Little Red Schoolhouse01

 

WAUPACA REPUBLICAN

February 25, 1898

 

RED SCHOOL HOUSE HONORED.

 

Pioneer Banquet and Meeting of the Old Red School House and Pioneer Association at Ogdensburg

 

            The Old Red School house and Pioneer Association of Waupaca county was first organized at Ogdensburg, Oct. 14, 1895.  The idea of the organization was to commemorate old pioneer days and venerate the memory of the first school houses of the county.  Ogdensburg seemed to be a fitting place to inaugurate the movement because the founder of the village, Judge C.S. Ogden, was a living prominent character at the time of the organization and had been identified with the county as county judge for nearly a quarter of a century.  The present officers of the association are as follows:

            Pres. – C.S. Ogden, Wauapca.

            Treas. – F.M. Livermore, Ogdensburg.

            Sec. – Budge Hopkins, Ogdensburg

            Vice Presidents – H.C. Smith, Manawa; Jas. Casey, Royalton; T. Rich, Waupaca; C.A. Stinchfield, Waupaca; W.R. Parks, Iola; N.W. Baldwin, Symco; C. Evenson, Scandinavia.

            The fourth annual meeting of this association was a grand gathering of old pioneers and friends at Ogdensburg Friday last.  The day was made to order.  It was pleasant and not too cold.  The local committee received the vast numbers, who came in cutters and sleighs, bringing their wives and daughters and baskets, at Odd Fellows’ hall, and the horses were cared for at Boyden’s and other barns.  Over two hundred people enjoyed a grand picnic dinner at the hall, the Ogdensburg ladies furnishing hot coffee, cream and sugar for the pioneers, their families and friends.  Little red school house buttons were provided for all who wished at 25 cents each, the proceeds of the sales going toward paying the expenses incident to the occasion.  There were large delegations from Waupaca, Iola, Scandinavia, Weyauwega, Royalton and Manawa.  The venerable Judge Ogden of this city, the founder of Ogdensburg, was present also many of the old pioneers.  After the dinner was over all gathered at the hall of the Modern Woodmen, which was also tendered the association for this occasion, where was held a veritable love feast of reminiscences and experiences.

            Judge Caleb S. Ogden presided and George Ratcliffe was toastmaster for the occasion, Judge Ogden on taking the chair thanked one and all for their presence and said:  “As we have gathered here for an old time visit to recount pioneer days and reminiscences we will lay our politics and religion one side so that it will not trespass upon our good cheer together. “

            Mr. Ratcliffe said he was sorry that the first person upon the program to respond to the sentiment “Our Pioneer Women,” was unavoidably detained at home but he knew all present felt the honor due to the brave mothers and sisters of the early days in our county.  He would pass to the “Old Red School House,” and call upon one who was an early teacher therein, Mr. J.M. Ware.

            Mr. Ware said he was proud of the fact that he was a pedagogue in the old red school house at Ogdensburg.  But said the speaker, “when I look around me and find many who were my pupils then, and now able teachers, more able than I was then, I feel they should have been assigned to the topic as they might present the subject in a more able manner than I.”  The speaker said it was about twenty-eight years ago he was prevailed upon to teach in the little red school house in Ogdensburg.  He managed to teach one term but really felt that would be his last, but was surprised to find the school board prevailing upon him to teach another term.  He did so but at the close of the term again resolved, on is return to the farm, that he would get his living in some other way and leave the field to others.  He paid a glowing tribute to the little red school house saying that its pupils now fill our colleges with its brightest professors and they can be found everywhere in the responsible positions of life.  The common schools of the country are the hope and pride of our Nation; they are the source and foundation of true manhood and womanhood, and will continue to increase in influence.  He said what our fathers thought a luxury now is a necessity, the mind must grasp the new condition of things; we must not let the head rest and wear out the hands.  Here is a creamery.  One farmer has a herd of cows.  The milk from which may test three per cent, the other farmer has been using headwork and his herd under the Babcock test may give five or six per cent.  It pays to think and study better principles and act accordingly.  The speaker paid a worthy tribute to the common people and quoted the saying of Abraham Lincoln – “God must love the common people because he made so many of them.”  The great battle of right and progress in the future is to be fought by the common people.  Mr. Ware closed with a happy and feeling memorial to the old red school house of the past.

            James Casey of Royalton the next speaker responded to the toast, “The old cornfield and husking bee,” in a happy manner.  He gave a humorous bit to the toastmaster and said he was no speech maker but would endeavor to emulate his old grandfather when called upon once, and “yank out something.”  And Mr. Casey did tell a good many reminiscences.  He told how Ratcliffe dug roots for Dr. Hayford and wound up with a story which created much merriment.  Toastmaster Ratcliffe said: “That’s a husking bee with a vengeance and Casey is entitled to the red ear.”

