The room was heated by an old fashioned box stove, big enough to hold chunks
of
wood two feet long. This building also served as a chapel for the German
Lutherans
until they built their own church.
     The school was sold for $28.50 to Joachim Schnell who moved it directly
across
 the road and used it for a carpenter and blacksmith shop. Prior to the Civil
War, the
 young men of the district attended school to learn to read and write the
language
 of their new country. They took a great deal of interest in the political
questions of
 the day and spent their recess and noon periods drilling for their soldier
days just
 before them.
     At a special school meeting on September 4, 1871, the question of building
a new
 school was defeated by a vote of 9 to 26. It was voted instead to repair
the log school
by having Joseph Talhammer put on a new roof for $35. In 1873 the question
of
building was again brought up with the vote 38 to 24 in favor. It was decided
to lo-
cate the school a half mile farther north than the old site. The district
accordingly
purchased 56 square rods from Gustave Moldenhauer and John Schnell for $17.50.
The location is the N.E. corner of the SE¼4 of section 11.
     To get plans for a new school, a committee was appointed to get ideas
from the
 Madsen school, Cato 12. After this committee's report was given, the voters
decided
 to erect a brick structure and $600 was raised for this purpose. Building
operations
 got underway in 1874. Every district family with 80 acres was expected to
haul a
 load of bricks from Fricke's brickyard at Manitowoc or pay $5 per M. as
his share.
 Henry Gaetke hauled the stones for the foundation at $3.75 per cord and
sand for
 $29.00. The size of the brick school is not given but the total cost was
$934 accord-
 ing to county records. The schoolyard was fenced and in 1881 and shade and
ever-
 green trees were planted. A woodshed 12 x 16 x 8 was built in 1884.
     The brick school had a long "black" board across the west
end of the building
 with a cloakroom extending across the east end. The equipment consisted
of double
 desks, globe, maps, and a large Webster's dictionary. A woodbox, large enough
to
 hold a week's supply of fuel, was built into the partition between the cloak
and class-
 room. A large box stove stood in the eastern part of the building with the
pipes ex-
 tending across the classroom to the chimney in the west wall. New single
desks and
 a teacher's desk were purchased in 1892. The old desks were sold in lots
of about
 6 for 80 cents.
     The third and present frame school was voted at a special school meeting
held
 February 3, 1900. A building committee composed of T. Gilbertson, Fred Schnell,
 and Win. Selle was appointed. The building is about 50 x 32 x 16 feet with
a full base-
 ment in which is housed the furnace, fuel storage space, and a semi play-storage
 room. The main floor has a large porch, an entry, two cloakrooms, and a
very large
 classroom. A built-in library cupboard holds hundreds of books some of which
were
 donated to the school. The floors of the school are maple with oak trim
and wains-
 coting. Large windows on each of the long sides are still in use as are
outdoor
 toilets.
     Since its erection in 1901, the school and equipment have been kept
as modern as
 possible. The school has a telephone, free textbooks, a Smith sanitary bubbler,
steel
 filing cabinet, tables, chairs, and other necessary school equipment. In
1930 addi-
 tional land was purchased to enlarge the yard. Electric lights were installed
in 1935.
 In 1943 the ceiling was lowered and covered with Nuwood. The same year a
flag
 pole was erected to display the flag won by the pupils in a Victory Garden
project.
 At first there was no well so the pupils had to carry water from the nearby
Molden-
 hauer farm   . Mrs. Ernest Moldenhauer never failed to treat them each time
with
 cookies or other goodies.
      The large school building erected in 1901 indicates the large enrollment
common
  to this school. During the 1870's when winter and summer terms were held,
the at-
  tendance for the two sessions averaged about 80. After single sessions
were held in
  the 1880's the enrollment dropped to about 40; but a steady increase was
noted there-
  after until 1900 when about 90 pupils were enrolled. Since 1900, there
has been a
  constant decrease until the low of 3 was reached in 1947. The decline in
attendance
  has been caused by the establishment of a parochial school in the district
and by
  other natural rural conditions.
      Liberty district 3 was settled largely by German immigrants. The 1856
assess-
  ment roll lists Ludwig Kieselhorst, E. Pleuss, T. Vetter, T. Olson, J.
Horstmann, D.
  Christensen, W. Griebling, E. Hacker, C. Lindemann, P. Schnell, and A.
Pautz as
  early settlers. Today, this farming community is made up of a mixture of
Germans
  and Norwegians.


110