Since the Illinois state legislature proposed school consolidation in 1901, there has not been any noticeable opposition. Until 1948, as reported on the front page of the March 26, 1948 issue of The Sycamore Tribune.
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Friday, October 30, 2020
1947 - Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois plat map
Here is the 1947 plat map for Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.
- Section 6, the Johnson school, district #78 (original school district #2)
- Section 20, the Tysdal school, district #83 (original school district #7)
- Section 33, the Sheridan school, district #85 (original school district #5)
- Section 30, the Toad Hollow school district #84 (original school district #3)
- Section 35, the Hickey School, district #86 (original school district #4),
had all closed prior to 1947. The Browne school located in Section 1 was one of the 4 remaining rural schoolhouses.
Thursday, October 29, 2020
March 11, 1947 - Rural School Analysis
March 11, 1947 on the front page of The True Republican the results of student enrollment and teacher salaries were published. Additional data included average training and experience of the one room rural schoolteachers. The $1,800 average salary would today, adjusted for inflation, be approximately $21,009.15. The salary range of $1,395 - $2,500 would today, adjusted for inflation, be approximately, $16,282.09 - $29,179.37.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
September 26, 1946 - Milan Township Financial Statement
The September 26, 1946 edition of the DeKalb County Express published the Milan township financial statement including the expenses and income from the Browne school, District #80. The statement appeared on page 8 of the paper.
It is interesting to note the differences in receipts and expenditures since 1922 due to the closure of rural schools and consolidation.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
September 6, 1946 - 55 Rural School Closures
The front page of the September 6, 1946 edition of The Sycamore Tribune published the county statistics for rural schools. 55 closed during the year leaving just 72 one room schoolhouses, including the Browne School.
Monday, October 26, 2020
March 5, 1946 - Probing Rural Schools
On page 3 of the March 5, 1946 issue of The True Republican it was confirmed that 93 counties in the state of Illinois voted to look into improving the public school system, including diminishing rural school enrollment.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
November 13, 1945 - The Rural School System
On the front page of the November 13, 1945 edition of The True Republican another article was published regarding the changing landscape of the rural school.
Saturday, October 24, 2020
September 14, 1945 - Rural School Closures
The front page of The Sycamore Tribune in their September 14, 1945 issue reported 10 rural schools had closed that year. One rural school in Milan township closed in 1945, the Hickey school located 4 miles south of the Browne school. The Hickey school was located jn the southwest corner at the intersection of University Road and McGirr Road.
Friday, October 23, 2020
The Browne School Teachers - 1944/1945: Betty Marie Peterson
Following the one year term taught by Eleanor (Spohn) Smith, Betty Marie Peterson taught the following school year at the Browne school, 1944 - 1945.
Betty Marie Peterson was born on June 21, 1921 in Sycamore, DeKalb county, Illinois to Esther (Bergstrom) and Otto Edward Peterson. Betty was baptized at the Salem Lutheran Church in Sycamore on July 3, 1921. Betty's entry is the last one listed below.
The 1930 US Census lists Betty living (lines 65 - 69) with her parents Otto and Esther and siblings Olive and Orville in DeKalb, DeKalb township, DeKalb county, Illinois. Betty's father is employed as a professor at a college.
The 1940 US Census lists Betty living (lines 49 - 51) living in DeKalb with her parents. Her father is listed as a teacher at a teacher's college, which would be the Northern Illinois State Teachers College in DeKalb, Illinois.
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Page 3 of the August 24, 1945 edition of The Sycamore Tribune published the marriage of Betty Marie Peterson and Sylvester Solomon Plapp. They were married August 23, 1945 in Sycamore, Illinois at the Federated Church.
The Tribune added that Betty had graduated from the Northern Illinois State Teachers College, taught at local DeKalb rural schools and would be teaching at the Genoa Grade school.
The announcement also states Betty's father was superintendent of schools and at the time currently a professor at the Teachers College.
Sylvester Plapp's maternal uncle, Josephs Samuel Askvig had married another Browne school teacher, Rose Riley who had taught there 30 years before Betty.
