District #70 - South Center

The first classes held in District #70 were held in a home that was made of sod. It was located somewhere near the vicinity of the Harvey Wageman farm. A wooden structure was later built in the same area. The next school building was a small log cabin on the hill west of Ernie Chapek\u27s. It didn\u27t last long. After this, (between 1872-1880) a large one-room school was built on the site of the present school building. A pot-bellied stove stood in the middle of the room. There was a 6 to 8 high platform at the front of the room for the teacher\u27s desk and recitation area. Pupils sat in double desks. At times in the winter when the farm work was done, more students came to school. Some of the boys were 18 to 19 years old. Families were large, (at one time there were five families that had twelve children). As many as ninety pupils attended on some days. The older boys were usually given the honor of doing the janitor work. They came early in the morning to start the fire. Sometimes they would find signs that a tramp had spent the night