“Lone Chimney”
by Dora Robinson Stewart
August 2004
I attended Lone Chimney school for grades 1 through 8. I visited a lot with my siblings the year I was five. I had long hair and I can remember the teacher, Vida Grace Cannon, getting me up on her lap, combing and braiding my hair. Miss Cannon married Chet Lentz, who was instantly shipped overseas for WW II. I do not remember her crying a lot my first grade, but my siblings do remember the crying. I do remember her talking and being angry one day. She had received a letter and it had been censored, with pieces cut out. She was saying “Why Chet would never write what he was not supposed to”.
I made 100 in spelling, she marked my spelling book “100” with her red grease pencil. Somehow, she found that Bobby had copied his words to make his “100”. So she was going to move him close to her desk and repeat his spelling words to him. Melvin Whitaker (Lee’s age) told Mrs. Lentz I had copied also. She erased my words and my “100” from my book, making the BIGGEST MESS (in my 6 year old eyes) of my book. The red grease pencil DID NOT erase very well. She moved both of us, in our little desk to either side of her and repeated the words. Of course, what do you expect of your mom, she again made “100”.
There were four from my family at Lone Chimney School when I started first grade.
I can remember the teacher ringing the bell (I would love to find one of those bells) for us to come in at start of the day, recesses and lunch. We played on the swings, teeter-totter, merry-go-rounds plus softball/baseball. Lots of Red Rover, Dare Base and many more games with no props, just lots of kids having a great time. Also played “Annie Over” with the ball thrown over the school house.
One year we were playing and Wilma caught her hand on a girl, a big girl, tall, Zelma Mae Flora. Anyway Wilma caught her hand on the button of Zelma’s coat, breaking a finger. Can you imagine it, I had to sit with Wilma and do her writing for her.
We averaged about 15 students for the entire eight grades.
One recess, I was probably sixth grade, we were all playing. Something happened to Rex Carter, I happened to laugh about that time. He thought I was laughing at him, so he walked over and punched me a good one, he was a year younger than me. I turned on him, fighting, punching and when he would turn and cover his head, I would kick him in the “butt”. I worked him over, well actually we worked each other over. We each had black eyes. Fred told my Dad he would give me a quarter (big money then) for teaching him to fight, he did not know about the “butt kicking”. He had only fought with his fists.
We had a “BIBLE LADY” that came one day a week and told Bible stories and sang songs. Josephine Norton was her name and she continued doing that for many years. She was still doing it in the late 1950’s.
When I graduated eighth grade, it was just me and Bobby Vogel. He went to high school in Glencoe and I went to Maramec. I saw him very few times since eighth grade even though we lived only a mile apart. Glencoe and Maramec were big sports rivals.
We had a very active 4-H club. . The 4-H was excellent experience. We would make clothing and show at the country dress review each spring in the BIG TOWN OF PAWNEE. Man! Uptown stuff. Also gave timely topics (speeches) and demonstrations.
We were fortunate our teacher, Leathe Berg, loved to write and was good at it. She wrote all our demonstrations and timely topics. She put lots of hours and put lots of her money into supplies for our demonstrations.
We used the south half of the building for eight grades. The building was divided with a door that could be raised up into the ceiling. At the time we were attending there, the north half was used for Lone Chimney Non-denominational Church services. We would raise the doors every October (annual box supper), Christmas program and last day of school program. Note the south now has an air conditioner. But not then, there was no electricity until I was in the seventh grade. We had butane lights.
Every October, we would have a “Box Supper”. It would be on a Friday night. The rooms would be decorated in, if I remember correctly, Halloween motif. We would get out of school at noon and our moms would go to school to work, making plate lunches. If I remember, they would have a sandwich and a piece of pie. We (girls) would decorate the boxes, one each, Mom would pack the best supper, bologna, cheese, lettuce sandwiches. This was a real treat for us back then. Also we would have grapes and a piece of pie. Dad would usually by mine. They would sell the plate lunches for those who did not have boxes. There would also be a box of chocolates for the most popular girl. A jar of pickles for guys. Girls would be nominated and votes were a penny each. I remember one year I won the box of chocolates. The food and contest were after the students presented a program. Man, were we hot stuff.
The money raised in October was for the Christmas Party. We would have a Christmas party and program. The students would draw names and exchange gifts. The teachers usually got all the students a gift. Santa would come to hand out gifts and sacks of candy, nuts, apple and oranges. Very special feelings. Uncle Carney was Santa one year. One year a bunch of neighbor boys took a comb, removed most of the teeth, heated it to bend it making it to fit my dad’s head. You know he was bald headed with just a fringe. He kept the comb, He was proud of it, but I don’t know what happened to it.
We would have Easter egg hunt and picnic lunch. Sometimes, we would go to someone’s pasture. There were special prizes for most eggs and special prize egg. Each student would color and bring eggs to hid and then hunt. Always a lot of fun. Would be out of classes for the afternoon. I can remember one year, Fred and Bobby Vogel rode their horses.
We would then have a last of day of school program, with a big lunch. If I remember correctly, when I started we went only seven months. The program would also include graduation for the eighth graders. I can remember after Pawnee got an ice cream store, Dad would pick up five gallons of ice cream and we would have ice cream cones. That was usually the day we shed our shoes for the summer.
My dad got the chains and made the seats for the swings at school. Also with no electricity, we had a hand pump to fill a bucket of water, We drank from a dipper, used by all. There were outside toilets. There was water and a pan in a coat room in the building to wash our hands.
We took our lunches. A brown paper bag or Karo syrup bucket was used to hold our lunches. I can remember spending the night with Hazel, boy, did she pack me a lunch, like no lunch I had ever seen. Was I one smart cookie that day.
Our library consisted of a metal cabinet with a few books, of which I read every one.
When the teacher wanted to make copies, she used this special pen, wrote on paper and placed it upside down on the tray with some kind of jell in it. We had bulletin boards all around the top of the room where our work would be displayed. That included our penmanship papers also. Yes I did take penmanship, it did not take to me.
We started the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord’s Prayer. The school also had a flag pole where “OLD GLORY” was displayed.
We kids did the cleaning (no pay).
The older kids helped the younger kits. That was fun.
When I was in the fifth grade (I think) we had a teacher by the name of Mrs. Seibert, from Stillwater. She did not have her degree. Then if you had a certain amount of college hours, you could teach. My dad was on the school board. He was concerned later about hiring her. She was terrible, would whack kids on the head. She started the first graders, Beverly Tannihill and Rex Dale Merriman out with her writing in cursive on the board, Jack Be Nimble, etc. Poor Rex Dale had constant headaches as he was just unable to learn with her method of teaching. I have often wondered what happened to him as far as his future education.
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