            H.H. Suhs of Waupaca then recited a poem on “The Old Fashioned Spelling school at the Little Red Schoo House.”

            Hon. Jacob Wipf of Iola was called to the stand to tell of his remembrance of the old ox team.  He wondered what in the world Ratcliffe was thinking about to assign him to the old ox team. He said his memory of the ox team was not so clear as many other things.  But said the speaker:  “A little over forty years ago I with my brother lived in the Republic of Switzerland along with our parents.  And I want to say I was born a Republican here.  My brother and I induced father to sell out and come to America.  We came to Iola and through the assistance of a Mr. Bestul we found land that suited us. I wanted to learn the English language and be with the American boys so hired out to the Mill company at Weyauwega.”  The speaker paid a tribute to the kindness and thoughtfulness of Alexander McCall and said:  “It was through is influence and kindness while living in his family that winter that I am what I am.  Every evening he would get out books and have a school among this workmen and help out many a foreigner like myself to read and know the English language.  I have only feelings of gratitude in remembering the kind deeds of old neighbors and friends of early days.  It taught me to love the American people and it makes me feel that I want to do something good to the people and bring a little sunshine wherever I can.  If I don’t I hope the good Lord will take me hence.”  The speaker was warmly applauded and incidentally he remarked about that “ox team” which was a pleasing reminiscence of one good ox and one which was balky.

            Mr. T. Rich of Waupaca spoke of the early churches.  In opening his remarks he would assume that in an early day in Waupaca county we were all Christians but there was no particular church. Mr. Rich spoke of the first sermon he remembered of hearing on the Indian land was at the house of Ashley Colburn.  Father Dain was the speaker.  He took for his text these words:  “It is I be not afraid,” and said; “you will find this text between the lids of the Bible somewhere I have forgotten the place.”  The first sermon in Ogdensburg was by Rev. E.W. G(illegible), a Baptist minister, in 1854.  The speaker related an incident and said the only donation to a preacher he ever regretted was in an early day; (he would not call the name) a man was preaching the gospel in this county and a donation was held for the preacher’s benefit; he gave a good ham to him.  Since that time that alleged preacher’s conduct has been such that he regretted that he ever game him a ham.

            The toastmaster said that his old school mate, J.A. Ogden, one of the early printer boys of the county was booked for a talk on the early news papers, that gentlemen not being present he called on the editor of the REPUBLICAN, who prefaced his remarks with although not an old pioneer he was publishing a paper that was founded right after the war by the venerable president of this association, Judge Ogden; that the REPUBLICAN was the lineal descendant of the Waupaca Spirit and Criterion, those papers having been merged into the REPUBLICAN.  The Redfield brothers must have had sand to think of starting a paper in a town with but a half dozen business houses and not many more dwellings way back, forty-five years ago.  But they had faith in the future and ordered material and press which was hauled from Berlin to Waupaca with ox teams in December 1853.  The press as a whole in one of the best counties in the Badger state was given a grand compliment.

            A.V. Balch was the next speaker.  He was called to respond to the toast on early surveys.  Mr. Balch said he would save that topic until the last and take occasion to mention at the outset what we owe to the pioneer wives and mothers for the part they played in the early development of this wilderness.  All honor is due to the noble women, many of whom left comfortable homes in the east and came here to share the joys and sorrows with others who were to build a foundation for the future for our commonwealth.  He well remembered “the old ox teams” for it was by ox team that he imported from Berlin to Weyauwega his first wife, who had come all the way from her eastern home to that place to meet him.  It took a hard all day’s ride to come from Berlin to Lind Center.  The speaker said there were but few in the county earlier than himself and he would like to invite all of them to his home.  It would not take a very long table, or many chairs to seat them around the board.  He referred to the root doctors mentioned by Mr. Casey, but said Mr. Balch, “The best doctors were our mothers and we all should thank God for sending us such good mothers.”  He closed with a brief account of running the early lines in various townships and villages in the county and said that there were friendships formed during his work on those surveys that were as lasting as time.

            Mr. Shipman of Manawa spoke of early days, saying that in the spring of ’61 he was down south and when Fort Sumpter was fired upon he longed to hurry out of rebeldom.  He had not seen a national flag for six months.  The speaker said:  “When I was coming out of the country on the boat I felt sad and discouraged until I got to where I saw the stars and stripes waving everywhere.  Then I felt as if I had got home.”  He spoke of the fake Indian scare in early days and told the story of a farmer near Shawano who had a wagon loaded with melons.  On being told that the Indians were coming he turned around and put whip to his horses regardless of spilling his load of luscious fruit along the roadside.  Mr. Shipman said when he came to this country it took three days to come with team from Sheboygan to Fond du Lac, forty miles.

