Romance of Muskegon
Excerpt from Romance of Muskegon
by Alice Prescott Kyes
Published in 1937 by The Muskegon Chronicle
Early History Shows Muskegon Always
Has Taken Pride in Good Schools
Citizens of Muskegon always have been deeply concerned about the education of their children, and have taken pride in providing fine schools for them. The educational system of the city has been divorced from politics and the board of education has been comprised of men of outstanding ability and integrity, who strive to give the children the finest opportunities possible with the money at their command. Muskegon can well be thankful for the unselfish services of such leaders as Frederick A. Nims, David McLaughlin and Dr. John Vanderlaan, faithful members of the board for many years.
In the earlier days of Muskegon, schooling had to be obtained at home from busy parents and from reading the few books available. But the community was not long in awakening to a realization that suitable educational opportunities must be provided. William Badeaux, born in Muskegon in 1841, said the first school he attended was a little shanty near the lake shore at the north end of Terrace Street, conducted by a Mrs. Kilbourne, wife of the engineer of the Lasley and Woodbury Mill. It is also reported that the first school in Muskegon was a private one taught by a Miss Clark during the winter of 1848-1849, in a room in the dwelling of Charles Martin. Among those who attended this school were Henry Lasley, of Montague, William August, and Joseph Badeaux, of Holton, and Mrs. Minerva Dill Curry, of Muskegon.
In the autumn of 1849 the townspeople raised $300 by subscription and erected a one story School building at Clay Avenue and Terrace Street, where the Dennis Smith block now stands. The building was 20 by 30 feet, but was later enlarged. It served as a community center for some time, and elections, mass meetings, dances, entertainment and religious services were held there. The building was 1ater sold to Henry H. Holt, who converted it into a public hall. "Holt's Hall" was destroyed in the great fire of Aug. 1, 1874.
William D. Holt was the teacher in this school during the winter of 1849. There also was a Miss Roberts (Mrs. Frank Cole), who taught there about l850. In the Muskegon Journal for June 26, 1857, we read an item that gives the name of another instructor and implies that classes were held throughout the summer: "Mr. H. Hight, the new instructor, informs us that in point of numbers the school is full; and although he has but just commenced his teachings, there are evident signs of mental improvement in all his classes. If he receives the right kind of encouragement from parents, his school will be an honor to the village long before the leaves fall."
Outstanding among early teachers was Miss Margaret McIntyre, who came to Muskegon in 1860 and taught in this first school. One of her colleagues was Miss Laura Boyce (later Mrs. S. H. Stevens). At that time the school was a long, low, unpainted building, with two rooms, end to end, at first only roughly finished. Heat was furnished by a big box stove, filled with slabs of wood brought in by the boys. The needs of the thirsty were supplied by a large pail of water and a dipper. There were the usual double seats for pupils, and a long bench across the back of the room. There also was a small blackboard behind the teacher's desk, upon which only a few were privileged to write.
Reading, spelling and arithmetic were the main subjects taught. About all the boy or girl needed for supplies was a copy of Sander's spelling book, an elementary arithmetic, a slate and a copybook. McGuffey's readers were used until 1867, when they were exchanged for the National series. Little time was given to penmanship, but geography was soon added to the course.
The children were dressed very simply. Shoes, at least for the boys, were non-existent from the first days of spring until the beginning of winter. The girls had calico dresses and sunbonnets when it was warm, and were wrapped in knitted hoods and shawls on winter days.
A remarkable development has taken place in the public school system of Muskegon since 1848, but the ideal of the patrons, to make the schools as fine as possible, has remained unchanged during the whole period.
In the early fifties a private school was taught by Miss Mary St. Clair in a small house owned by E. W. Merrill. Classes could be held there only during the summer months, for there was no plaster on the walls and the house not built to be warm.
Mrs. Mary Rand Stevens says that her first teacher in the Terrace street school was a Mr. Chamblin, who was followed by Miss McIntyre.
