Glen Union #25
From the “Scratcher” or notebook of Superintendent of Public Instruction Philetus Fales:
Feb. 3, 1868: “Had a visit from Mr. P.B. Porter, Union Dist. 25 in regard to trouble in his Dist. Sup’t of Anderson Co., Mr. Chapin, without consultation, it appears, with Mr. Harris, has attempted to attach 3 sections to Dist. Making it 5 miles long by 3 1/2 miles wide, introducing also, it is said, a turbulent element hostile to school interests in the Dist. Object of visit and documents to urge Sup’t not to sanction Mr. Chapin’s action. Promised that, in view of representations, I certainly should not until I had been on the ground and fully investigated. Wrote to Mr. Chapin.”
Feb. 19, 1868: “After listening to representations of parties interested in Union Dist. 25 wrote to Mr. Chapin, Sup’t of Anderson County at length stating reasons for not concurring with him in change that he had made in limits of said district. See Feb. 3rd.”
June 24, 1868: “Visited school in Union district 25. 34 pupils enrolled. Building miserable log shanty. District building a fine stone house 22/28. In the afternoon, visited schook in 21. Mrs. Seward, teacher. Only 14 pupils enrolled.”
Jan 27, 1869: “Visited in Union dist. 25. Mr. Cahe teacher. New stone house but no seats. 36 pupils.”
Jan 20, 1870: “Union school commenced Dec. 15. Miss S.T. Byell teacher. New house still unseated & in an untidy & disorganized condition. Teacher moderate & with only a moderate degree of energy. Visited Jan. 20th. 30 present.”
From “The hitching post…”column in the Ottawa Herald, a series of articles about early Franklin County schools researched by Bruce Fleming and written by Herald Editor and Publisher Jim Hitch. This article appeared 8 November, 1990.
Glen School, District 25, was a joint district with patrons in both Franklin and Anderson Counties. The first Glen School was built in the 1860s, approximately 3 ¼ miles south of Lane and a mile west.
According to “Greeley’s Golden Years,” by Dorothy Lickteig and Dorothy M. Sommer, an earlier school had been built, in 1840, on Pottawatomie Creek, about three miles north of Greeley. This school was for the Pottawatomies whose reserve covered that area. And in November 1844, Eliza McCoy. newly arrived from Indiana, opened a small day school, taught in English at the Pottawatomie Baptist Mission.
The second Glen School building was constructed in 1916. A school report, dated Aug. 31, 1916 read: “A new modern building is just finished in Glen District northeast of Greeley. This is part of Franklin and part Anderson County. The frame structure cost $2,260 and is heated with a furnace. It has a playroom in the basement, blackboards, etc.”
Much of the work on this school was done by men in the community. Community meetings were held in the winter with basket suppers followed by a program or some kind of entertainment. The school was the scene of ice cream suppers in the summer.
The school was closed for good, in 1937, and the building was sold later to Max Rees for use as a grainery.
The last teacher is believed to have been Juanita (Hunt) Moody, who now lives at Kincaid. Her students were Ben and Rex Bodenheimer and Doris Gentry. She took her little brothers, Lyle Hunt, now of Pomona. and Ralph Hunt Jr., now of Wichita, to school with her in order to have enough pupils to keep the school open.
Other Glen School teachers whose names are remembered are Norene Mills, Olie Saferite, Beulah Machlin, Nellie Welton, Ethel Loring, and Norene (Stevenson) Williams.
Some school board members were John Gerth, J.A. Hamilton, L.V. Sizemore, J.W. Luther, Harry Mills and Lawrence Gentry.