            Mr. Hatch of Iola said he had received a postal card to be present at this meeting and respond to a toast.  He had prepared an address two hours long but as it was getting late he would beg to be excused.

            A.D. Barnes, the Waupaca nurseryman who by the way had an exhibit of his beautiful apples on the stage, was called upon and responded briefly to the toast, “Our Homes.”  To start out with Mr. Barnes said:  “There is not a spot on God’s green earth I love so well as I do this county of Waupaca, and do you know there are more people who own their own homes in Waupaca county than in any other county in the state, and we should all take pride in our homes and make them more beautiful in many ways.  My good friend Wipf’s remarks, that what he was was due to friendly and kindly acts, reminded me that we should be proud to have such men come from over the sea to build their homes among us.

            Mr. Carpenter, editor of the Record, was called upon and said he did not come to speak but to hear and see.  He was proud of being a son of the oldest white child in Fond du Lac county.  His mother coming to that county in 1837.  As an instance of the value of advertising.  Mr. Carpenter said when he first read of this gathering to be held at Ogdensburg he did not think much about it but when he saw a whole supplement devoted to it he said, “I’ll just go.”

            Judge Ogden closed the topic of the afternoon with a history of the Indian scare, and how he and the late O.E. Drutzer founded the village of Ogdensburg which was named by Simeon Hopking of Royalton.  The judge recounted the hard work of cutting out roads, building a mill, store, etc.  The village being near the geographical center of the county, the object of building a town was to eventually get the county seat but when Mukwa surrendered and the plum finally lay between Waupaca and Weyauwega, Ogdensburg could only act as a sort of balance of power hoping to eventually get it themselves, but Waupaca was finally selected.  In closing the judge said:  “I never lived in a place I like or enjoyed myself better than I did in the Burg.  They were pleasant and happy days but of course the people called me to serve them and I had to move to Waupaca.”  He said he had tempting offers to go to some country recommended as better than this but he had no desire to do it.  Wealth was no object for him to seek any other location.  His politics and religion was to live so you can have the satisfaction of feeling that you have done right.

            At the close of the speech making there was a recess for social greeting, and about five o’clock the Iola band came in and gave some of their best selections to enliven and entertain the crowd.  At six o’clock the visitors repaired to Odd Fellows hall and spread the tables for supper, the committee of Ogdensburg ladies furnishing a good supply of warm coffee, milk and sugar as at the dinner.

            In the evening the war drama , “From Sumpter to Appamattox” was rendered, also a musical program from local talent and the Iola band. A good number staid and took in the entertainment.

            Among the visitors from around the county were the following:

            Waupaca – C.S. Ogden, C.A. Stinchfield, H.H. Suhs, J.M. Ware, A.D. Barnes and wife, page Knight and wife, W.H. Holmes and wife, REPUBICAN W.E. Carpenter and wife, Record, J.L. Sturtevant and wife, Post, T. Rich and wife, L. Stinchfield, A.C. Quinby and wife, David Axtell and family, Mrs. Philo Gibbons, Mrs. J. Perkins, A. Holly and wife, Sam Patterson and wife, Dana Dewey, M.L. Munsert and wife, Mrs. Wm. Bruley, Sam Christenson, R. Lamkins, P. Kraig, C. Anderson and wife, Mrs. Cain.

            Weyauwega – A.V. Balch        

            Maple Grove – Jno. Faulks and wife.

            Royalton – Jas. Casey and wife

            Symco – Chas. Jenkins and wife, Mrs. H.S. Eldridge, Mr. Hilderman.

            Manawa – W.J. Axtell and wife, D.W. Shipman, H.C. Smith and wife; H. Lindow and wife, I. Stevens and wife, W.A. Mallery and wife, Mrs. R. Hessey, N. Terrio and wife, G.W. Dent, Geo. Lindsay Jr. and wife, Geo Lindsay, Sr., Miss Jane Lindsay, Carrie Lombard, Wm. Jones, E. Axtell, Emma Terrio, Grace Terrio, Helen Carley, Mrs. Dr. Jurgensohn, Jo Belot, Mrs. Betzer, Mr. R. Wells.

            New London – Mr. L.C. Durga, Frank Starks

            Helvetia – Mrs. A. Jensen, son and daughter, J. Stevens and family

            Scandinavia – Olof Weloit

            Iola – Iola Prize band consisting of nineteen pieces under leadership of Oscar Gunderson, W. R. parks and family, J. Wipf and daughter, Dr. A.G. Dale and wife, B.F. Andrews and wife, F.C. Andrews and family, Mrs. Damon, C. Worby and wife, Herald, H. Hatch, Gen. Taylor and daughter, Simon Myhre, Sylvia Damon, L. Danley, Maud Cleaves, Iva Cleaves, Geo. LaBar.