Sometime during the fifties a school was built in Lowertown. The first teacher there was a man; he preceded Miss Rose Anderson, daughter of the Congregational minister at Grand Haven.
It was in 1849 that P. J. Connell came to this part of the state. His relatives had to break a road through six miles in order to reach the place chosen for their habitation, which was 21 miles northeast of Muskegon. They built a house, covered it with "shakes," and lived there during the first winter, even though cloth was used for doors and windows and the bare ground served as the floor. There was a fireplace at each end of the shanty, and plenty of wood, so they kept the room reasonably comfortable. But two men had to stand guard all night with axes to keep out the wolves which climbed to the roof of the shanty and looked hungrily in.
First Union School Started on Present
Hackley School Site in 1861
In the late fifties, as the small school at the corner of Terrace Street and Clay Avenue and the other located in the lower part of town became entirely inadequate for the needs of the growing Muskegon population, steps were taken to join the two districts and build a single school to serve the whole village. By September 28, 1860, that union had been effected., and the school trustees, George A. Kilbourn, A. A. Bullock, Thomas Wheeler, B. S. Whitman, J. H. Hackley and Henry Bourdon, appointed a committee to choose a building site. They selected the ground on which Hackley school now stands, and although some felt half the block would provide enough space, they were finally pevailed upon by Wesley F. Wood to buy the entire block, and purchased it for $250.
The construction of the Union school was started in the spring of 1861 and continued through a part of 1862. In June of that year there was an argument as to whether the new building should be heated by a furnace or stoves. The contract had called for a furnace, but as the time for its installation drew near certain wary citizens began to object to it as an expensive and dangerous innovation. The Reporter sided with the conservatives and summarized their objections as follows:
"The Reporter favors stoves, because:
1. Furnaces are injurious to health.
- The body requires the radiation from the heated surface instead of heated air only.
- During extremely cold weather, rooms cannot be kept at a healthful temperature. If a very large furnace is bought, the danger of fire would be great.
2. Economy
- Stoves can be purchased for the least amount.
- With stoves, it is possible to use wood instead of coal for fuel.
- The building can be insured from 1/2 to 1/3 less if stoves are used.
- Furnaces would require the constant supervision of a janitor during the cold weather, who would have to be paid;
with stoves, the teachers could superintend the warming of their rooms."
Another compelling reason for installing stoves was that the State Normal school building had recently caught fire from its furnace.
A special meeting, called for June 10, 1862, to consider the matter more thoroughly, was reported thus:
A large number of citizens were present at the School Meeting on Tuesday evening last Messrs. Wheeler, Wood, Smith and Mason advocated furnaces, and Messrs. C. Davis, Ryerson and Hand, stoves. Some spicy speeches were made, in one of which the meeting was informed that eastern buildings were heated by gas. Probably this is the latest method of warming. The vote being taken, resulted in instructing the Trustees to warm the building by stoves."
Five cavernous, all-devouring stoves, each surrounded by an ugly barricade of tin sheeting, were installed. and the school was ready to open late in September of 1862. Mr. A. J. Chapman, formerly of Wayne county. was the principal, and Misses Margaret McIntyre, Flora A. Pemberton and Libbie Ryerson were his assistants.
The Union school was one of the best constructed buildings in Muskegon, and citizens were thoroughly justified in their pride in it. The school opened with four rooms, which were later subdivided. The latest type of equipment was provide by the trustees, including double seats, blackboards, oil lamps, and a teacher's desk on the platform in each classroom. There was also a fine bell for the tower and a new flag for the flagstaff.
The Union school served the community until 1875, when it was replaced by a larger and more modern structure. The building was sold to Lyman G. Mason, who removed it to the corner of Jefferson street and Grand avenue and made it into a fine residence. It was bought in 1903 and converted into the Mercy hospital and continued as the headquarters of that institution until the erection of the present building.
