In 1883, the voters decided to erect a new school. Before building, another
one-
fourth acre of land was purchased for the school site from Geo. Zahorik for
$10. The
second log schoolhouse was 28 x 36 x 10 feet, built on a stone foundation,
and cost $343.
Two years later it was clapboarded and painted for $100. Slate blackboards
and a
hand bell were purchased. Factory made, patented, double-desks replaced the
planks,
with the girls seated on one side of the room and the boys on the other.
A favorite
punishment of the teachers was to make naughty girls or boys sit on the wrong
side
of the room! A five foot high, solid board fence was erected along the west
side of the
schoolyard. Wood was purchased at 85 cents a cord to fire the "hot blast",
large, box-
stove heater. The second school was sold to Max Boehm, Sr. for $100. He moved
it
to his farmyard across the road from the school, and is now used as a storage
building.
    The third and present school building was built in 1909 for $3,200. It
is a frame
structure 381h feet square. The schoolroom proper is 27 x 37 x 12 feet. The
entrance
section of the building has porches, cloakrooms, a basement stairway, and
a library.
The basement is full size and houses the heating and ventilation systems.
The double
desks from the second school were used until 1931 when sixty of the latest
type,
single, adjustable, chair-type desks were purchased. Electric lights were
installed in
1936. During the first years of the new school, Geo. Zahorik- discovered
and piped a
spring well in the basement, but in 1936 a new well was drilled. Before water
was
available on the grounds it was obtained from Boehms. A yearly payment of
$5 was
voted for this wateir supply. Free textbooks were adopted in 1935. The school
has
many of the modern conveniences found in our leading county schools, but
outdoor
toilets are still used.
     Although the district is comparatively limited in size and extent, it
is densely
 populated even at the present time. This area is quite distant from the
parochial
 schools, but still they and other factors have had their effect on the school
enrollment.
 The town clerks' reports to the superintendents show that in 1870 there
was an enroll-
 ment of 66. For the rest of the 1800's, the average attendance yearly wps
70 to 80
 pupils. Since 1900 there has been a gradual decline in enrollment but Franklin
4 has
 always been considered a large school.
     The early settlers were Bohemians, Irish, and Germans. In 1890 the Bohemian
 families were Zahorik, Kralick, Wachal, Marek, Polifka, Korinek, Ohleus,
Hynek,
 Vogeltanz, Naidl, Wattawa, Junk, Kadler, Kutil, Kanak, Kopidlansky, Radey,
and
 Mraz. The six Irish families were McKeough, Kelley, Nugent, Gleason, McGurty,
and
 Carrol, while the Germnins were represented by the Boehm, Dickert, Gerl,
Reitmeyer,
 Lensmeyer, Ertel, Hill, Bauman, and Pfeffer families. Most of them were
farmers
 but some of them engaged in a "side-line". A well-known graduate
of this school is
 Jos. Zahorik, the popular register of deeds. The many hundreds of former
pupils
 made fine records for themselves in their chosen work.
     The list of school officers prior to 1906 is incomplete. The names of
the first
 school board members are given above. Those on record as having served later
were
 Andrew Kralick, up to 1877; Geo. Zahorik 1877-1880; and John Hynek, Math.
Lens-
 mire, Joseph Zahorik, Sr., and Henry Hill serving in various capacities
from 1894
 to 1906.
    ,Records reveal the fact that summer and winter terms of school were
held until
 1875. The summer sessions were conducted by ;female teachers, while the
tough win-
 ter terms were presided over by a male instructor. Irish teachers seemed
to be pre-
 ferred if one can judge from the following list of teachers who taught in
this district:
 Maggie Stokes 1867-71 ;Julia Ricker 1872 S&W; Ann Fitzmaurice 1873 S;
Patrick H.
 Lynch 1873 W; Celia Fitzmaurice 1874 S; Peter Carrigan 1874-75; P. H. Lynch
1876-77;
 D. R. Solar 1878; C. L. Whelan 1879; W. A. Crowe 1880; Jos. Zahorik, Sr.
1881; Mary
 A. Pankratz 1894; John H, Kassa 1895; Dennis E. Hickey 1896-7; Geo. Marten
1898;
 Edward Elmer 1904; Walter Bleser 1905; and Jos. M. Zahorik, Jr. 1907.
     During the eighties and nineties the school witnessed many exciting
"spell-downs".
 Much rivalry existed between the good Irish and Bohemian spellers of school
districts
 No. 1 and 4. The winner of this contest was awarded a medal of honor until
the next
 contest. Riverside pupils will long be remembered for the many township
and county
 prizes which they won. Christmas programs are still given to "packed
houses". School
 fairs and exhibits were held in the 1920's. This school has served as an
examination
 center for prospective eighth grade graduates for years.
     The mail for the school has come from various post offices since its
organization.
 Records show that mail was gotten from Elk, Prag, Kelinersville, Maple Grove,
Taus,
 and Cato as the years passed on. The village of Taus, first called Elk,
was begun
 about 1880. Jos. Zahorik, Sr. established and conducted a general store,
tavern, and
 dance hall. He also served for many years as town clerk of Franklin and
Manitowoc
 county register of deeds. His son, Joseph, Jr., holds the latter position
today. Andrew
 Kralik was a blacksmith; Mraz, a carpenter; Boehm, a sawmill operator; Wachal,
a


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