At the annual school meeting on July 5, 1897, the voters decided to build
a new
structure. It was to be of brick, 28 x 52 x 14 feet high costing $1,100,
and patterned
after the school buildings of that day. The building had windows in the long
and
in* the entrance sides. The schoolhouse had an entrance, a cloakroom, and
a large
classroom which was heated by a large heater. Real slate blackboards, 4 feet
wide,
were provided. By 1912, the enrollment became so great that the state required
the
addition of another teacher. The long schoolroom was then partitioned into
two rooms
and a new entrance was made on one of the long sides so that it would serve
the new
room. (See the 17th County Annual for a-picture of this school). In 1924,
this build-
ing was abandoned and sold to Peter Massman who dismantled it and used the
brick
in building his present home.
    At a special school meeting held March 7, 1923, the voters discussed
the advis-
ability of building a larger and more modern school to meet the rapid increase
in
enrollment. At another special meeting held March 28, 1923, the vote to build
was
favorable. The new two story building is constructed of red brick, has north
and
south entrances leading to halls which divide the lower and upper floors
into two
classrooms each. The basement houses a playroom, the lavatories, and a modern
heating-ventilating plant which is now equipped with a stoker. The equipment
is
modern and meets graded school standards. The building was completed and
dedi-
cated in September 1924. Today the school plant is valued at about $40,000.
School
records show that the school bell was once a train bell and was given to
the school
by the railroad company on the condition that it would never be sold. This
bell has
been the school property since 1898.
    Kossuth Dist. No. 4 was a one-room school until February 7, 1912 when
it be-
came a two-room graded school. Walter Reich was the first principal and Blanche
Jana the first primary teacher. Darwin Schuette and Edwin Ewen were members
of the first graded school class. At an annual meeting on July 16, 1923,
the voters
decided to add a 9th grade and hire a third teacher, making this a 1st class
state
graded school.- In 1924, the* 10th grade was added and a 'fourth teacher
added. The
members of the first 10th grade graduating class were Elva Grams, Viola Herman,
Or-
val Hessel, Grace Kortens, Margaret Mohr, Katherine iMulholland, Mae Rohrbach,
Jos.
Schleis, Martha Seidl, Mabel Specht, and Gilbert Steinbrecker.
    County and district records do not give attendance records prior to 1870.
Dis-
trict records of attendance are complete from 1871 up to the present. By
1871, there
were 73 pupils in attendance. District records show, too, that the two term
school
year was in vogue as late as 1879. The largest enrollment occurred in 1898
when 102
pupils were taught by Chas. Meisnest. In 1912 when Rockwood set up a graded
school there were 87 pupils enrolled. In 1928, there was a total of 132 pupils
enrolled.
By 1948, the enrollment had decreased to about 70, including the ninth and
tenth
grades, so for the school year of 1946-1947 only three teachers were employed-
two
for the grades and one for the high school. There are still about 150 pupils
of school
age in the district but the parochial school at Francis Creek has affected
this school's
enrollment. The decline of the lime industry has also affected the enrollment
tre-
mendously in the last decade. Upon recommendation of the State Department
of Public
Instruction, a special school meeting was held Monday evening, March 22,
1948, to
vote on the discontinuance of the 9th and 10th grades. The voters assembled
voted
to discontinue offering high school courses after the 1947-1948 term by a
vote ot
29 to 5.
     Present day residents are descendants of these early settlers as shown
by district
 and county records# Names common now and in pioneer times are the family
names
 of Ewen, Mohr, Bolle, Bleser, Krumdick, Hardrath, Delsman, Meyer, Schuette,
Tills,
 Massman, Alswede, and others. Mathias Ewen, a pupil of the first school,
was an ac-
 tive leader in later school affairs. He was followed by his son John, his
grandson
 William, and now his great grandson William, Jr. on the schoolboards. Peter
Mass-
 man, the present director, has served continuously for 45 years. Other board
members
 before 1906 were clerk Thos. Mohr 1874-93, treasurer Nick Meyer 1872-82,
and clerks
 J. C. McCarthy and M. Senn 1872-74. Henry, Ed. and Richard Ahlswede were
mem-
 bers of the board too. The district school has had many of its graduates
enter the
 professions, business, industry, while many have become prominent farmers
in this
 and other communities.
     Mrs. Mary A. Fearney Madden of Providence, R. I. was the first teacher.
She
 taught the three "R's". The girls were taught knitting and patching
and did not study
 arithmetic. For her salary she received donations of money and food. Nicholas
Meyer
 was the first teacher in the cedar log school. Under the terms of his contract
he had
 to teach German and English, one half day each. A few others who taught
this school
 up to 1906 were Nick Watry 1871, Wm. Ross 1872, Louis H. Truettner 1873,
Selma


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