Clearcreek Township Schools

This page is part of the Warren County Ohio GenWeb project
You are our [an error occurred while processing this directive] visitor since 24 October 2004 -- thanks for stopping by!

The History of Warren County, Ohio

Schools

Previous
Index
Next

Contributor::

Transcription contributed by Martie Callihan 23 Oct 2004

Sources:
The History of Warren County Ohio
Part IV, Township histories
Clear Creek Township
(Chicago, IL: W. H. Beers Co, 1882; reprint, Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, 1992)
Comments::
 
Related Links:
 

Page
593

The early settlers of this township were, perhaps, as much alive to the educational interests of their children as the people of the present day are, but the school laws, if any had been enacted, were very crude, and free public schools as they exist at the present time were unknown. The school terms were necessarily of short duration, because of the limited means of most of the citizens. The usual method of proceeding in most cases was about as follows: Whenever a dozen or more families had settled in one locality, and a locality would frequently embrace a scope of country many miles in extent, a substantial hewn-log house would be built, which generally answered the double purpose of church and schoolhouse. When, however, a house was designed for school purposes only, a very simple structure was deemed sufficient, for as no school districts had been established, and no one was limited to any special territory in the matter of school privileges, and, as the "center of population " was often changing, owing to the influx of new settlers, the school site was as often changed and a new house erected; therefore, as the houses were intended merely for a temporary purpose, no especial pains were taken in their construction.

When the house was completed, some one who felt himself competent to "wield the birch"—often a "tramp pedagogue"—would apply for the position of teacher, the amount of his wages depending upon the number of his patrons.

We have heard cases instanced in which the teacher received but $12 per month, he paying his board out of that sum—not a very princely income, surely. The customary plan, however, was for the teacher to " board round," usually boarding a week with each family.

When and where the first schoolhouse in the township was built is not positively known, but from the best data I can obtain, one of the first, if not the very first, was built on the farm now owned by Ephraim Barnhart, in Section 18. If not the first, it possessed all the '' advantages " of that day- -such as a puncheon floor, greased paper for windows in lieu of glass, a clapboard door, a slab, smoothed on one side, for a writing-desk, etc.

Page
594

These were the only schools in the township until about the year 1816, when Francis Glass, a classical scholar, opened a school in Springboro, and was followed by Richard Way and Noah Leeds. Good private schools were maintained there until the passage of a general State school law.

At present, Springboro, with the addition of some adjacent territory, outside of the corporate limits, constitutes a special school district. They employ a Principal, with three assistant teachers. The present enrollment is about 200. The curriculum embraces the common English branches, together with the higher mathematics, the sciences and Latin. There is also within the corporation a school for colored youth, with an enrollment of about twenty.

The township, outside of Springboro, constitutes one school district, which is divided into eleven subdistricts, with an enumeration of about 750. The schoolhouses in the township are all substantial brick buildings, and are well supplied with outline maps, globes, etc. The schools are usually continued nine months each year. The average wages of teachers is $42 per month for males, and $38 for females. Subdistrict No. 1, or Red Lion, has two teachers; the others have one each. The patrons of the schools in most of the districts manifest considerable interest in their welfare, and. we think, the schools of the township, taken as a whole, will compare favorably with country schools in general. The Miami Valley College is situated near Springboro. It was established in 1870 by a party of liberal-minded persons, chiefly of the Society of Friends, with the intention of testing, or rather demonstrating, the practicability of combining mental with physical instruction in the education of both sexes.

There is a farm of about sixty acres connected with the school; also a mechanical hall and all male students—except those who board outside of the college—are required to devote a portion of each day to manual labor, either in farming, gardening or mechanics; the females in household duties, each class under a competent instructor. The faculty consists at present of five teachers. The attendance is about sixty.


FOOTNOTES: [a place to add additional information that you might want to submit]

     

Previous
Index
Next

NOTICE: All documents and electronic images placed on the Warren County OHGenWeb site remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. These documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or their legal representative, and contact the listed Warren County OHGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.

This page created 24 Oct 2004 and last updated 24 October, 2004
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik  All rights reserved