From the “Scratcher” or notebook of Superintendent of Public Instruction Philetus Fales.”
Apr. 17, 1868: “Received call from School Board dist. 44 & on petition, proceeded to Treasurer’s office to take tax from rolls & divide surplus in dist. 7 proportionately. Tedious operation. Also received petitions for two new districts.”
July 7, 1868: “Attended Court before Justice Dow as witness between district 44, plaintiff, & dist. 7, defendant. Decision of Sup’t in regard to division of surplus funds sustained to wit that they should be divided pro rata according to tax roll of preceding year. Also wrote an order attaching, with consent of Sup’t of Douglas Co, S 1/2 & N.W. 1/4 of S.W. 1/4 of Sec. 15, Township 15, Range 18 to district 44.”
Jan 15, 1869: “Also visited in district 7. 33 pupils present. The house new and spacious. Mr. Postma teacher.”
Feb 17, 1869: “Revisited schools in district 5 & 6. Teachers not up to the mark. Multiplicity of text books also a serious drawback.”
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 15 November, 1990.
Kaub School, District 7, was located, from Centropolis, a half-mile north, 2 ½ west and a half back south on the east side of the road.
The schoolhouse was built in 1868 and from 1935 to 1950 County still used as a school, according to Iva Curby, who furnished the accompanying picture of the school building.
According to Ruth Kaub, Ottawa RFD 4, in 1864, John Kaub, son of German emigrants, came to Kansas to buy land and take a claim. His son and son-in-law accompanied him. While living in Kansas, as required to prove their claims, they built the Tauy Jones home, being stonemasons. They returned to Maryland for their families and, with a number of other settlers, came to Kansas to live.
Their household goods, machinery, wagons and livestock were shipped by freight to Lawrence. Upon their arrival, the Kaw River was so high they camped on the north side for two weeks until the river could be forded and they could settle their claims.
Kaub gave land for the Kaub School where his six children attended. The sign from the front of the school is still in possession of Fred Kaub, Ottawa RFD 4, a great-great-great grandson.
A year after the school was closed, June 15, 1951, Claude Meyers (since deceased) held an auction and the building was sold to Covy Wray who moved it to his farm. The farm was later operated by his son, Alvin Wray, and is now owned by Alvin’s nephew, Jerry. The school still stands on that farm, 2 ½ miles west of Centropolis on Centropolis Road and a mile south, about a half-mile from its original location. It is used as a corn crib.
Alvin Wray passes along a story told by Henry Fishburn who lived to be about 105. Fishburn used to tell of the day Indians were walking in the vicinity of the school and came inside. They looked at the books and got a big laugh at the pictures inside.
Fishburn lived in Lawrence, as a small boy, when Quantrill’s Raiders sacked the town. But he and his family were away at the time.
Delta (Wray) Ikenberry, a former pupil, remembers that when she attended Kaub there was a deep depression in the school yard. Children would hide in the depression sometimes when they played games, she said.
Unknown to anyone at the time was that an old well had been covered over at that area. One morning when the pupils came to class, they discovered that the depression had caved in leaving a big hole in the ground. Everyone felt lucky that nobody had been injured, she recalled.
The last teacher at Kaub was Clara Gruver, and the last pupils included Alvin Wray, Lester Wray, Melvin Barnhart, Elda Humerickhouse, Kathryn Kingery, Elaine Kingery, Delta Jamison, Melvin Jamison, Edward Altic and Velma Wray.
Other teachers at Kaub included Ruth Kingery, Jesse (Clark) Councilman, Ruby (Hoopes) Storrer. Lillie Mae (Button) Tucker, Betty (Catuska) Isaacson, Esther Jones, Mabel Turner and Verna (Williams) Blunk.
Former pupils not previously mentioned, who still live in Franklin County include: Gladys (Altic) Speigle, Robert, Orren and Edward Altic, Vesta (Smith) Crist, Ammon Crist, Lynette (Barnhart) Dale, Albert Barnhart, Zola (Wray) Flory, John Humerickhouse, Thelma (Humerickhouse) Roush, Geneva (Altic) Garich, Melvin Jamison, Alvin, Delmer and Leonard Wray, Alva Kingery, Kathryn (Kingery) Snyder, Willa Lee (Bond) White, Iva (Turner) Curby, Edna (Brown) Reeves and Russell Shipps.