Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/496

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��on the east half of the lot now occupied by Dr. Craig. He only taught here one winter, as the children made so much racket over Mrs. Gilkison's head, that she concluded to dispense with the school. During the next season, how- ever, the Judge succeeded in having a small frame schoolhouse erected on the next lot east of Mr. Gilkisons, where he continued his school. This is believed to have been the second schoolhouse erected in the town, and was built mainly by the efforts of the Associ- ate Reformed Church, of which Rev. James Johnson was Pastor. One of Stewart's pupils was a young lady, very prett}', it is said, b}- the name of Loughridge. She lived somewhere in the woods, a mile or two from town. The Judge fell in love with, and married, her. Their onh* child is now the wife of Secretary Sherman.

One of the earliest schools was also taught in a cabin, wdiich stood in the alley, back of Niman's furniture store.

M. H. Gilkison says the first schoolhouse of which he has any recollection, and, he believes, the first in Mansfield, was located on East Dia- mond street, west side, lietween Third and Fourth, on the northwest corner of East Dia- mond and the alley which connects East and West Diamond. It was a frame, about fifteen feet square. He thinks John O'Brien was the first teacher. O'Brien, in common with several other early teachers, drank too much, but was a very good teacher for the times. A man by the name of Timberlick, a lady named Emil}^ Ann Teny, and James Russell also taught in this house — the latter several years. Some of the pupils were George Carothers, Hannibal Pugh, Alexander Mann and sister, Mr. Neal, Alexander Curran, Ralph Hedge, Mansfield H. and George Gilkison, Joseph Cairns, Orin Terr^', and Joseph and Andrew Newman.

A small frame schoolhouse was afterward erected on the corner of Second and Walnut streets, on the lot now occupied by the Lutheran

��Church. David Bright, afterward Sheriff of the count}', taught there at one time. James Brice also taught there in the winter of 1830-31. A school was taught at an early day on South Main street, near where Dr. Race now resides.

When Gen. James Hedges laid out the town, he donated two lots on the northeast and north- west corners of the plat for school purposes. JNIan}- of the old settlers are under the impres- sion that the first schoolhouse was built on one of these lots — the one on the northeast corner. This would seem probable from the fact that the lot was donated and intended for that pur- pose. The house was called the  Big Spring  Schoolhouse, and was built in 1818, and stood where the soap factory now stands on Fourth street. There was a block-house on that same lot before the schoolhouse was built. Alexan- der Barr was one of the first, if not the first, teacher who occupied this house. He was the son of a Baptist minister, a ver}- efficient teacher, and taught here fifteen years. The house was a frame, al)out 20x35 feet. Mordecai Bartley writes thus concerning this schoolhouse: " As the town increased in population, public spirit and enterprise, the policy of erecting a schoolhouse was discussed, and for the purpose of having a decision, an individual visited each family in the village, and to each presented a subscription paper, thereby obtaining a promise of the payment of $200 to aid in the building of a schoolhouse. On the evening of the same dsij, a meeting of the citizens was held, and after organizing by appointing a chairman and secretary, a motion to proceed immediately in erecting a schoolhouse was carried without de- bate. It was then proposed b}- one that it be built of logs, by another that it be frame, by another, brick, and another, stone. Each plan had its advocates, but finally the meeting dis- solved in confusion without coming to any con- clusion, save that a schoolhouse be built. The subscription of $200 was placed in the hands of

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