Private schools of various kinds were started in Muskegon at an early date. In the Muskegon Journal of June 26, 1857, there appeared an advertisement for Bryant and Stratton's Mercantile College, doubtless the first business school in town. In the spring of 1873 a German-English school was opened in Holt's Hall, with A. Kubach, a Wisconsin man, as teacher. In 1874 a "select" school was started by Prof. Bourret in the second story of the Wheeler block at the corner of Terrace street and Western avenue.
As early as the fifties Muskegon instructors were attending teachers' institutes. In October, 1859, they all attended a two-weeks' session in Grand Haven.
Schools for dancing and deportment were periodically established here. A Mr. R. Thompson conducted one of these in 1869 for children in Leonard's Hall. He also conducted a class for adults, and weekly dances were held.
In 1869 quite a controversy raged through the newspaper columns between the head of the school, who signed his name "Magister,' and some enraged parents. The bone of contention seemed to be the fact that "Magister" sent a pupil home for an excuse whenever he was tardy, no matter what the distance, which frequently resulted in his not returning or in wasting half a day on such a trip There were other acusations against which "Magister" defended himself in long letters. However, he seems to have given up his position at the end of the term.
Muskegon Schools Outstanding in State
Since Momentous Year of 1875
The year 1875 was momentous in the history ot Muskegon public schools for it marked the completion of the new Central school, the hiring of the first special teacher, and the graduation of the first high school class.
The old Union school had been in use only a little more than 10 years before it proved inadequate for the growing number of children in the city. Accordingly, in the fall of 1874, the Union school building was removed to the westerly side of the block where Hackley school now stands, and the contract for a new school was awardeded to John A. Lee The amount stipulated in the agreement was $44,320, without heating or seating. The building was completed in the fall of 1875 and ready for occupancy.
The main entrance of the new school was in the center of the Webster avenue side. At the right, as one entered, was the office of the superintendent and board of education. and just back of it was the small room later devoted to the city library. On the left side of the entrance hall were three rooms used for the high school. The second floor was given over to class rooms for the grades, and the third floor provided a large hall for public meetings and school entertainments. The school square was well protected from cows and other domestic animals by a strong picket fence on the four sides, with a revolving gate at each corner surmounted by an ornamental arch. Wooden sidewalks led from these gates to the school.
The first high school class was graduated in 1875. It comprised only two members, Nellie M. Cameron and Stella Sawyer, who bravely rose and delivered their essays to the crowd gathered for the commencement exercises. The program also included an address to the graduates by Prof. Henry A. Ford. At this time the high school department was in the Central school, and boasted 102 pupils and three teachers.
A great innovation occurred in the fall of 1875, when Mrs. M. A. Swayze was appointed a special teacher to instruct the children in penmanship. Mrs. Swayze wrote beautifully herself, and the handwriting of some of her pupils looked like copper plate. One of the requirements exacted of teachers was that their blackboard writing should equal the standard set by Mrs. Swayze.
A special teacher of music was employed in 1878 by some generous citizens, without any expense to the board. The position of supervisor of music became a regular appointment in 1881, when George D. Herrick was hired by the board. In 1884 a special teacher of drawing, Miss Ruth Warner, also was appointed.
Another forward step was taken in 1884, when Muskegon made the kindergartens a part of the public school system, Two kindergartens were opened that year, one in the Central school, taught by Miss Aylesworth, and one at the Nelson, in charge of Sarah A. Grigg. Muskegon was the first city in Michigan to have such schools.
In 1876 the town library was first opened in the new school. There were 1,200 volumes in a single room in the Central school, and Miss Mary Aiken was appointed librarian. The library was under the management of a committee composed of three members of the board of education and one member of the Muskegon Library association.
Muskegon was fortunate in the calibre of men attracted to the school system at this time. In 1875 Robert E. Bunker came to Muskegon as superintendent of schools. Mr Bunker had been graduated from the University of Michigan in the class of 1872 and in 1875 received his M. A. degree. Between 1872 and 1875, he had charge of the public schools at St. Johns. He was superintendent here until 1878, when he entered the law otfice of Smith, Nims, Hoyt and Erwin.
