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_ Petersburg School Section Celebrates Centenary <~___ §, $. No. 14, Wilmot I Opened Doors In 1836 N THE FIRST PAGE of a journal now worn and yellow with age, a few brief lines were penned by the hand of some hardy pioneer, about the middle of the last century. He wrote as follows: "Our school house was built in the year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fortyâ€" eight, (1848)" and, fortunately for us, he added as an after thought, "School first opened in our section in 1836". These facts, recorded for the benefit of posterity, give us this day, July 1st, 1936, the great privilege of assembling to do honour to those early settlers, many of whom came from far away lands to establish new homes in the forests of Upper Canada. The history of our county teaches us that the need for education was quite apparent in the early days of settlement and the pioneers of the Petersburg district lost no time in providing a school and a teacher for the children of that day. Tradition has it that the first school was opened in a building formerly a dwelling and that later this building was also used as a church. It was situated on the cemetery site on the New Dundee road, south of the village, and served the community for twelve years. In 1848 a fchool house was built on a site now part of the farm owned by William Knipfel, south of Highway 7 and 8. The school grounds adjoined the old Lutheran church property on the east side. The first school house was a oneâ€"roomed building of red brick. It was then known as S.S. No. 11, Wellington District. Previous to 1851 receipts and expenditures were recorded in £. s. d. From the beginning of that year dollars and cents were chiefly used. An interesting item of expense in 1851 was the buying of books to the value of $1.40 to be given as prizes to the children at examination exercises which were public affairs in those days and chiefly oral in character. In the minutes of a school meeting of I85F appear the names of Theobold Lorentz, Peter Wilker. and John Koch. John Ernst was chairman and secretary at this meeting and he was elected trustee to serve as Sec‘yâ€"treas. continuously for about ten years. Noteworthy items of expense during the early fifties were: Mr. Rothschildâ€"Whiteâ€"washing and cleaning....... ... $1.30 Peter Ebyâ€"Advertisement for a teacher 1.00 Jacob Dahmerâ€"A blackboard . $ 1.874 John Ernstâ€"8 cords of wood _.___ 18.00 During these years expense items include everything from sponges to butcher knives. Window panes and putty appear quite frequently as proof that children have been children throughout the ages. In 1852 the first reâ€" corded Government grant received was £10, 5s. 2d. ($41.03), while local taxes amounted to £30, 1s. 6. It is of interest to note that the school reports were already sent to government officials at that early date. At the annual meeting of 1855 an important motion was carried. It read as follows: The first entry in the journal is dated Sept. 14, 1850, and shows that £5, 4s, 6d. as school taxes was received from Wendelin Schuller. George C. Master collected school taxes in 1851. Trustees of S. S. No. 11, Petersburg, appointed in 1849 for the year 1850 were: John Ernst, Jacob Staebler, and* George Rock. In 1850 F. W. Schoenau agreed to serve as teacher for four months at the modest salary of $16 per month. The number of children between the ages of 5 and 16 in the section at this time numbered 85. "Moved by Conrad Bauer. seconded by T. Wolfe, that the school shall rest a free school. 10 yeas, 8 nays,â€"agreed." In the minutes of this meeting the name Seegmiller first appears. Reâ€"organization of school secâ€" tions took place about 1855 and S. S. No. 11, Wellington District, became S. S. No. 14, Wilmot. The first recorded legal agreement drawn up according to the school act in 1855 names August Massalski as a certified teacher. His salary was £75 per annum. At this time it was the custom of teachers on receiving salary to sign receipts written in the school records. Henry Weppler, Jr., was first elected trustee in 1856. At this meeting firewood was put on the school tax for the first time. In 1859 the legislative grant was $76.40. Among the names