Betty Marie (Peterson) Plapp passed away on February 27, 1985 in Pensacola, Escambia county, Florida. Her memorial can be viewed here.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
February 6, 1945 - The Demise of the Rural School
Two months before the end of World War II in Europe, The True Republican published on page 5 of their February 6, 1945 edition comments made by Karl L Adams, the president of the Illinois State Grange. Karl believed the rural school no longer was justified as a means to educate rural children. This theme has been percolating since the turn of the century.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
The Browne School Teachers - 1943/1944: Eleanor (Spohn) Smith
The1943 - 1944 Browne school year was taught by Eleanor (Spohn) Smith, following the 5 years taught by Mabel Colton. While I could not find any documentation other than the "Rural Schools Journeys: A Legacy of Learning, Histories of the One-room Schools in Dekalb County, Illinois" there were no other individuals named Eleanor Smith that lived within a reasonable distance near the Browne school other than Eleanor (Spohn) Smith. Unfortunately there were no newspaper accounts or census records that tied Eleanor (Spohn) Smith to employment as a school teacher.
Eleanor L (Spohn) Smith was born July 22, 1912 in DeKalb county, Illinois to Bessie Pearl (Shultz) and Homer Clyde Spohn. I haven't seen a document with Eleanor's middle name, but I believe it to be Lena, named after her maternal grandmother, Lena (Reeds) Shultz.
The 1920 US Census lists Eleanor living (lines 71 - 77) in Wyoming township, Lee county, Illinois with her parents and siblings, Robert, Willard, Ruth and her uncle Ernest Spohn.
The 1930 US Census lists Eleanor living (Page 4A, lines 45 - 50 and Page 4B, lines 51 - 54) with her parents and siblings, Robert, Willard, Ruth, Edith, Grace, Pearl and Harry. The family was living in Shabbona township, DeKalb county, Illinois. Eleanor's neighbor, Paul Craigmile would eventually move to a home 1/4 mile west of the Browne school in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois. The Browne school playground swing set eventually ended up at the Craigmile home.
On February 26, 1934, Eleanor L Spohn married Paul Herbert Smith in Waterman, DeKalb county, Illinois.
The 1940 US Census lists Eleanor living (lines 72 - 75) in Shabbona township, DeKalb county, Illinois with her husband, Paul and their children Barbara and Bruce.
The 1940 US Census does not indicate Eleanor is employed. I do not know whether she taught at another school prior to her tenure at the Browne school in 1943 - 1944.
Page 2 of the February 20, 1959 Sycamore Tribune published an announcement of Eleanor and Paul's 25th wedding anniversary.
Eleanor L (Spohn) Smith passed away on May 17, 1996 in Streator, LaSalle county, Illinois. Her memorial can be viewed here.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
The Browne School Teachers - 1938/1943: Mabel Louise Colton
Following the five school terms taught by Ethel (Coultas) Pike, the next 5 school terms at the Browne school were taught by Mabel Louise Colton: 1938 - 1939, 1939 - 1940, 1940 - 1941, 1941 - 1942, 1942 - 1943.
Mabel Colton was born September 28, 1913 in Elva, Afton township, DeKalb county, Illinois to Julia Lovett (Kelsey) and Orson Luther Colton. The 1920 US Census lists Mabel living (lines 8 - 12) with her parents and siblings, Helen and Ralph.
Following the death of Mabel's mother on August 28, 1923, Orson married Beulah Marree Fenton the following year.
The 1930 US Census lists Mabel living (lines 86 - 93) with her father and step-mother, siblings Helen, Ralph, Audra and step-mother's daughter Katherine and step-sister Ora. The family had moved to Waterman, Clinton township, DeKalb county, Illinois.
The 1940 US Census lists Mabel living (lines 58 - 63) living in Waterman, Illinois with her father and step-mother, sister Audra and step-mother's daughter Katherine and step-sister Ora.
The census lists Mabel working as a rural school teacher.
The front page of the May 29, 1941 issue of the DeKalb County Express reported that Mabel Colton took the Browne school students on a field trip to the printing office of the DeKalb County Express in Shabbona, DeKalb county, Illinois.
On May 12, 1961 Mabel Louise Colton passed through immigration in New York City after traveling from Paris, France.
Mabel Louise Colton passed away May 31, 2007 in Hot Springs Village, Garland county, Arkansas. Her memorial can be found here.
Monday, October 19, 2020
August 4, 1942 - One Room Schoolhouses (Graph)
The August 4, 1942 edition of The True Republican published a graph depicting the number of the one room schools in the United States. The eight most populous states were listed with Illinois having highest number of these rural schools with a total of 9,710. Of the eight states, Massachusetts had the fewest number of rural schoolhouses with a count of 238.
Seventy-eight years later, six of these states still remain as the top eight most populated with Michigan and Massachusetts replaced by Florida and Georgia. Since this graph was published, rural schoolhouses continued to consolidate and within a 10 year period the majority of rural schools ceased operating.
