Transcribed by Stan

 

The first five school districts, which seem to have been formed in the town of Loyal were District No. 1, Town of Loyal, (Lyons School); District No. 2, Town of Loyal, (Loyal School); District No. 3, Town of Loyal, (Dodgeville School); District No. 4, Town of Loyal, which became Joint District Number 1, Town of sherman and Loyal, when the Town of Sherman was created in 1873, (Spokeville School); and District No. 5, Town of Loyal (Mack School).

School District No. 1 - Lyons

On pages 728 and 729 of the History of Clark County, Wis., published in 1918, may be found the following:

"The Methodist Episcopal Church of Loyal was organized under the Rev. Samuel McClain, in 1870, the charter members being … The first services were held in a school house a mile and a half south of the village."

It is quite possible that this schoolhouse was in School District No. 1, Town of Loyal, or it might have been in School District No. 2.

The first available school records of School District No. 1, Town of Loyal, are dated June 5, 1882. A special meeting of the district was held on Sept. 20, 1882. The minutes of this meeting follows: (Spelling & wording as recorded)

"Minutes of a special meeting held in District No. (1) one held pursuant to notice at the school house on the 20th day of September, 1882, at 7 o'clock in the afternoon.

Philo Platt, Treasurer, called the meeting to order, L. Allen in the chair.

Wallace Lyon was chosen chairman.

The following business was transacted:

Motion made and prevaled that the schoolhouse be moved by making a bee.

Motion made and prevaled that F. Nutting shall act as foreman in moving the schoolhouse.

Motion made and prevaled that on the 23rd day of Sept. 1882, we meet at the schoolhouse to put shore under prepitory for moving.

Motion made and prevaled that on the 26th day of September we move the schoolhouse.

Motion made and carried that we adjourn."

L. Allen, District Clerk

Where this school building was located is not stated, and neither is the location to which it was to be moved.

A special meeting of the district was held Sept. 22, 1887. The minutes of this meeting follow:

"Minutes of a special meeting held persuant to notice on the 22nd day of Sept. 1887, at seven (7) o'clock p.m.

The meeting was called to order by James Bart, Dir.

After several special meetings, and much discussion regarding the site for the new school building, a special meeting was held on May 29, 1888, at seven o'clock in the afternoon. The following is taken from the minutes of that meeting:

"Moved and seconded that this meeting authorize the school board to buy one acre from W. Lyons on the N. E. corner of Section 29, and to pay $1.25 for it."

This site continued to be the location of the school building of School District No. 1, Town of Loyal, until the district was consolidated with the Loyal School in 1957.

School District No. 2 - Loyal Village

District No. 2, Town of Loyal, included what is now the City of Loyal. The early school records are not available, but the following is taken from an article written by the late Mrs. W. I. Mack, and may be found in the Book of Years, the Clark County Centennial, published in 1953:

"The first schoolhouse in the area now included in Loyal City was on the west side of town. It was a log building 16 x 20 and built in 1873. Sara Loop taught the first term and Horace Draper the next. That building was used until 1881 when a school was built which, with additions and improvements was used until 1937, when the present one was built."

On Jan. 27, 1879, John Graves deeded to School District No. 2, Town of Loyal, an acre of land described as follows:

"Beginning 23 rds. W. of the 1/4 post between Section 15 and 16, thence N. 10 rds., thence W. 16 rds., thence S. 10 rds., thence E. 16 rds. To the place of beginning, being a part of the S. E. 1/4 of the N. E. 1/4 of Section 16, Township 26 N., R. 1, W."

This identifies the site as the location of the old school building, which is the south half of the block where the Robert Prior and Jerome Bertz homes are located.

