Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/316

 856 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY Hall, 48; iu the high school, taught by Mr. Guptill., 36; the num- ber of Mr. Parker's room is not given. Mr. Fletcher succeeded Mr. .Guptill for a short time iu the spring of 1877, a worthy num. fund of music and excelling as a flutist. In the fall of 1877 .Mr. Mooney, also a native of Lubec, recommended by Dr. Tupper, who had known him there, took charge of the school for our term. Later he became a practicing lawyer in his native town.' In the fall of 1878 W. A. Snook succeeded to the principalship. He was a rigid disciplinarian. possessing both moral and physical courage for all emergencies. The modern history of Ziiinhrota schools is found elsewhere in this history. PUBLIC LIBRARY. (By Mrs. Gilbert P. Murphy. The Zumbrota Public Library. There are in Goodhue county two free public libraries, one at Red Wing, the other at Zum- brota. While the Red Wing library takes precedence as regards size, it must yield the palm as regards age to the Zumbrota library, which can trace its beginning to a period forty years ago. For some years during the early history of Zumbrota one of the most popular organizations in towi. was the Zumbrota Literary Society, at whose weekly meetings old and young, both men and women, gathered, finding therein much mental stimulus as well as recreation. Several prominent members of this or- ganization, notable anion- them being .Joseph A. Thaeher, be- came, during the winter of L868 and 1869, much interested in the matter of a town Library. The few books which the early settlers had brought from their eastern homes had been circu- lated through the neighborhood until everybody had read them. Periodicals were few and expensive. The literary society was cramped in preparing ils programs by dearth of material, and individuals were hungry for good literature. After considerable agitation of the question, a new organization superseded the literary society, called the Zumbrota Literary Society and Li- brary Association. By paying the sum of fifteen dollars, any individual could become a life member of the association, he and his family being thereby entitled to the use of the library for life. About twenty were found who became life members at this time, the following being a necessarily imperfect list of the names: J. A. Thaeher. -J. ('. Stearns. F. L. Halbert, H. H. Palmer, Henry Blanchard, John Mitchell, Charles A. "Ward. Sr.. Charles Ward, Jr., 0. H. Parker. J. B. Locke, Henry Shedd, Mathias P. Ringdahl, "William Wells, B. C. Grover, James Cram. D. B. Scofield, T. D. Rowell and T. P. Kellett. The first actual con-