Schools

This one-room school was not large enough to accommodate the growing community. In June, 1859, the school board let a contract to W. S. Worthington to build a new school house. The building was to be completed in 1861. In the meantime the old log school continued to serve the educational purposes.Specifications for the new structure, pictured in this article, included a brick building, two stories high, and measuring 32 X 54 feet. Each first floor classroom measured 32 x 27 feet. Two new teachers, John A. Cooper and his wife Laura, were hired to operate the school. Mr. Cooper taught the advanced pupils in the south room, and Mrs. Cooper taught the primary department in the north room. The second floor was one large assembly room. This building was located on the site later occupied by North High School from 1882 to 1922 and by Central (later named Washington Central) from 1922 to 1998, and finally by the Webster City Middle School today. John Cooper was paid $105 for the year and his wife, Laura, received only $60 for her salary. (Not many in Webster City today would be content with that salary.)

The second floor of the building was not equipped for classrooms but was used for town meetings, social gatherings, and an assembly hall. A front portion which was 16 X 16 feet enclosed the stairs to the second floor room and to a third floor, which was located in only this portion of the building and housed the school offices and later housed the first school bell.

Classes in this building commenced in the winter of 1861-62. The February 1, 1862, Hamilton Freeman noted that, "A fine lot of school books has just arrived, and are for sale cheap at the Post Office." It should be noted that the post office was then located in the L. L. Estes Drug Store at the northwest corner of Seneca and Bank Streets.

At a later time, due to the growing community, it became necessary to have a primary department and an intermediate department on the first floor. Mrs. Cooper continued with the primary and was assisted by Sue Hillock. Elizabeth Hillock taught the intermediate classes. The students finishing Eighth Grade were promoted "upstairs" with Watson J. Covil as the first advanced teacher. The November 12, 1864 Freeman reported, "W. J. Covil resigned due to ill health and D. D. Miracle took his place."

Mrs. Eva Pray Frank, a pupil during Mr. Miracle's tenure, reported in a letter that Miracle gave an exhibition at the close of the term to start a fund to buy a bell for the school. "People came and paid to hear their children speak pieces and sing songs." This raised enough money for the bell, which some believe was obtained in Fort Dodge from the Charlie Rogers steamboat. It later hung in a special bell tower constructed under the direction of Bessie Lyon, a long time and beloved history teacher.

By 1865 the number of students increased so much there was no longer room for all of them in the school. The district reported in the September 17, 1865, edition that "the number of children between the ages of five and twenty-one is something over two hundred." By 1870 the Freeman reported that children younger than 5 years could no longer attend. To relieve the crowded conditions, and to provide for a proper advance class, Mr. Henry Brown opened a "select" school in Funk's Hall on Seneca. In 1871, a cry for more room was heard, so the school board opened an east side school, called Hoboken, which had 38 pupils, South Building where Miss Ella Arthur taught 43 students, and Brick Building (it was later named Union School) had 63 in the primary department and Miss Nancy Willis had 86 in the grammar department.

In September, 1875, Professor Frank A. Baldwin, a Dartmouth graduate, opened his Academy in a two-story frame building, which was located about where the Fuller Hall swimming pool is now being constructed. He offered a classical education for the advanced student teaching Latin, Greek, German and bookkeeping. He soon became discouraged about the financial prospects for his school. The school board took over the school and hired him to teach the high school classes.

In 1877 Mr. Ed Burgess, later the librarian at Kendall Young Library, became principal and taught mathematics. The first class to graduate from Webster City High School were educated in this building and finished in the spring of 1881. There were only four graduates in this first class, all girls. They were Nora Thompson, Anna Parker, and Sumler Willson's two daughters, Clara and Teressa. The commencement exercises were held in the Congregational Church. Teressa Willson was the Valedictorian.

Someone once asked me if Webster City fielded a football team in its beginnings. When I checked the graduate listings I found that the Class of 1881 had four, all girls. The Class of 1882 had only two girls; the Class of 1883 had only six, again all girls; and the class of 1884 had only nine, still all girls. Many of the boys quit school in those days to farm, go into business, or on to other work. The Class of 1893 still had graduated only three boys.

This first school building was torn down in 1882 when North High School was constucted on the same site. During construction school classes were held all over town where there was available space. Classes were held in most church basements, the Town Hall on Seneca Street, and the courthouse.