On pages 716 and 717 of the History of Clark County, published in 1918, we find that George E. Crothers, County Superintendent of Schools, reported in 1889 that "Loyal & Maple Works have each two welled filled departments, and should that present conditions for growth of these towns continue, other departments must soon be established." The building referred to by Mrs. Mack as having been built in 1881, was built on the site purchased from John Graves in 1879, and by the early 1890's had been enlarge to a four-room building. In 1896 a high school department was added to the common school. In the fall of 1903 a north wing was added to the school building to accommodate the increased enrollment. This building, and the former Adventist Church, which was rented by the district in 1928, housed the elementary school and the high school until 1938, when the new school building was completed and occupied. This new building consisted of a gymnasium, a high school assembly room, and classrooms to accommodate the elementary grades and high school. Several additions to the original building have been necessitated by the ever-increasing enrollments due to consolidation. In 1941 an agriculture building was added to the south. When the Dodgeville district was annexed, their building was moved to the west of the school building and used for high school classrooms. In 1954 administration offices, a lunchroom, four classrooms, a teacher's lounge, and a storeroom were added to the east and north.

In 1963 it was necessary to add three more grade rooms to the north to accommodate the increased grade school enrollment. At the same time additional space was needed for the increased high school enrollment. This addition to the south consisted of new administration offices, a large gymnasium with a spacious stage and modern lighting, commercial rooms, home economic facilities, well-equipped science laboratories and lecture rooms, an industrial arts shop, enlarge agriculture facilities, an art department, and several classrooms to accommodate the other academic classes. In 1969 three more grade rooms were added to the north. Today, Loyal can boast of having one of the most modern and well-equipped education plants in this area.

School District No. 3 - Dodgeville

The early school records of School District No. 3 are not available. However, in a pamphlet entitled "Memorial Tribute" and compile by Mrs. A. K. Church in 1925, we find this statement: "It was in the spring of 1867 that the settlers in the section began to build a log cabin on Dodgevlle Corners that served as a schoolhouse. In the summer of 1867 the settlers went to Neillsville to hire a teacher, and school was maintained that summer. The teacher made her home with the Abram Smith Family." Later a frame building was built at this same site. This building served the district until 1916 when a new site was purchased one mile east of the old site, and a new school building erected on the corner where the R. E. C. transformers now stand.

In the minutes of the annual meeting held July 11, 1938, we find that a "Motion was made and seconded to vote by ballot whether or not we should run the school for the coming year." The motion was carried. 42 votes were cast, all in favor of continuing the school. In the minutes of the annual meeting held on July 13, 1942, we find that "After a brief discussion a motion was made and seconded to vote by ballot on closing the school for one year. 13 ballots were cast. Ten votes in favor of closing and 3 votes against." At the annual meeting held on July 11, 1943, there was a "Discussion concerning re-opening the school. Motion carried to close the school and continue to transport the pupils to Loyal." On Aug. 3, 1954, by order of the City Council of Loyal and the Town Board of Loyal, District No. 3 of Loyal Township was attached to District No. 1, City of Loyal and Loyal Township. Later the Dodgeville schoolhouse was moved to a location just west of the Loyal High School building and was used for high school purposes. Still later it was moved to its present location, where it is used as Boys Scout building and for other municipal activities.

School District No. 4 - Spokeville

The records of this district date from its beginning in 1868 with some later records missing. The call for the first meeting of the district follows:

"Having on the 10th day of Jan. 1868, formed a new School District to be known as School District Number 4 of the Town of Loyal and comprising the following territory of Section 19 - 26, 28 - 36 in Township 26 N. of Range One East, and Section 24, 25, 36 in township 26 N. of Range One West, you are hereby directed to notify every qualified voter of said district to attend the first meeting thereof, which is hereby appointed to be held at the house of D. M. Hanson in said district on the 10th day of Oct. 1868, at 1:00 in the afternoon by reading of this notice in the hearing of each such voter or in the case of absence from his place of residence, by leaving there a written notice of the time and place of such meeting at least five days before the time appointed for such meeting."