In 1876, Charles L. Houseman arrived in Muskegon to be an instructor of higher mathematics, Latin, German and science. When Mr. Bunker left the schools in l878, Mr. Houseman became superintendent and for years served very efficiently in building up the schools. Under the leadership of such men as Robert E. Bunker, Frederick A. Nims, David McLaughlin and Charles L. Houseman, Muskegon schools rapidly gained a reputation of being among the best in the state.
Charles M. Gayley, known to students of the classics as the author of "Classic Myths of Greek and Roman Mythology," became principal of the high school in 1878. He left Muskegon in 1880 to accept a position as instructor of Latin at the University of Michigan. In June of that year a reception was given in his honor at the residence of Hugh Park, by the St. Paul's choir, of which he was a member.
Discipline was strict in the old schools. In 1881 a charge of assault and battery was brought against the superintendent for beating a scholar too severely for staying away from school. The superintendent was found not guilty, but was requested to use more moderation in the future.
Some of the old timers can remember when one of Muskegon's prominent citizens was a student in high school, got into an argument with the principal and knocked him down. The teacher fell all the way down the stairs, and the boy was expelled from school for a time.
The arches over the corner turnstiles at the Central school were a great handicap on rainy days, for people had to lower their umbrellas before they could pass through.
David McLaughlin and F. A. Nims were largely responsible for building up the public school system here, and for the fact it has always been divorced from city politics. McLaughlin had a very good library, and some of the teachers used to go to his house to do their referenee work.
Destruction of Central School by Fire in
1890 Proved Blessing Through Hackley Gift
Muskegon schools suffered a set-back Dec. 14, 1890, when the Central school, largest in the city, was completely destroyed by fire. But the calamity proved less serious than had been feared, tor through the generosity of Charles H. Hackley, this buildmg was replaced, a new high school erected, and an endowment secured for the library without any great drain on the taxpayers.
The rapid growth of Muskegon during the eighties had brought a tremendous increase in school enrollment and necessitated the erection of several new buildings. At the beginning of the eighties, the school board launched a building program which resulted in the construction of the Nims, Nelson, Pillsbury and Ransom street schools. ln 1884, the city possessed five brick schools and four frame ward buildings. By 1883, the high school had grown so it was moved, with the eighth grade, to the Nims school (in its later years known as the Horace Mann) on the site of the present Central Fire station. But by 1890 schools were so crowded it was felt the imperative need for a new building must be met.
The townspeople, already feeling the pinch of hard times at the end of the lumbering days, were dismayed one Sunday night in December, 1890, to hear the fire alarm and learn the Central school was burning. Some 12,000 to 15,000 people rushed from evening church services or homes to watch the fire.
The most spectacular feature of the conflagration was the crashing of the tower which held the town clock. The fire started in a store room in the basement, and swept up through the walls to burst forth on an upper floor. Roaring flames soon enveloped the tower, and the crowd stood breathless as it swayed, straightened, and then sank majestically from sight into the hot furnace. The roof caved in, the walls fell, and within a few hours the old school was a heap of smoldering ruins.
With buildings already overcrowded, the loss of the Central school was a serious one, for it had accommodated more than 700 pupils. But the Muskegon board of education was equal to the situation, and by the end of the Christmas recess temporary quarters were ready in stores and churches. Steps were taken immediately for the replacement of the school. At a meeting Dec. 18, the board authorized the building committee to procure plans for a new building of 20 rooms to cost not over $75,000. It was at this session that Supt. G. C. Fisher suggested the city needed two buildings-one on the old site and one on the school property on Jefferson street.
April 15, 1891, the board met to consider plans presented by various architects. After they had all been studied carefully, Mr. Hackley, a member of the group, drew from his pocket a letter tor Secretary Robert E. Bunker to read; it contained his offer of financial aid, stated in part as follows: "If the people will authorize you to issue bonds to the amount of $75,000 for purposes previously stated (building both a grade and high school), bearing 5% interest, and payable not sooner than 30 years from date of issue, I will take these bonds at par and furnish the money as needed for the purpose set forth. In addition, l will donate the bonds so authorized to the public schools of the city of Muskegon to be held by your board, or such other corporation as you may designate, in trust as a fund, the interest or income of which shall be devoted to defraying the current and ordinary expenses of the Hackley public library forever."
