Grade School History

 

GRADE SCHOOL HISTORY 

 

 PRIOR TO THE ELM STREET PURCHASE

 

Erie Street runs north/South two blocks east of the court house.

 

 

 

The Seminary  Building built in 1839 was first used as a seminary  and later became the first Rockville "Graded" School Building. The building is sometimes referred to as the "Ohio Street School." This picture was taken on Sept. 25, 2009 by Jerry Hill RHS 64. 

 

Due to the two teachers named in the teachers list below, this picture "The Black School Students Picture" above would have been taken sometime between 1897 & 1902.  The Seminary School Building is on US 36 about 200 yards  west of the Ritz Theater  before College Ave. on the south side of the highway.  The building  presently houses the Parke County Historical Museum.  Some of the student names listed with the picture appear in the alumni rosters of the years 1901 thru 1911.

I would assume the front glass porch and canopy were added sometime later. 

 

This picture above is the east side of the  Seminary Building where the 1900 Black Students picture was probably taken.  Notice the windows and chimney in both pictures.  This building was  reportedly used as an armory during the civil war.  This picture was taken on Sept. 25, 2009 by Jerry Hill  RHS (1964).

 

 This old school building was the home of The Blue Room Restaurant back in the 1950's and 1960's.  The restaurant was operated by Eva Sanders and later from 1957 til about 1969 by Jim and Lucile Cook who also operated Cook's Dry Cleaners during the late 60's across from the Ritz Theatre.  The Cook's daughters, Linda Cook Navel (RHS 58), and Barbara Cook Thompson (RHS 62), also worked at the Blue Room Cafe and at the cleaners per Barbara Cook Thompson and Linda Cook Navel.

There was a church located close to Erie and York Street where the negro families worshiped.  York and Erie is one block north of highway 36 near the Welch/Staadt Denistry Building.  The Negro church building is no longer standing.

 

 

Rules for Teachers Circa 1872
Shared by Stephen Fisher

 


 

  • Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.
  • Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
  • Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupil.
  • Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
  • After 10 hours in school, the teacher 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 earnings for his benefit for his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
  • Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls of gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honest.
  • The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.
 

 

THE ELM STREET PROPERTY BECOMES THE NEW ROCKVILLE EDUCATION/SCHOOL SITE IN THE EARLY 1870'S.

 

THE 1875 3 STORY BUILDING FACED TO THE EAST.  PICTURED HERE  IS THE FRONT (EAST) SIDE AND THE NORTH SIDE.

 

The picture above of the bell was taken at the fall homecoming rally 1965.  Left to Rightis Cheerleaders Susie Cox 67, Mary Alice Akers 66, Susie Teschmacher 67, Cammie Sue Green 66, and Vicki Collier 67.  The pickup was owned by Myers Lumber Company and driven by Tom Myers 67. 

PICTURED ABOVE WOULD BE THE FRONT (EAST) SIDE AND THE SOUTH SIDE FIRE ESCAPE.

Pictured above is a grade school teachers picture presumedly from the 1930's from John Collings, son of  William Collings RHS 1944.

From left to right is Back row Mr. Edward Scott (6th grade and later princ.), Hazel Smith Harrison (5th grade & Art), Margaret Underwood (3rd grade), Miss Eleanor Sowers, Marianne Lundgren Weatherman (2nd grade). Front row Jessica Strohm (speech therapy), Inez Ayers (1st grade), Eva Harvey Graham (4th grade),and Ray Miller (Princ.) on the far right.

(Identification provided by Mary Robertson Louden RHS 45, Lois Wilson McGrannaham RHS 49 and John Swaim RHS 46, Carolyn Plummer Weatherman RHS 66)

The picture was taken at the side of the 1876 All- grades school building at Elm and Beadle Streets, actual year is unknown. Bill Hill 66

Back in those days female teachers were to be single as married female teachers were believed to be better served at home taking care of thier husbands and families. Per Carolyn Plummer Weatherman RHS 1966
 

 

 

To view some of the 100 school buildings in Parke County, see  the "School Buildings" section.

 

Jefferson Street runs north/south along the east side of the court house.   The 1909 High School building was located two blocks north of U.S. 36 (Ohio St) between York and Howard St.

  

 

 

 

 

THE FRONT DOORS OF THE NEW  1940 GRADE SCHOOL FACE SOUTH ONTO ELM STREET.  NOTICE THAT ELM STREET IS YET UNPAVED IN THIS PHOTO.  THE FRONT DOOR OF THE 1875 3 STORY SCHOOL FACED EAST ONTO WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS SHADELAND STREET EVIDENCED BY THE POINT ON THE ROOF AT THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL WELL ABOVE THE FRONT DOOR.  SHADELAND STREET RUNS NORTH/SOUTH AND CONNECTS TO HOWARD AVE.  SINCE THERE IS NO LANDSCAPING YET, AND THE OLD SCHOOL BUILDING IS STILL STANDING,THE PICTURE ABOVE WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN THE EARLY 40'S.

Pictured above is the southside  Elm Street front doors of the 1941 Grade School.  Elm St. runs east/west  from Michigan Street  two blocks westbound to College Ave.  Notice above the roof line, that this picture would have been taken between the time the old school building was torn down and the new gym was built in 1949.

The plaque above hangs just inside the original southside  front entry doors of the 1941 Grade School Building.

 

 

The gym floor is exactly where the 1874 three story educational building once stood facing the east basketball backboard. 

 

 

 

 

In the picture above at the far left,  the new cafeteria and a new set of doors/foyer were added in 2001 on the southwest corner of the building.

 

Plaque hanging inside the doors/foyer of the new cafeteria addition of 2001 at the southwest corner facing south to Elm Street.

 

 

 

 

 

The above picture of Ruth Welch Ayers and the dedication plaque hang in the media center/library in the Grade School Building.  Ruth Ayer's neice, Nancy Welch Witty RHS 73, succeeded Ruth as Librarian in 1982.

 

The  mural pictured above hangs in the hallway in the 1941 Grade School Building.

RESEARCH AND POSTERS PROVIDED BY GRADE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN NANCY WELCH WITTY  (RHS CLASS OF 73)

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ROCKVILLE SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND OTHER PARKE COUNTY SCHOOLS, VISIT "SCHOOL BUILDINGS" AND "RHS BUILDING TOUR" IN THE LEFT SIDE MENU.