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Kansas ORSH List -- Marshall County

The Kansas Heritage Server would like to thank Bob Mills (rmills@millstec.com) for contributing this information on Marshall County Schools.

Marshall County Map (1886)

This Marshall county map is divided into quadrants to help identify the original location of the various schools.

District School

Photos

Barrett School District No. 1 - I don't know the date of the photo, but the teacher, at the right, is Mettie Riser (Elliott).

Barrett School class photo was taken about 1886. My great uncle Joel Ebenezer Mills is standing in the front row as indicated by the X. The photo is taken in front of a wood frame building, which may be the front of the photographer's office. The original wood framed Barrett School building was replaced by a stone building in 1871.

Barrett School class photo was taken about 1921. The little smiling girl with the ribbon in her hair near the center of the back row is a dear cousin (Marjorie Anna Mills-Larson) who grew up to teach in this and other Kansas schools. Her teaching career began when she was about 17 until she quit teaching "Except in 1951 when I was paid more for taking the national census than to teach."

Front Row -Harold Mills, Wray Mills, John Hidy, Carroll Mills, Bob Jones, Robert Jones, Owen Jones, Paul Jones. Second Row - LaVersa (Versie) Jones, Arlene Hidy, Nellie Hidy (later Fairchild), Geneva Johnson, Elnora Lockas, Dorothy Jones, Marian Jones, Anna Hodges, Mary Louise Jones, Bessie Hidy. Back Row -Viola Lockas, Lenora George (later married Dean Potter)--teacher, Emma Hodges, Marie Locas, Marjorie Mills, Ed Parmentier, Issac Hidy, Bill Parmentier.

The Barrett School (shown in this current photo) is located in Vermillion Township just south of the old town of Barrett. This photo was taken from the main road that ran through the town. The original wood frame school building was built closer to the Black Vermillion river in 1858 and first used in 1859. This limestone block building was built in 1871.  The town was originally called Barrett's Mill and was formed around the (wood) sawmill owned by A. G. Barrett. The town (and the school) is located south of Frankfort, KS. The town was disband in about 1959 as part of the Tuttle Creek reservoir, since it was located in the lakes flood plane. Before railroads and modern highways, the Oregon, California, and Mormon trials passed through the area of Barrett, KS. Before highways were named with numbers and letters, the "White Way" through Frankfort and Barrett, was marked with white paint on trees, rocks, fences, etc. to indicate the correct road leading west. An automobile dealer in Frankfort is still named "Whiteway Chevrolet."

The room to the right (north) included a small raised stage ('bout a foot) on the north side of the room. A curtain is across the front of the stage (shown in the following photo) and the room was used as an auditorium as well as a class room.

This curtain (still in place in the Barrett School) has an ad for the "J. E. Mills Store." That store, which was located on the north west corner of block 18 of Barrett, KS, was begun by my great grandfather (Ebenezer Mills) who came to Marshall county, KS in 1856, later owned by my uncle (Joel E. Mills).

Road to the Barrett School. The school is on the National Register of Historic Places, but is constantly in need of repair (as are most other old Kansas Schools). The School is owned by the Jones family.

Photo of the class room of the Barrett School through the old glass window. Reflection of the grass and streaks might make this photo a little artsy for some, but I liked it.

Photos of Ebenezer Mills and Caroline Barkes-Mills taken about 1862-63. The couple came to Kansas from eastern (Belmont) Ohio as part of the "Freestate Kansas" program. Ebenezer enlisted in the Union army in 1861 and fought at Cane Hill and Prairie Grove, Arkansas. They are buried in the Barrett, KS cemetery. Photo is property of Don Mills a grandson.

The Harmony School District No. 99 is located in Murray township. This photo is in the Marshall county Historical Museum in Marysville, Marshall county, KS.

The Cunningham School District No. 83 is located in Logan township, School . This photo is in the Marshall county Historical Museum in Marysville, Marshall county, KS.

The Antioch School District No. 7 is located in Wells township, School . This photo is in the Marshall county Historical Museum in Marysville, Marshall county, KS.

The Auld School District No. 34 was located in Vermillion township; however, the building is no longer standing. This photo and the following original sign are in the Marshall county Historical Museum in Marysville, Marshall county, KS.

Notes about the Barrett School as told by a student.

The following are some interesting notes from the scrap book of Caroline Barkes-Alderman (called Carrie) who lived with her aunt Caroline Barkes-Mills and attended school at the Barrett School. She was born in 1879. Please forgive the original spellings.

"Carrie Had bronichal trouble every winter that I never got to go to school till I was 8 yrs old so I was ancious and delighted to think I was getting to go to school. I was not long mastering first reader and all that went with it.

"But we had a Catholic for a teacher she had taught 2 terms at this district befor this but concealed the fact that she was Catholic till this term. She refused to use our Protestant song book which they were use to using in the school so she sent away and got a book of school songs to formilliar tunes & among them was one to the tune of Yankey doodle.

"My Auntie was very strict and for reasons all her own would not allow me or her children to sing even the tune and promised me a whipping if I did (& Miss. Anna as teacher) requested we must call her, promised me a whipping if I did not sing & I sang Yankey doodle & there wasn't a Dandy in it. And spilled the beans that she was a Catholic, & I never got a licken neither at Home or at School. But she almost lost her job over it.  (2^nd teacher Anna Campbell.)

"Mrs. Alice King was my 3^rd teacher. She boarded at our House. I loved her dearly. She was a fine woman, and a devout Christian and tried to treat us all right. But on Feb. 5^th she got her clothing a fire in the evening after school and before help could reach her, her cloths were all burned off & she died that night about 1-o'clock. So we had no more school that term.

"4^th teacher was Laura Fisher, nothing like Mrs. King. She was another grass widow, but we could not prize her, for she played sweet on every bodys Husband sweet heart and even some of the big boys in school. But O - oh - you kids look out she was anything else but sweet to them. She taught 2 terms & the last was worse than the first.

"Joe Piaett, was my next teacher I got. We got along quite well with him he was just a single fellow was a good teacher and most of all the children liked him & all seemed to get along fine & learned more than we had in the same length of time from any of the others. Any time he wanted to win any of us to do something he would draw us a picture of an Angel. I never have met any one else that could draw a face like he could we would sure work for him when he would say he would draw us an Angel.

"My next teacher was John Auld. He was married had a wife & three small children. He drove to school every morning about 6 miles he was the best teacher I ever had. Steady, earnest, sincere & thorough. A man that tryed to do right by all. He taught 2 terms there his ability as a teacher was far beyond the others and his last term was my last term. It almost broke my heart to think I had to quit But about 2 or 3 wks Before school was out my Aunt informed me I had to quit school & stay at home and help her. So I had to bid good by to school day's which I regret even to this day. But the Memory's of them last few years I shall never forget."

Sunday, May 22, 2005 9:02 PM

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