appearing in the minutes of the school meetings of the early sixties were: Frederick Noll, Werner Weppler, John Lautenschlager and Wendal Hauck. The latter supplied wood sawed and split at $1.93%4 a cord. Chris toph Zoeger and Jacob Schaefer were active in school affairs in the sixties. The former was elected trustee and secretaryâ€"treasurer in 1861, succeeding John Ernst in this office. Jacob Schaefer, who audited the treasurer‘s books for a number of years previously, was first elected trustee in 1865. He also completed the term of George Rock, who died in 1868. Louis Zoeger was first elected trustee and became secretaryâ€"treasurer in 1867. On February 8th, 1868, a public meeting was held by the trustees with Jacob Wahl, chairman, for the purpose of awarding contracts for material for a new school. Wendell Hauck, Jacob Wahl and Louis Zoeger agreed to deliver stone at $3.75 per cord. Bricks were bought from John Jackson at New Hamburg at a cost of $6.00 per M. Conrad Goetz, Conrad Rueffer and Daniel Seegmiller did the hauling at $1.25 per M. The estimates called for thirty thousand bricks. The school was built on the present school site, comprising oneâ€"half acre of the east half of lot 6 north of Snyder‘s road (Highway 7 and 8). This land was deeded to the trustees of S. S. No. 14 Wilmot on November 30th, 1867, by Jacob Staebler. The building, comâ€" pleted in 1869, was of white brick construction with one large classroom in which sometimes as many as one hundred pupils received instruction at one time. Mason work on this building was done by Henry Heller. Peter Brauch built the fence and John Schill dug the well for $19.20. The woodshed was added in 1870 at a cost of $65.00. Receipts for 1868 were: taxes, Reading left to right. Top row â€"Hy. Doelle, August Knipfel, Joel Schwartzentruber, Conrad Rueffer; Bottom row â€"Adam Lautenschlager, Henry Weppler, Mrs. Henry Weppler (nee Katie Lautenschlager), Mrs. Geo. Lautenschlager (nee Christina Weppler), George Lautenschlager; also Henry Lippert, Mrs. Henry Lippert (nee Elizabeth Weppler), Henry Rueffer, Mrs. Ammon Merner (hee Sophie Ernst), Werner Huss, John Rueffer. KNOWN sSURVIVORS OF SCHOLARS WHO ATTENDED PETERSBURG SCHOOL PREVIOUS TO 1868 First School House Built in 1848 History of Petersburg School In 1869 the following record appears: "Henry Wahl has the contract for 7 cords of wood to be delivered at the school house on or before the first day of March, 4 cords green wood and 3 cords dry wood, to be split and â€"sawedâ€"réady for the teacher, for the sum of $2.98 per.cord."" The total reâ€" ceipts for the year 1870 were $523.00 and expenses $532.00. The assessment was $74,000 in 1873 and teachers‘ salaries varied from $325 to $400 per annum. . $306.96; municipal grant, $67.58, and legislative grant, $48.68. Building operations during this and the following year increased direct taxation to $857.63, municipal grant to $82.67, and the legislative grant to $56.80 for 1869. Trustees in office during this time were Louis Zoeger, Henry Weppler, George Rock and Jacob Schaefer. This summary of school records would not be complete without menâ€" tioning the name of Menno Shantz. This man served faithfully on the board of trustees as secretaryâ€"treasurer continuously from 1877 to 1896. During the early nineties the peak of attendance was reached with as many as 125 names entered in the register. This crowded condition compelled the trustees to increase accommodation and in 1895 the building was remodelled to provide two rooms. A lobby entrance was added on the east side of the building. The school was still without a basement and many years were to pass before Petersburg children were able to enjoy that luxury. For the next eighteen years Petersburg boasted a twoâ€"roomed school with principal and assistant. By 1913 the ranks of scholars were sadly depleted and the assistant teacher was dispensed with. Only 28 pupils answered the roll in 1915, the lowest on record. ‘Worn and battered by countless little hands and feet during its fiftyâ€"four years of service as a school house, the building was considered obsolete in 1923 and it passed from the scene leaving behind it vivid reâ€" collections, fond and otherwise, in the minds of hundreds who had learned their letters within its walls. Who was engaged in 1929 as teacher of the school. â€" In December. 