Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/315

 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNT'S 255 cupola, was, with the church, the conspicuous objects, arresting the eye as one approaching the town reached the brow of the prairie, where it descends toward the valley. Its two school rooms, above and below, were approached from the south. In L872, alter only six years of use, 11 caught fire one evening, on the roof, from some unexplained cause and was burned to the ground. The desks in the Lower room were saved and were used in one n' the rooms of the upper floor of the house built in L870. At the time of the tin- a festival was being held in the second story open room of the building so recently destroyed by the same element, and the shock of sudden discovery of it brought the gathering to an abrupt close. The new school building of two stories, high posted, dimen- sions 40 by 60 feet, buill in 1870, costing $4,000 not including furnishings, had the two Lower rooms at once finished and put to use. Teachers employed during the earlier years were Mr. Parker, Emma Barrett, Persis Scofield and Jessie Ball, who later becoming the wife of < harles A. Ward, and L. D. Henry, the principal for one year. All these teachers gave satisfaction. Later Mv. Henry acted as clerk in the store of H. II. Palmer and subsequently married one of his pupils. Jennie Weatherhead. For several years four teachers were employed, including the head master. The resources of the district steadily increased, as well as the number of the pupils. The salaries of the teachers also were gradually increased. With Mr. Henry the school rose to the grade of a high school, though not, of course, of the first class, at that time. Benjamin Darby was principal in 1872, a success- ful instructor and a man of powerful physique. It is said that when the fire which consumed the earlier school house was dis- covered, Prof. Darby and E. L. Melius, then in trade here and afterwards a physician of good standing, were among the first to enter the burning building, seeking to save whatever of value could be snatched from the flames. The egress by the stairway being cut off. they descended by a ladder. Mr. Darby with the big heating stove in his arms, while Mr. Melius bore off something less weighty. M. B. Green, an esteemed teacher, was principal in 1873-74, one year. Then Miss Wood for a short time was princi- pal. In the fall of 1876 A. B. Guptill of Red Wing, a former resi- dent of Lubec, Maine, became principal and remained till the spring following. In 1876 district No. 68 became independent, the school board assuming the duties and responsibilities that ordinarily rest upon a majority of the legal voters of school dis- tricts. The number of pupils in the primary department, taught by Miss Scofield, was 62; in the intermediate, taught by Miss