Mr. Hackley's offer was gratefully accepted by the board, and a special election called in May to vote on the proposition. Four cautious individuals voted "no" on the question, two of them, according to the Chronicle, "through pure meanness."
Bonds were issued at once-$30,000 the first year, which with the $31,000 insurance from the old building would nearly pay for Hackley school, and the remaining $45,000 in 1892 for the erection of the high school. Contracts for both schools were awarded to J. D. Boland of Grand Rapids, and Hackley school was completed and opened for classes in September, 1892. The new high school, now the Central Junior High, was ready for September, 1893
Mr. Hackley's assistance came when the schools most needed it for without his ingenious plan for endowing the library the erection of two schools in such troublous times would have been impossible.
Muskegon schools have always been kept abreast the times. Following the introduction of kindergartens in 1884 came the first attempt at manual training, with sewing classes held on Saturdays for interested children. In 1889, the board adopted the liberal policy of providing free text books to all pupils below the high school. In September. 1886, a commercial and business course was attempted, offering two years of instruction in bookkeeping, commercial law and civil government. Mrs. Swayze, the first special teacher of penmanship, was employed to carry part of that work. In 1890 a training school for teachers was opened, and in 1891 elementary science was introduced in grade schools.
The class of 1876 bought and had installed the fountain which stood for years in front of the old Central school. It proved quite an attraction for children; it was there they filled their rubber balls with water, to squirt later on unsuspecting adults. The fountain was decorated with storks, mud turtles and frogs. It still stands in a garden on Jefferson street.
Students in the old high school were full of pranks. One of the old timers tells of the elaborate arrangements made for setting off a giant fire-cracker. Every boy involved was given a special task to do, but no one knew what the next one's job was, so there could be no telling later. The cracker was timed to explode 20 minutes after the fuse was lighted, so the boy lighting it was able to establish a perfect alibi. The affair Was so well planned, the principal did not find out until long after who the culprits were.
Manual Training School and Hospital Were
Later Gifts of Charles H. Hackley
The last large gifts of Charles H. Hackley to the city were the Hackley Manual Training school and Hackley hospital, both of which have established splendid records of service to the people of Muskegon.
The first school for technical and vocational training in the state was presented to Muskegon by Mr. Hackley in 1895. At that time institutions for instruction in manual arts were new in education and Muskegonites swelled with pride to have a school which was the envy of cities throughout the country.
Oct. 18, 1892, Mr. Hackley sent a letter to the board of education offering to contribute $30,000 for building and equipping a manual training school, and to provide not less than $5,000 a year during his lifetime for its maintenance. He also stated his intention to endow the institution with $100,000. This gift created a great deal of interest throughout the country, and congratulations were received from educators everywhere.
The cornerstone, laid without ceremony in September, 1896, bore as an inscription the following excerpt from Mr. Hackley's letter to the board: "Wherein the boys and girls of Muskegon may receive such instruction as is afforded in Manual Training schools of the best class."
As usual, the building cost much more than the $30,000 originally intended. When it was completed and equipped, Hackley had spent well over $69,000. The school was opened for use in 1897, and proved so popular that by 1900 Mr. Hackley offered $34,000 to build the two wings provided for in the architects plans but not erected at first.
Other gifts followed. March 1, 1901, Mr. Hackley ottered a $25,000 addition to the library to serve as a book room, and a $15,000 gymnasium, to be placed on Grand avenue near the manual. The increasing interest in athletics, and particularly in football, led him to purchase the block adjoining the Manual for a high school athletic field.
Hackley hospital, donated in 1902, filled a great need in the community. Doctors were especially delighted with the news of the gift. The old hospital of the City Missionary society and other private sanatoriums were inadequate; there were no suitable places tor surgery, and operations were frequently performed in the homes of the patients under the most adverse conditions.
