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BEECH GROVE SCHOOL
(Written by Clara Brookbank)
This school was taught by William Haughton and his daughter and was located on the farm of Milo Stanton, in Section Thirteen of Liberty Township.
Upon entering the building, there was a hall where the boys and girls hung their hats and coats. From the hallway you entered into the schoolroom. The teacher's desk was at one end of the room with three tiers of desks on each side of the room. The lowest tier was for the smaller children; the next higher tier was for the next in size, and then the third tier was for the larger scholars.
The grown boys and girls went to school in the winter. The boys had to help on the farm until the corn was gathered, apples picked, and the fall work done. Many of these boys received only about two months of schooling before the spring work began.
The first old schoolhouse was moved over on a farm owned by John C. Johnson, west of Milo Stanton1s farm. A new frame school was built. This was eventually replaced by a new brick building. School in this building was abandoned about 1922 where it was then sold in 1925 to Clara Brookbank for $165.00.
In the early days we only had money enough to hire a teacher for five months. A teacher would submit an application to the district trustee shortly before the start of school. The trustee would then call a meeting at the schoolhouse of the patrons, who would then elect the teacher by vote.