Published: September 26, 2008 03:48 pm            

Looking back at the one room school

Like several other schools Silver Grove started as a single school splitting into two districts, East and West Silver Grove, when the school age population became too large, probably in the late 1800’s. In 1921 East Silver Grove closed and all the children attended West Silver Grove until it too was closed at the end of the 1960-61 year. The records show a district population of 160 aged 5 to 21 in 1877, 83 in 1901, and 25 in 1942.

In his detailed history of Silver Grove author Carl Nollen writes that Silver Grove was four different school houses in thee different locations at different times three or four miles west the of Pella. The name Silver Grove, he speculates, might have been suggested by a grove of silver poplars (European in origin) or the native silver maples.

The first teacher known to have taught at Silver Grove was Louisa Adele Boekenoogen who most likely taught during the years of 1858-61. The August 6, 1860 census lists Louisa Boekenoogen, 17 as a school teacher in Lake Prairie township. The family name is Dutch for “eyes in the book”. Later she became a Civil War Correspondent in Europe, a field agent (recruiter) for Central College, and an officer with the State Training School for Girls at Mitchelville.

Carl Nollen’s book on Silver Grove contains detailed information about many of the teachers at Silver Grove, a list of teachers for several area schools, photos of the remaining school houses in Marion County and those of the Pella School districts in Mahaska County, and lots of memories from those who attended or taught at Silver Grove.

He has also compiled an updated booklet about this school.

Memories: Dorothy Klein Reed recalls the story her dad told her of her older brothers. Gerrit, then aged four, followed five year old Jake to school. Dad found Gerrit sitting on the teacher’s lap with his nite cap still on. Teacher thought he was so cute that he was allowed to stay and soon learned to speak “American” as well as Dutch.

Bill Dieleman remembers pounding a broom handle on the concrete basement floor so hard that it broke driving a splinter in one side of his finger and out the other. It was bleeding a lot so the teacher bandaged it and sent him home (a mile’s walk). His mother washed the finger and held it while his dad pulled the splinter out with a pliers. Then they poured iodine on the finger , rebandaged it and sent him back to school. (kids had be tough back then)

Marion Witzenberg attributes a change in attitude to Bernice Wagner whom he says transformed him from a rowdy urchin into a good student.

Lucille Dykstra Groenendyke and Lee Van Hemert both have fond memories of getting ready for the Christmas program. Lucille mentions that there was a name drawing and gifts of .25 to 50. were exchanged. The teacher gave a gift to everyone. For the evening program a gas lantern was hung from the ceiling. Lee mentions that one of the dads would bring in a fresh tree which was anchored in a bucket of sand. Students made many of their own decorations to add to a few commercial ones.

Several students mentioned riding to school in teacher Eva Mae Van Wyngaarden’s 1938 Chevy Coup. (See picture above)

Teachers at the Silver Grove school included Louisa Boekenoogen 1858-60, Peter Lankelma 1879, Kate Keables 1880, Emily Vinyard 1881, George W. Kimmell 1883-84, Minnie Clutter, Franklin M. Wright, Minnie Keran 1885, Minnie Keran 1886-89, Hester Ver Ploeg early 1890’s, Mary (Marie) Vander Zyl, Jennie Rietveld 1894, Jennie Rietveld, Bessie Bootsma 1895, Bessie Bootsma 1896-1898, Bessie Vander Linden 1899-1902, Bessie Vander Linden, Minerva Pugh 1903, Minerva Pugh 1904-05, Anne Hospers 1907-08, Nelle Neels 1910-11, Luedna Witzenburg 1912-14, Hattie Neyenesch, Luedna Witzenburg 1915, Sam Ver Steeg 1916-17, Hattie Van Veen 1918, Daisy Black 1919, Allie Van Polen 1920-21, Henrietta Plette 1922-24, Jeannette Dekker 1925, Georgia Roorda 1926, Elizabeth Hesselink 1927, Gladys Fennema 1928-31, Lawrence Fennema 1932, Ruth Langerak 1933-34, Helen Huyser 1935, Geraldine Gosselink 1936, Bernice Wagner 1937-39, Eva Mae Van Wyngaarden 1940-46, Alma Sims 1947, Ruth Vander Linden 1948-51, Marcile Van Zee, Janet Steenhoek 1952, Thelma Grandia 1953, Greta Van Hemert 1954-55, Greta Van Hemert, Ceola Liebhart 1956, Joyce Schippers 1957, Ruth Vander Linden 1958-60.



The next school article will be about Silver Grove East and after that will be White Breast at Fifield. Please call if you have good quality pictures or stories which could be used. 628-4716.

        

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