SCHOOLS OF YESTERYEAR
The History of Bingham District #4, Part 1
by Janis Stein

Join me as I travel into Bingham Township and embark on the history of another one-room schoolhouse. Bingham #4's history dates back well over a century, and like so many others, her former students can still hear the clang of the school bell, even now, when they close their eyes and listen.

Bingham School, also known as Bingham #4, was a yellow brick schoolhouse located 40 rods south of Atwater Road on Nugent Road in Bingham Township. The earliest written records available date back to the early 1900s with references indicating Bingham #4 existed prior to 1898, and according to the marker on the schoolhouse, it was established in 1897.

The board may have had their hands full acquiring a permanent teacher for the 100 days of school taught during the 1905-1906 school year, because four teachers taught at different times throughout the course of the year. Percie Linton taught for 2 ½ months, earning a total wage of $78.75, and Millie DesJerdins taught 2 ½ months for the price of $80. Robert Burns taught only 1 ½ months earning a total of $52.50, and Euphemia McIntyre completed the final two months of the school year, earning $60. It was noted the value of the school and its property was valued at $1200. The schoolhouse contained 17 volumes of books in its library, and 47 students were enrolled. To further aid the students in their education, the schoolhouse was equipped with a dictionary, a globe and maps.

School board minutes recorded on July 9, 1906, indicated the meeting was called to order by J.W. Richardson, Moderator. A discussion was held regarding a motion made in 1898 about pre-taxed school books, and it was decided in the 1906 meeting to rescind that motion and the current books on hand be distributed free among the pupils.

Along with J.W. Richardson, the school board for the 1906-1907 school year was comprised of Robert Hagen, Director, and J.W. Douglas, Treasurer. J.W. Deachin provided the school with 30 cords of wood at $1 a cord; no doubt the students warmed their cold bodies by the stove immediately upon their arrival.

Enrollment declined a bit in 1906 with 34 students achieving their education; Euphemia McIntyre taught 180 days of school, earning $315 for her efforts. During the annual school board meeting, it was moved and supported the officers be allowed $18 for their combined salaries. Improvements were made on the exterior of the schoolhouse in December, 1907, in the form of eavetroughs and in the interior by way of wallpaper.

J.W. Adam was paid $10 for wallpapering the schoolhouse; the paper was purchased from Brown Bros. and Co. for $9.80.

Ellen Buchanan taught the children of Bingham in 1907 for $45 per month. Although enrollment was back up to 41 pupils, attendance for the year averaged only 66.5%. Compared to today's standards that percentage may seem low, but at the time the school enrolled a mix of 16 girls and 25 boys, many who missed school to work in the farm fields in the spring and the fall. Three of Ms. Buchanan's students pursued studies above the eighth grade in Retoric, General History, English, History and Algebra. Members of the district offered their services each year to keep everything running smoothly. Wallace Gilbert sold enough wood to the district to earn him $37.31, and J.A. Zulauf washed the curtains and towels for a fee of $3.75.

The school board minutes from July 13, 1908, revealed many improvements were planned for Bingham School. It was decided a new fence needed to be built across the front of the schoolyard using Adrian #7 wire, and any shade trees planted would be California Poplars. It was also approved the partition between the entries and the schoolroom be enclosed.

According to Ms. Percie Linton's yearend report to the commissioner in 1909, she taught nine months of school to 43 students for $47.50 per month. Of these students, three were 18 years of age and one female pupil was a 23-year-old. She also had five ninth graders in her schoolhouse, although they were not necessarily those who were the oldest children.

In 1909, Robert Pierce was paid $4 for cleaning the schoolhouse, and Mr. Douglas earned $1 each time he cleaned the outhouses. Planting California Poplars was again discussed, and the following year it was decided Mr. Robert Richardson would plant the shade trees in front of the schoolhouse 10 feet apart, and he would receive 25 cents for each tree he planted. Maidie Reid became the newest of Bingham's teachers, and she stayed on for three consecutive years.

According to Ms. Reid's teacher's report, of the 34 students enrolled in the 1909-1910 school year, only 20 were promoted. She also indicated the water supply was good and the condition of the outbuildings was fair. Items Ms. Reid requested the board to provide before the beginning of the next term included crayons and a dustpan.

The following year, Maidie Reid earned $50 each month for helping her 39 students achieve their education. The condition of the outbuildings declined to a rating of poor, and her requests for the following year included a globe, erasers, crayons, soap and a cup. Two of her students were studying above the eighth grade level in subjects such as Algebra, Retoric, General History and English.