Sunday, October 18, 2020
1940 - Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois plat map
The 1940 plat map for Milan township includes 8 of the 9 rural schools. The Tysdal school located in Section 20 is not marked, though according to "Rural Schools Journeys: A Legacy of Learning, Histories of the One-room Schools in DeKalb County, Illinois", the school was still functioning in 1940.
The Browne school is located in Section 1, the upper right hand corner of the map.
Saturday, October 17, 2020
April 17, 1941 - Reflections on Early Life in Milan township
The DeKalb County Express published an essay by Dale Herrmann on page 3 in their April 17, 1941 edition. Dale's grandfather moved from Germany to Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois in 1873 and provided a slice of history for the period, including a brief mention of rural schools and teachers..
The Jonathan Stevens farm where Andrew Craig worked is located in the southeast quadrant of Section 34 of Milan township. The Stevens farm was located six miles southwest of the Browne school. You can view the map here.
The property that Andrew Craig purchased was located in the southeast quadrant of Section 35 of Milan township. The property was listed in the name of Andrews's son, Edward in the 1905 plat map. The color version of the 1929 map can be viewed here.
Dale's grandfather, Andrew Craig would pass away 3 years following this article. The DeKalb County Express published his obituary on the front page of their July 6, 1944 edition noting that Andrew was the oldest living resident of Milan township at the time of his death.
Andrew Craig's memorial can be viewed here. The memorial for Andrews's grandson, Dale Herrmann can be viewed here.
Friday, October 16, 2020
July 14, 1939 - Browne school aerial view
I've been unable to track down a photo during the years the Browne school was operating as a rural schoolhouse. I did find a few aerial photos. The first was taken July 14, 1939. The Browne school is in the middle of the sheet on the first vertical line which represents University Road.
I'm not 100% certain the building marked "Coal shed" is correct. It is possible the coal shed was closer to the school building and is hidden under the trees. By the time the school was converted into a residence, the coal shed was pushed next to the northern end of the building and used as a utility room.
If anyone has photos or knows of someone that has photos of the Browne school between its construction in the late 1860's through the 1960's, please let me know in the comments.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
The Browne School Teachers - 1936/1938: Ethel (Coultas) Pike
Ethel (Coultas) Pike followed the five school terms of Bertha Finnestad at the Browne school. Ethel taught the 1936 - 1937 and 1937 - 1938 school years.
Ethel Mary (Coultas) Pike was born in Artesia township, Iroquois county, Illinois on May 1, 1884 to Florence E Purinton and William Wallace Coultas. The 1900 US Census lists Ethel living (lines 64 - 68) with her parents and siblings Bertha and Avis. The family is living in Cortland, Cortland township, DeKalb county, Illinois.
Ethel's father is listed as a school principal.
Ethel's photo appeared in the yearbook, the Northern in 1904 as a member of the senior class of the Northern Illinois State Normal School.
Ethel Mary Coultas and Oscar Garfield Pike applied for a marriage license and were married on September 15, 1906 in St. Joseph, Berrien county, Michigan.
The marriage was announced on the front page of the November 10, 1906 edition of The True Republican. The article mentions Ethel graduated from the Normal school and had taught at a school in Berwyn, Cook county, Illinois.
The 1910 US Census lists Ethel Mary (Coultas) Pike living (lines 28 - 30) with her husband Oscar and their son Edwin in Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.
Ethel is not listed as being employed.
The 1920 US Census lists Ethel Pike living (lines 78 - 82) with husband Oscar and their children, Edwin, Mary Jane and Helen Jean living in Shabbona, Shabbona township, DeKalb, Illinois.
Again, Ethel is not listed as being employed.
Ethel's husband, Oscar Garfield Pike passed away on May 29, 1929 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. His obituary was published on page 5 of the June 6, 1929 edition of the DeKalb County Express.
Oscar's obituary notes that his wife Ethel (Coultas) was the daughter of former County Superintendent of Schools, William Wallace Coultas.
In 1930 the US Census lists Ethel living (lines 1 - 4) with her children Edwin, Mary and Helen in Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.
Ethel is working for a corset company as a corsetier.
The 1940 US census lists Ethel living (lines 60 - 64) with her daughter, Mary Jane (Pike) Harris, Mary's husband Stanley and their children Nancy and John. The family is living in Malta, Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois.
Ethel is listed as a teacher for a rural school. I do not know which school Ethel taught at following her 2 year stint at the Browne school from 1936 - 1938.
Ethel Mary (Coultas) Pike passed away on August 11, 1969 in DeKalb, DeKalb county, Illinois. Her memorial can be viewed here.
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