Signed: L. M. Leroy, L. D. Bowen, Supervisors of the Town of Loyal

At this meeting the "Motion was made and seconded to have the schoolhouse on the northeast corner of section thirty-six (36) in Township 26 N. Range One East. Motion carried."

On May 3, 1869, at a special meeting the "Motion made and seconded to move the schoolhouse site to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of Section 30 Township 26 N. Range One East." This remained the site of the schoolhouse of this district until the district was consolidated with the Loyal School District. After the creation of the Town of Sherman in 1873, the record of the school meeting is the "Proceedings of a school meeting held Sept. 1873, at the schoolhouse of Joint School District No. 1 of the Towns of Sherman and Loyal, formerly School District No. 4, Town of Loyal."

At the annual meeting in 1880 the "Motion made and carried to raise $150 to build a new schoolhouse." At the annual meeting in 1882 it was "Voted to raise $200 for building a new schoolhouse." It was also "Voted that the size of the schoolhouse shall be 20 by 30, after the design of the Cole Schoolhouse, and to be completed by Sept. 1, 1883."

At a special meeting of Joint School District No. 1, towns of Sherman and Loyal, March 19, 1883, it was "Voted to have the schoolhouse located on the lot where it now is. Voted that the committee be instructed to locate the schoolhouse in some convenient place on the lot according to the best of their judgement. Voted to appropriate $27, twenty-seven dollars, of building money to purchase the schoolhouse site, applying for the deed and recording the same." At the annual meeting on July 2, 1883, it was "Voted to raise $227 to finish paying for the schoolhouse." At the annual meeting July 7, 1884 it was "Voted that the teacher can have the use of the old schoolhouse to live in the ensuing winter (if she or he wishes to do so.)" This building was used until 1914 when a new brick building was erected on the same site. This building, located about a half mile south of the Spokeville corner, is still standing. Ed Young purchased the old white frame building, moved it to Spokeville, and converted it into a home. After his death the building was moved to the Art Cammers farm on Highway 98, three miles east of Loyal.

In 1956 the Griffith School was dissolved and its area attached to Joint School District No. 1, Towns of Sherman and Loyal. (Spokeville School)

On July 21, 1960, Joint School District No. 1, Towns of Sherman and Loyal, was dissolved, and its area attached to what became Joint School District No. 1 of the City of Loyal and the Towns of Loyal, Sherman, Beaver, Fremont, Eaton, York, Weston, Green Grove and Warner.

School District No. 5 - Mack School

The first records of School District No. 5, Town of Loyal seem to have been lost or misplaced. Since this was School District No. 5, Town of Loyal, it is probable that it was organized after School District No. 4; and since District No. 4 was organized on Jan. 10, 1868, it would seem that District No. 5 was organized in 1868 or soon after.

The schoolhouse was built on land leased to the district from Erastus Mack for 99 years. This lease was not recorded at the County Register of Deeds Office, but later district records indicate that the rent was $1.00 per years. The rent was later raised to $2.50 per year and still later to $5.00 per year.

The first available written records of District No. 5, Town of Loyal, are loose pages 59-60, 63-66 inc. and 129-144 inc. These pages seem to have been taken from a record book, the remainder of which has been lost. These pages date from 1882 to 1894. These records contain a copy of a contract, date Sept. 3, 1883, between the School District and D. V. Richardson, that said D. V. Richardson was to teach the school for a term of three months beginning on the 3rd day of September, 1883, for the sum of $30.00 per months, payable on or before the 3rd day of Dec. 1883.

At the annual meeting on July 6, 1920, the "Motion was made and carried to vote by ballot on moving the school site one mile south." The result was 47 not and 29 yes.

In 1922 a new schoolhouse was built on the original site leased from E. Mack, and in 1969 the district was annexed to Joint School District No. 1, City of Loyal, and Towns of Loyal, Sherman, Beaver, Fremont, Eaton, York, Weston, Unity, Green Grove, and Warner.

 

 


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