Expenses in 1910 included 11 cords of wood purchased from Lucian Lempke for $22, and in 1911, Samuel Donaldson was paid $18.35 for lightning rods and his labor to install them atop the schoolhouse roof. In July, 1912, $17.21 of coal was purchased from the Ubly Grain Company, and in October of the same year, another $19.55 worth of coal was bought from the Gleaner Coal Company.

Discussions during the annual school board meeting in 1914 included building a new woodshed and furnishing suitable closets, although some of these plans would not be realized until sometime later. Purchasing a new heating system or repairing the current one was also a priority. Offering the students new textbooks free of charge was moved and supported, and the road fence was also in need of repair. Plans to build a new fence around the lot were slated for the following year.

Miss Josepha Hagen began teaching the children of Bingham in 1913, and she remained for several years. The financial report dated July 26, 1915, indicated many improvements had been made. The material paid for the woodshed totaled $81.57, and the new furnace cost the district $105. Money paid for brick, cement and gravel totaled $40.37, and lightning rods worth $4.50 were installed. Posts for the new fence ran $9, and the wire, $16.80. The bill for all the labor performed for these projects totaled $142.40. Miss Hagen, who earned $513 for the year, was surely thrilled to teach the children with the aid of their new textbooks, which cost $121.41.

In 1915, the schoolhouse on Nugent Road sported new desks worth $178.20, and even more exciting were the revolutionary sanitary closets purchased on December 2, 1916. These indoor toilets offered a huge improvement over the widely used outhouses of the time. During the same timeframe, the school property was valued at $1800, and Miss Josepha Hagen surely had a busy day with enrollment climbing to an all-time high of 56 students. At the end of the year, she said good-bye to seven of her students who had graduated from the eighth grade. Two of the seven continued their education in high school, while the remaining five most likely learned a great deal in the 'school of hard knocks.'

In 1917, Miss Josepha Hagen added 22 books to the school's library bringing the grand total to 48. She also noted some of the old books were in such a state of disrepair they were destroyed. In November of the same year, a new flag waved on its pole in the schoolyard; it was purchased from Sears, Roebuck and Company for a mere $5.60.

Bingham #4 may have had a few cash flow problems in 1919; the annual school board minutes stated the board had decided to hire Miss Hagen for $80 per month, and she would receive an additional $5 each month for janitorial services. It was also decided the district would borrow $50 from Miss Joespha Hagen by note. It seemed there were always bills to pay. In November, 1919, Clyde Kinney earned $21.50 for hauling gravel and providing kindling. A few months later, three drums of toilet cleanser was purchased from American Express Co. totaling $11.12, and new maps costing $35 were purchased in March, 1920, from Modern School Supply.

The students may have helped their teacher celebrate her wedding; school reports indicated between 1919 and 1920, Miss Josepha Hagen became Mrs. Josepha (Fred) Lenton. She continued to teach at Bingham through the 1922-1923 school year.

In the annual statistical report that Miss Hagen compiled in 1920, she indicated Bingham #4 was a one-room schoolhouse with six windows. Its dimensions were 48 feet long, 24 feet wide and 16 feet high, and the property was valued at $1800. There were 54 students under her direction at the time consisting of 21 boys and 33 girls. Census numbers indicated the number of children between the ages of five and 20 living within the district boundaries totaled 69 (26 boys and 43 girls). Miss Hagen taught eight grades at the time, and she had six eighth graders who graduated in 1920. The number graduating from the eighth grade the previous year totaled two. Though the report indicated there were no pupils in the district under 20 years of age who were graduates of high school, it did show there were four students in the district attending high school. High school tuition was paid by Bingham District #4 to both Bad Axe High School and Ubly High School.

In 1922, Mrs. Josepha Lenton earned a total salary of $1125 for teaching nine months of school. Her 55 students learned a great deal from the subjects she taught. Those classes included the following: Agriculture, Arithmetic, Geography, German, Grammar, History, Civil Government, Drawing, Penmanship, Physiology, Reading and Spelling.

The schoolhouse was in need of continual repair to keep it in tip-top shape. In the fall of 1922, David Gingrich earned $35 for his part in fixing the schoolhouse, as did Alma Davis. The following year, the interior of Bingham received a bit of a facelift: D.D. MacEachin was paid $75 for her efforts of painting and wallpapering.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as I continue to share information from the record books of Bingham #4's early years.

If you would like to see your schoolhouse featured in this series and are willing to share your experiences, please e-mail Janis at janis@lakeshoreguardian.com or write to Janis at The Lakeshore Guardian, 9697 Purdy Rd., Harbor Beach, MI 48441.

© 2006 Janis Stein