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Hodge Podge written by Joe Ganger, 20 Nov 2000 The whole in the windoe needs some puty! |
In 1844 Mr. Burden writes that as secretary he is "to ceap acurit acounts." They vote "to rais $60 to bild a school hous." A special meeting held a month later moves to reconsider and not to "bild that hous" in 1844. Apparently referring to another school, they did vote "to holden four months of school with a mail teacher."
The next year at their "anuel meeting," they voted to put "puty in the whole in the windoe." Within five years they have a "mail teacher for three monthes winter term and a femail teacher for three monthes sumer term" with the "mail" getting two thirds of the "salery." Now before you gals get your hackles up, this was a common practice, because in the winter the big boys were in school so a "femail" would have been, presumably, less able to handle that group. In the summer, the big boys were all busy on the farms and so the summer group would be younger children and girls. For many years the going salary for women teachers was $2 a week.
In 1859 R. M. Fisher received $94 for the 10 weeks' winter term; Julia Hill, $20 for the summer term of the same duration.
The brief building specifications for a school built in 1852 would delight any contractor bogged down with today's building codes and inspectors. "It was voted that the building stand on a brick foundation one foot above the surface to be shingled with pine shingles, to have six windows, eight by ten glass, also to be lighted over the door, to be painted white with two coats."
For Brady #3 school, for each child in school (1867), the parents had to pay 60 cents plus one-third of a cord of good "body" wood of beech or maple, cut two feet long, and piled neatly in the school yard by December 1st.