Mr Hackley's first idea was to build the hospital and turn it over to the First Congregational church for administration. lnvestigation soon convinced him that no church would be able to stand the drain on finances that such a project would entail, so he arranged an endowment for the institution and asked the church to appoint the board of trustees.
The site for the new buildings was selected by Mr. F. A. Nims, Mr. Hackley and Dr. Archibald Hadden, pastor of the First Congregational church. It consisted of four blocks of land covered with scrub oaks, bounded by John and Clinton streets and Forest and Larch avenues. The ground purchased, Mr. Hackley sent a letter to the trustees of the First Congregational church May 28, 1902, offering to erect a suitable hospital building to be managed by trustees appointed by the church board. Dr. Archibald Hadden and Mr. Nims were designated as trustees of the gift.
It was then suggested that Dr. John Vanderlaan and Dr. Hadden go to Saratoga, N. Y., to a large convention of physicians to learn what they could of the latest hospital practice. On this trip they also visited the modern state hospital at Albany, built on the pavilion plan, the administration building being flanked by wings containing patients' rooms and wards. This plan seemed to the committee the most practical and sensible they had seen. Even in New York, where they met the foremost medical authorities of the day and discussed their problems, they saw nothing which swayed them from their liking of the pavilion plan. The contract was finally awarded to the architects of the Albany hospital, Fuller and Pitcher, to draw plans for the Muskegon institution and supervise its construction.
Ground was broken for the building in April, 1903, and the hospital was dedicated and opened to the public Nov. 17, 1904. Schools and places of business were all closed on this occasion and the Grand Opera house was packed with citizens and distinguished guests eager to honor the donor of the fine institution.
Hackley hospital originally cost $200,000 and at the time of its dedication, Mr. Hackley provided an endowment of $100,000. His will provided an additional $200,000, and that of his wife $300,000. The four free beds at $10,000 each helped swell the total to nearly $600,000. The value of the endowments has shrunken considerably, and the income as well. In 1924, approximately $30,000 was received as income from those funds, but recently the amount is only half that sum.
One of the first projects undertaken by Hackley hospital was the training school for nurses started in February, 1905, shortly after the institution opened. Miss Clara W. Dyring was the first superintendent of the hospital and principal of the training school. The first chief of the medical staff was Dr. John Vanderlaan.
Edwin D. Hoyt was the first principal of the Hackley Manual Training school. He was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1896 and came here to take the position as first director immediately after graduation.
Before the Manual was ready for use, classes were held in the High school. In the school year of 1896-7, a drawing class was started, followed by woodwork, joinery and pattern-making. Girls started with sewing and cooking in 1897-8.
Speaker at the dedication of Hackley hospital was Dr. James B. Angell, president of the University of Michigan.
Original Two-Room School of 1849 Grown
to System of 17 Buildings
Muskegon schools have come a long way since the first two-room school was established on Terrace street in 1849. Today the system boasts 17 schools, nearly 400 teachers and 10,000 students, a marked increase from the one teacher and handful of pupils of the pioneer days. Advancement has also been made in the curriculum and today the schools fit their students to cope with the many problems of life by offering courses in a wide variety of subjects. No longer is education simply a matter of learning the three R's, but includes acquaintance with nearly every phase of modern life.
The Muskegon schools have always maintained a fine reputation for their progressive characteristics. Through the generosity of Charles H. Hackley the manual training school was enlarged and the gymnasium built in 1900 and the athletic field given in 1902. The gifts of Mr. Hackley, and the generous endowments left the schools in his will and that of his wife gave the public schools of Muskegon an advantage over those of other cities of the state. Muskegonites came to expect the best possible education for their children, although school taxes were low because of the Hackley funds.
One of the bequests of Charles H. Hackley was the sum ot $150,900 for the purchase of works of art to be placed in the library. The library, the first of Mr. Hackley's gifts, seemed to be one of his favorites, and it was his desire that it become the center of cultural life of the city. A number of pictures were purchased, but it was soon evident that the library was unsuited for housing the collection, and thereupon the board determined to erect the Hackley Art Gallery with a part of the funds provided for works of art in Mr. Hackley's will.
