Merry Vale School

YORK Township

~~Oriole Hill school~~

Clark County, Wisconsin

Oriole Hill (Reunion Picnic - 1973)

Oriole Hill School

Sec. 20, York Township, 1905

The Parrett / Oriole Hill School sat on land originally granted to Jonathan A. Carlton for his service in the war of 1812 under Captain Smart's Company of the Maine Militia (Eastern Frontier Disturbances). 1 May 1858, it was sold to Lincoln Clark.

One-room schools once dotted the Clark County, WI countryside, local sites of learning for boys and girls from kindergarten through eighth-grade — all taught by one teacher. In the heyday of the one-room schools in Wisconsin there were about 6,200 in operation, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. That’s an average of 86 schools per county. Some had many more. Many of the structures were torn down but some were remodeled into homes or repurposed as town halls. Chris Hardie, Nov 20, 2020 (altered excerpts).

Oriole Hill Teachers (incomplete--Contact us if you can add to the list)

1907-Sadie Adams

1913-1915-Vivian Brooks Potrter

Rules for Teachers

Oriole Hill Classes of 1898

[Untouched Photo] [Close-up for Identification]

Oriole Hill Classes 1907 & 1913

The top photo with two girls seated in the front of the middle row was taken in 1907 and includes the teacher Sadie Adams.

The lower photo was taken March 4, 1913. The caption in Gale VandeBerg's book includes "Notice the blanket over window on left, and the recitation bench at front". The teacher at that time was Vivian Brooks.

The exterior winter photo shown below was also taken on March 4, 1913.

This photo was taken "after remodeling and enlarging in 1915". Gale VandeBerg

8th Grade Graduating Class sitting in front of Oriole Hill Grade School

Early One Room Wisconsin Schools

Men teachers were in great demand during the winter months to keep the older, disorderly boys in-check. This was the time that the older boys attended school as they were not needed as much on the farm.

Men teachers were paid around $20.00 per the winter months whereas women received $1.25 to $2.00 per week.

Teachers in the very early schools only had an 8th grade education. Later, they were required to have two years of traing at normal teachers training schools. These type of traing centers existed in Wautoma and Oshkosh and many of the teachers that taught in our area in the 40s and early 50s trained at these centers.

Average tenure of a teacher in the middle 1800s was 2 years because women couldn't continue teaching when they married.

Most one-room schools in Wisconsin closed between 1950-1960 due to consolidation.

Rules for the Teacher--1915

You will not marry during the term of your contract.

You are not to keep company of men.

You must be home between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am unless at a school function.

You may not loiter downtown in any ice cream store.

You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have permission of the chairman of the school board.

You may not smoke cigarettes.

You may not under any circumstances dye your hair.

You may not dress in bright colors.

You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless with your father or brother.

You must wear at least two petticoats.

Your dresses must not be any shorter than 2 inches above the ankles.

You must keep the school house neat and clean. You must sweep the floors at least daily; scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the the blackboards at least daily; and start the fire at 7 am so the room will be warm by 8 am. " One-Room Country Schools-History and Recollections from Wisconsin" by Jerry Apps

Oriole Hill /Parret Students

(Please contact me if you can add to this list or have corrections or photos to add).

Alton, Fern, Ida, Viola

Bagley, Edward, Grace, Howard

Beecher, Liewllyn C., Lula V.,

Campbell, Charles H., Earl D., Grace, Orpha M., Ray L., Ray M.,

Canfield, Allie, Howard, Ray

Chapel, Clem, Maggie, Robert

Cross, Robert D.

Davis, Eldred, Jesse, Lucille, Merton, Pearl

Hales, Ella, George, Gracie E., Guy, Harry, Lottie, Philip, Warren,

Flint, Fern May,

Free, Ethel, Gertie, Herbert, Lucy, Sydney,

Gardner, Vera M.,

Gault, Robert

Grabe, Donald, Kenith, Mable

Hales, Ella, George, Guy, Harry,

Heck, Floyd, Laura
Heyder, Clara, Welda

Kapke, Charles H.

King, Forest, George, Harriet, Tim

Krejci, Edwin, Emma, May, Stella, Thomas,

Lastafka, Agnes, Elsie, George, Louis, Mable

Lawrence, Horace, Naomi, Olive

Leach, ?

Learned, Arvilla,

Leonard, Arvilla,

Lustufka, Benjamin, Libby, Lillie,

Maxwell, Irene, Jennie,

Northrup, Alson, Jessie, Neillie,

Nunhof, Glenn

Palmer, Sadie

Parrett, Keith, Nina,

Plummer, Almie, Frank, William

Potter, Harland, Wayne,

Pritenpol, Benard L., Floyd, Frederick, Hattie, Vera, Winnifred R.,

Randorf, Reila

Redmond, Harold

Roat, Allie H., Elwin D., Lewis E., Ross N.,

Robinson, Cecil, Eugene, George, Gladys, John, Laura, Leon, May

Rowe, Forest, Irma,

Schafer, Alvin, Arthur, Francis

Schrantes, Annie

Smith, Grace,

Snyder, Velma,

Tucker, Kittie

Turner, George, Grant, Mable,

VandeBerg, Clifford, Gale, Horace, Ida, Lawrence Ed, Manly,

Verbeck, Forest

Voight, Edward, Harvey, Martha, Reinholdt

Warka, Clara

Wauser, Merinel

Williams, Ethel

Winn, Byrel, Bubbie, Echo, Floyd, Myrtel

Wirmserosky, Frieda, John, Max, Paul,

Wright, Ernest