Hopewell School

MEMORIES OF A RURAL EXPERIENCE – HOPEWELL SCHOOL

By Kit Zinser

The old stories you heard about trekking through snow calf-deep two miles through the fields or three miles down the road are true. Hopewell School, West of town, provided that experience to many students from 1880 until it closed and was ultimately sold in 1963. The original school was built on the Lester Schroen farm in 1880, one of seven unconsolidated, rural schools in Tazewell County. Its number was 3. Later, it became District 50, still unconsolidated, which will bring controversy later on.  

Pictured below is the class (a veritable who’s who from old families in Washington) taught by Mr. Hopple in 1894. Names like Blumenshine, Hartley, Vogelsang, Stahl, Guth, List, Oberlander, Christ, Blumenstock, Schlick, and Vohland all sent children to Hopewell School. The 1901 class picture held up the slate board (a multipurpose tool where a student would add, subtract, spell and show the teacher the response); but this time used to identify class and date.

The 1902 class picture does not show smiles, as the students stood in ankle-deep snow when their images were taken. In those days, a picture took more than a few minutes!

The school was of frame construction, with two small rooms heated by a wood-burning stove. Double desks were used as student seating. No class designations existed in the early days, and status was determined by which reader the student was in. For many years, this little school served pioneers and descendants of Hollands Grove and surrounding rural homes.

In 1912, there was a sealed bid to construct a new schoolhouse. Bids had to be in by 3 p.m. on May 25th, accompanied by a certified check in the amount of 10% of the price payable to the district. It seems contractors may have been so busy that they overlooked the deadline and the district then sent another publication with “New bids requested.” The new build was comprised of concrete blocks.

Enrollment was steady, and teachers were primarily male until the 1920s and 30s. Most teachers were single, as the compensation was so low that one could not really support a family on that pay scale.

The new building reached completion in 1912 at a cost of $5,000.

A news article talked about farmers west of town having to cope with the theft of stolen chickens and other articles of value. Included in the article, Hopewell School suffered great damage when vandals threw rocks and broke windows over a weekend. The school was dismissed on a Monday to repair the damage. Fingerprints were taken and officials hoped it would lead to the guilty parties; and officials warned – the chicken thieves may face a more uncertain welcome from farmers who would solve their own dilemmas in their own way. (Most farmers were armed with shotguns – to keep the fox and coyote population out of the hen houses). The vandals at the school were never identified.

1910 to 1940s – William “Uncle Billy” Hess attended Hopewell and said discipline was very strict. Icy snowball fights were common. Teams were determined by which side of the road you lived on. Bob Ernest attended first grade at Hopewell in 1944, and there were still just two rooms: the “little room” for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade and the “big” room for the 5th through 8th grade. However, the rooms were exactly the same size. Literally, Bob said he and other students had to walk a mile plus to get to school. Mr. Linder, who had a grocery store in Beverly Manor, fashioned his delivery wagon into a “school bus” and drove kids to school in bad weather. Bob remembered his first-grade classmates: Romaine Roper, Duane Holocker, Barb Hauser, Inez Phillips, Charlotte Bradshear, and Bob. His 1st and 2nd-grade teacher was Mrs. Evans – described by Bob as motherly, well-dressed, and sweet-scented.

Mrs. Summers taught him in 4th grade, Miss Michaels in 5th, and Mr. Whittaker in 7th. It seems as if Miss Michaels and Mr. Whittaker took smoking breaks in the back of the school, unnoticed by the children.

Students were expected to throw coal into the furnace, but when a coal hopper was purchased, students were happy to avoid that chore. To a 6-year-old, the bathroom was a scary place – it seemed like the outhouse was just brought indoors. The round hole, too wide for a little guy’s bottom, was not a pleasant experience. Bob attended Sundoer School in his 8th-grade year. A girl was selected as valedictorian, and Bob was salutatorian. The grades were separated by a quarter of a point. The school felt a male would be the better spokesperson, so Bob gave the speech as valedictorian. Bob went on to join the Methodist School of Nursing as the first male student, was a veteran of the Air Force, and received his doctorate after making a successful career as an anesthetist. He and his wife raised a family and enjoy outdoor sports with their children and grandchildren. And one day, he got to thinking...

A Hopewell all-class reunion brought in over 150 attendants. This was a brainchild of Bob Ernst, and he did not suspect that it would be as successful as it was. There was no entertainment – just former students sitting around sharing stories and memories. There are three articles on reunions of Hopewell students...some you may know.

Barb Wetzel Marsh and Ann Wetzel Faubel spied Harry Whittaker but could not remember his class. After speaking with him, they remembered he was a teacher who later became Superintendent of Peoria Public Schools. Ernie Phillips, Ed Smith, and JD Cashdollar all attended Hopewell. I am not pointing any fingers, but one unfortunate incident found a skunk in the basement reclining on the students’ coats. The kids got to go home. When it happened again, the teachers knew it was no accident and going home was not an option.

1939 to 1950s - Hopewell was large enough until 1939, when the growth of Sunnyland and Beverly Manor affected the area. With Sundoer School struggling to keep pace, in 1948, Beverly Manor School began construction. During that period, the school district used the basement of the Lutheran Church. First and second grade went in the morning, and 3rd and 4th in the afternoon. And while Hopewell was still in operation, a new district was on the horizon. Residents in the northern rural area of Hopewell (including Holland’s Grove residents) objected to a series of proposals, annexation, and bond issues in the amount of $115,000. Those residents were finally allowed to withdraw.

Hopewell then became District 271. District 50 was now comprised of Sundoer and Beverly Manor. As expected, growth created new challenges. 

1960s—The population west of town grew quickly, so Hopewell District 271, which was on probation, and Central Grade School merged as District 51. Central School extended from Washington city limits to the western side of the township, with a barrier between Sunnyland District 50 and Columbia School District. The last class to graduate from Hopewell School was in 1963.

Dr. C.J. Forette purchased the building for $5100 in the early '60s. Today, it is a two-apartment building.

I wonder if any of those residents hear the screech of chalk on a piece of slate, detect the aroma of wood burning, or see a puddle of melted snow on the old hardwood floors. Hopewell School is still alive in many hearts and minds; it is not really gone.