The cornerstone of the art gallery was laid Oct. 3, 1911, and the building opened to the public in June, 1912. The first director was Raymond Wyer, who was responsible for the purchase of a fine nucleus of pictures for the permanent collection. He also organized an art club, which met to study the gallery pictures, arranged for public lectures and instructed grade school children who were sent to the gallery to learn something of the art here. Mr. Wyer was followed by Miss Lulu F. Miller in 1916, who served until 1930.
The Hackley Art Gallery had the distinction of being the first gallery of importance in the United States in a city with a population of less than 30,000. Today, under the direction of Frank Atwood Almy, it is the center of a variety of cultural activities. Classes in art, lectures, musicales and exhibitions are featured there.
Except for the building of the annex to the high school in 1908 and the construction of the Nims school in 1913, there was little change in the school property in the years immediately following Mr. Hackley's death in 1905. Advancement was made along other lines, however, and the year brought the introduction of many new educational features. In 1910 a medical inspection board consisting of three doctors and a school nurse was appointed. The same year classes for backward and defective childrcn were established. ln 1911 a room for dental work was prepared at Hackley school and a dentist employed to inspect and care for the teeth of the chlldren.
Encouragement for professional improvement was given the teachers in 1914, when a study fund was inaugurated, whereby a teacher attending summer school received a $50 bonus. Another forward step was the adoption of a regular salary schedule for teachers in 1916, with a higher minimum than before. Special awards were also made for outstanding service to the schools.
The end of the war, which had brought to Muskegon a great influx of people engaged in the ever expanding industries, found the city schools crowded. In September, 1919, Supt. Paul C. Stetson presented to the board a study he had made showing the increases in enrollment during the past six years, and the congestion of all Muskegon schools. So the board decided to erect as soon as possible three huildings, a senior high and junior college, a junior high school and a grade school in the newly acquired Fairview addition. The latter, completed in 1921, was the first built, and was named for Paul S. Moon, then a member of the board.
In December of 1919 a school election was held, and the board was authorized to issue $800,000 in bonds for the erection of the schools. The Bunker Junior High and the Senior High were erected as part of this program. Marion N. Longman was superintendent of schools at that time.
When the senior high school was opened in September of 1926 the building also housed the newly organized junior college, under the direction of S. S. Brooks. The junior college has since been moved to the old Hackley school to make way for the rapidly growing high school.
In the ten years since 1926 three buildings have been given up, three acquired in East Muskegon-the Oak View, Marquette and Porter schools. The old Angell, Froebel and Nelson have been replaced by magnificent new buildings.
Congestion in Muskegon public schools was relieved slightly in 1920 by the purchase of the old Ursuline Academy, today the Wilson school.
The present groups of the Parent-Teachers' association had their beginnings in the Mothers' clubs, organized at the various schools. The Nelson Mothers' club was the first in the city to organize, largely through the efforts of Mrs. Charles Stevenson, then principal of the school. Mrs. Thomas Delanty was elected president and Mrs. Stevenson, secretary. The present P. T. A. was formed in 1919.
In 1926 a zoo was started by the P. T. A. civic improvement committee, and two buffaloes and a goat were purchased, with nickles raised by school children. Other more useful projects were undertaken by the various Mothers' clubs, however. One of the first at Froebel was the encouragement of home gardening. A piano, playground equipment, pictures, and other articles were also purchased for thc school
No account of the work done by Muskegon women during the World War would be complete without mention of the committee headed by Mrs. Ernest Hopperstead of North Muskegon, which looked after the sale of War Savings stamps. Day after day they manned booths along the avenue working tirelessly from morning to night in the work of raising funds to support the war.
Are you interested in reading more? Check out Romance of Muskegon at Hackley Public Library, a member of the Muskegon Public Schools Education Community.
