Article and photos reprinted with permission of the authors; Gladys Zamzow, School Secretary and DuWayne H. Zamzow, Pommern Central WI History Committee Chairman. Copyright February 2005.

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Gladys Zamzow, School Secretary and DuWayne H. Zamzow, Pommern Central WI History Committee Chairman

About one-room schoolhouses, as described in the Marathon County Historical Society's Living History Learning Project: "One-room schoolhouses were formed from a 1787 ordinance that said, 'being necessary to good government, and the happiness of mankind, school and the means of education shall forever be preserved'." Pomeranian settlers in Central Wisconsin took this ordinance to heart and developed a particularly strong concern for education. As each new settlement was formed, a school district was set up and a means for education was provided. Much of the time, schools in rural areas were governed by rural farmers who had little or no education themselves. Nevertheless, these farmers were determined that their children should learn how to read, write and do arithmetic.

Because of their rural setting, one-room schools were often thought of as poor, unfortunate places where an education was mediocre at best. This was not the case. The one-room setting of these schools was often an advantage. In the country schools, like Maple Grove, students had more flexibility between grades. Students were advanced based on their abilities, not on their ages. Students who excelled could sit with older students and students who needed help could sit with younger students. Most rural schools had wooden desks designed for two students. The desk top would lift up and there was storage for books and other supplies inside. Desks had ink wells and when a student learned to write cursive they could use pen and ink. Remember the bladder pens?

Since everybody was in the same room, it really didn't matter who was in what class.

On September 26, 1870 a group of settlers met in Hamburg, at the home of Joachim Nieman to discuss the building of a school house. This structure would also serve as a church. Every couple of months a traveling pastor "circuit rider" would come through the area and perform baptisms, weddings, and conduct German services. The only addition to transform the school into a church was to place a pulpit in one corner of the room. One building was simply a matter of economy of construction costs and cleared land. In those days it would have seemed totally incredible that any one should make an issue of the concept of "separation of church and state". The site to place the building was on the southeast corner of Section 11, Township 30, Range 5E (presently, this is a private cemetery lot directly across the road from Maple Grove School located at Third Lane and CTH "F", in the Town of Hamburg, Marathon County.) Hamburg was still part of the Town of Berlin at this time as it wasn't until 1876 that Hamburg incorporated and became a separate township. At this time the school district was changed and it became District #1. Materials for erecting the original school were to be logs with cracks to be mudded (chinked). The interior was to be whitewashed and the exterior was to be sided with wood siding. The size of the building was to be 26' x 34'. The final cost of erecting the school totaled $151.63.

Records indicate that in 1871 it was resolved that school district officers be elected for a three-year term. First officials were: Ferdinand Kleinschmidt, Chairman; Henry Langhoff, Clerk; and Gottlieb Seidler, District Clerk. Officers were to receive a salary of $3.00 per year. It was also resolved that school would be taught by a qualified teacher for a term of five months known as "winter school". Another resolution was that six cords of wood would be needed to heat the school. First award was given to Gottlieb Seidler for $1.85 a cord. Henry Langhoff received $3.55 for doing the chinking, whitewashing and cleaning of the school. In 1880 it was resolved that a male teacher would be hired. We learned that the outhouse had to be moved to the back of the lot by 1881. By 1883 it was decided to teach a "winter term" of six months beginning on November 1st. Three years later the parents decided new arithmetical material should be purchased (if the board found it necessary). It was at that same time (1886) that the "winter term" would be extended to seven months; however, only one month would be in the German language with school beginning in mid October. By 1892 (six years later) it was resolved to have eight months of school - six as the "winter term" and two as the "summer term".

Classes continued in that manner for the next ten years. Following is a list of rules teachers were required to comply with in the 1870's & 1880's:

• Teachers each day will fill lamps and clean chimneys
• Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and fire the wood stove.
• Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly
• After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
• Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed
• Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his or her earnings for their benefit during their declining years so they will not become a burden on society.
• Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
• The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault of five years will be given an increase of twenty cents per week in his pay, proving the Board of Education approves.

Then, in 1902, a meeting was called for the purpose of building a new school building. It was decided to build the "new" school across the road from the original school (the southwest corner of Section 12). The new school was to be placed in the middle of the one acre lot. It was to be a wood frame structure measuring 46' x 30' x 30' (the studding of the bell tower) in the front facing south. The Building Committee selected included Herman Bartelt, Charles Nieman and Ludwig Wiederhoeft. Each member received $1 per day of actual service rendered. The following year, as the building was being completed, it was determined to side the building with pine siding and to have the best Michigan cedar shingles for the roof. The school was to be painted white (lead paint) with a different color for the cornice and trim. The building was completed with the placing of the National Bell - Cast 22, Foundry CIN-O bell in the tower. Land for the school was deeded by John Seidler to the district for $30.00. The building was now ready for the 1904-05 school term.

The first teacher in the "new" school was Gust Thompson. Mr. Thompson's salary was set at $40 per month for seven months (back to seven months again). It was required that the teacher was to build a fire at 8:00A.M. and to keep a fire if necessary. The 1904 school census families included: (ages 19 and under)

• Example: Parent – Children
• Fred Fromm – Herbert, Walter, Edward, John Henry, Clara & Erna
• Herman Teske – Otto, Robert, Gustave & Helena
• Mrs. Kleinschmidt – Bertha, Martha, Emma, Clara & John
• F. Weidmann – John Benny, Fred, Mary & Alex
• John Seidler – Bertha, Lydia, Lora, Clara & Martha
• Carl Niemann – Walter
• John Helmke – Helena & Edward, Teddy, Bernice & Marthin sp?
• C. Kleinschmidt – Albert Richard, Ella, Ida & Lora
• L. Wiederhoeft – William, Wanda & Lydia
• Herman Bartelt – Carl, Alvina, Lena, Clara, Elza, Marthin, Frances & Mary
• Robert Woller – John, Benny & Paul
• Herman Jenkey – Tina, Rosa, Hilda & Clara
• Carl Wendt – Otto, Robert, Fred, Henry, Ida & Frieda
• Paul Langbecker – Henry, Verona & Erna
• George Henneman – Kady, Emma, Molly & Augusta
• Carl Krenz – Fred, Henry & Carl
• Frank Keysow – Dewey
• Rev. J. Freund – Carrie
• J. C. Henricks – Rosa, Clara, Arnold & Louis

(Possible inaccuracy in spelling - taken from a hand written census.)

Typical children's clothing would have included knee-length trousers (knickers) for boys along with dark colored socks, white or light colored button-down shirts and plain leather shoes. Other options would include vests, straw hats, bow ties, neck ties and bib overalls. Girls wore gingham check or calico print dresses that were knee length, with long, dark heavy hose underneath, aprons, large hair bows and leather strap or buckle shoes. Hair was in pony-tails, pig-tails or braids and floor length dresses were not worn until girls were 16 years of age.

Part Two »

Copyright © 2005. Gladys and DuWayne Zamzow. All rights reserved. Reprinted with authors permission.

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