1922. at the annual meeting of the ratepayers, it was moved by Peter Seyler, seconded by Harry Knipfel, that a new school house be built during 1923. A special meeting was called the following January at which a building committee was elected. ‘This committee was composed of five members: 0. Schweitzer (chairman), Henry Bechthold (secretary), and Reinzie Reier (trustees), and Theo. Lautenschlager and August Knipfel. In April the work of demolishing the old building commenced. In May Peter Schwartzentruber replaced Mr. Reier on the board of trustees. Con. Forler, Philipsburg, had the contract for the new building with the brick work sublet to Mr. Herman Schultz of New Hamburg. The plans called for a oneâ€"roomed school, modern in design and with Milton red brick to be used in its construction. While the school was being built, classes were held in the Lutheran church basement. New School Cost $12,000 March 4, 1924, was "Der Tag" for the children, another milestone had been reached by S. S. No. 14. Miss Koppeser called the roll of 32 pupils for the first time in the new building on that day. The cost of the building with equipment was about $12,000. This figure well illustrates the high value placed on the needs of education in the section. Property which in 1878 was valued at $1,700 had grown to $8,000, and the assessment of the section to $157,000 by 1935 as compared with $74,000 in 1873. In 1933 the attendance again touched the high mark of 66 pupils. Among the men who have given long and outstanding service to the section as trustees we find Henry Bechthold, Oscar Schweitzer and Peter Schwartzentruber. Mr. Bechthold fulfilled the duties of trustee for twelve years, six of these as secretary. Mr. Schweitzer has been trustee of the Petersburg section continuously since 1913, during which time he has acted as secretary during fourteen years. Peter Schwartzentruber has been on the board since 1923. Miss Grace Schaefer, the present teacher, has served the district longer than any teacher on record since 1850. This record of progress and achievement in a rural community during the past one hundred years is worthy of preservation and it is for that purpose that this article has been prepared. For those enduring foundations laid by the pioneers of this district, the people of S. S. No. 14 will be forever grateful. May the names of those who have laboured before us ever be held in loving remembrance and may the record of their good deeds always remain as an inspiration for generations yet to come. A valuable part of the records of any school is the visitors book and Petersburg school is quite fortunate to possess one dating from 1856. 1. Van Linge was the first school supt. to register in the visitors book. He made his visit in 1856 and reported 82 pupils on the roll with 55 present. C. H. Thomsen visited the school in December of that vear and reported the roll increased to 101 with 50 present. Prominent in educational work in the township in the sixtiees was Henry Liersch, tax collector and later Local Supt. of Schools for Wilmot. He took over the latter office in 1859 and appears to have been a frequent visitor for many years. Noteworthy recomâ€" mendations made by this man include improvements to the school building to make it warmer, and new textâ€"books in the German language, other than the testament which apparently was the only text then in use. Visitors during the late fifties and early sixties include such names as Jolhn Bawer. Frederick Noll, Jacoh Bettschen ccouncillor). Otto Presperich. August Mever, Peter Doelle. Conrad Rueffer,. Christ. Schwartzentruber, George Hossbach, Albert Ringler, Jacob Martin. In 1867 W. B. Kalley succeeded Henty Liersch as School Supt., with Otto Pressperich following in the office in 1870. Teacher Since MISS GRACE SCHAEFER School House from 1868 to 1923 THE VISITORS BOOK R. O. DOBBIN Of Waterloo, who taught at Petersâ€" burg from 1873 to 1876. Mr. Dobbin is 83 years old. Oldest Teacher Thomas Pearce, whose genial personality and welcome visits to the schools of Wilmot are still remembered by many, became the first county school inspector in 1875. He made his first offcial visit to Petersburg in that year and for many years remained a familiar figure and a guiding influence in the schools of the county. He retired from the service in 1903. Other visitors during the seventies were: F. Holwell, Elias Gottschalk, David Bergey, Wm. Roach, John Huether, Henry Gmelin. The large number of visitors recorded during these years is proof that considerable interest was taken in the school at that time. L. A. Norman, the present inspector, was appointed to the office in January, 1913. His many visits durings the past twentyâ€"three years have endeared him to the hearts of pupils and teachers alike and all who served the section during this time must feel forever grateful for the interest he has shown in their progress and welfare. The large number of new schools built in his inspectorate since 1913 is largely the result of his efforts in promoting efficiency, harmony and good will. F. W. Sheppard succeeded Thomas Pearce as inspector for Wilmot in 1904 and many former teachers of this section have pleasant memories of his official visits which were always carried out with kindness and good judgment. The thorough knowledge of the problems of the teacher and the needs of the pupils, which he exhibited at all times, and the constructive criticism and valuable suggestions which he so cheerfully gave were a neverâ€" failing source of encouragement to all who came under his supervision. 18. P. J. Altemann 19. Mr. Flath .. 20. A. Brandt ... .. 21. H. N. Millar 22. M. Klein 23. W. Alfred Hastings 24. James Taylor ... 25. T. Williams .. 26. J. Weir ; 27. Mr. Higgins . 28. Mr. Crowl 29. Enoch Eby ~ ... 30. C. White . 31. Garnet Kirby 32. Miss G. L. Davidson 33. John Keyes 34. John Sheppard 35. W. A. Ruthig 36. Miss Rosenberger 37. Nelson Litwiller 38. Miss Farrant 39. Miss Hutton 40. Miss Wilson 41. Miss Koppeser 42. Miss Keil 43. Miss Grace Schaefer 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Thomas Pearce First Inspector In 1875 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. F. W. Schoenau John Bauer . Joseph Rohmer Frederick Gottlieb . August Massalski T. Holling ; Nicholas Matzenbacher Robert Beyer Ottomor Illing Jacob Krauter . Frederick%Moser William T. Biggs A. H. Clemmer J. Dolph . ... Herman Schaefer Robert 0. Dobbin Miss Robertson Miss Richardson Miss Dewitt Miss Huber _ Miss Ellis Miss Ferris Miss Gordon Miss Bowman Miss Webb Miss Sleith Miss Schlichter Miss Sleith 1907 Miss Schlichter 1908â€"10 Miss Hall â€" 1911 Miss Braun 1912 Miss Litfin 1913 Miss A. Schaaf Supply Teacher Peter Schwartzentruber Oscar S¢€hweitzer Theo. Lauter Present School Built in 1923 Assistants Teachers 1936 TRUSTEES OF 8. S. 1897 1898â€"1900 1901â€"02 1903â€"04 1905 1899â€"1901 1902 1903 1849â€"51 â€" 1852 1853 1853â€"54 1854â€"57 1859â€"60 1861â€"62 1862â€"67 1868â€"69 1870 1871â€"73 1873â€"76 1876 1877 1878â€"80 1881â€"82 1883â€"84 1885â€"86 1887â€"89 1890â€"95 1907â€"10 1911â€"12 1913 . 1913 1914 1914 1914â€"18 1918 1918â€"20 1920â€"21 1922 1923 1924â€"26 1927â€"28 1929â€" 1895â€"97 1905 1907 1908â€"10 1911 1912 1913 90. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 21: 22. 23. 21. 25. 26. 27. 20. 17. 18. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 39. 40. 41. 12. 43. 44. 15. 47. 18. 19. 50. S 16 51. 56 Jacob Axt . Cathetine Boldt Daniel Boshart Henry Bechthold Julius Doerbecker Leo Ditner Henry Doelle â€" Simon Ditner Herbert Forler Arthur Gibbs Clifford Hamacher David Holst Werner Huss Hubert Hauck Annie Huether Albert Holtzworth John Holtzworth i Edward C. Kabel Charles Knipfel Henry B. Knipfel / Frederick Knipfel Wm. Knipfel Harry Knipfel Homer Krachling & Edward Knechtel August Knipfel Irwin Laschinger Erie Lautenschlager Victor Lautenschlager Adam Lautenschlager . Theo. Lautenschlager Harry Lederman Leander Montag Heéerbert Meyer Walter Neeb Edward Rueffer John L. Roth, Conrad Rueffer, Jr. Peter Schaefer Moses Schwartzentruber Wm. Seegmiller Henry Schneider Oscar Schweitzer Joseph Salzman John R. Schwartzentruber Veronica Shantz Peter Schwartzentruber Mrs. Louisa Strebel Solomon Schwartzentruber John E. R. Schwartzentruber Joseph B. Schwartzentruber Peter Seyler Rosa Seip Louisa M. Smith Alfred Weppler Leo Wadel 14. WILMOT Ratepayers hlager