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Public Schools Center Township
Burt School The Burt School was first erected about 1844 on the corners of four sections of government land in Center township on the J. A. Davis farm. It was a one-room frame building. In1894 a one-room brick building took its place, but was torn down in 1922. In 1907 the Burt School closed and pupils were transferred to Greenwood. Two teachers who taught at Burt were Frank Farr and Minnie Stivers.
Greenwood School The first schoolhouse in Center township was located in Section 9 about 1820. It was built of logs and had oiled paper over the windows, and a large fireplace at one end. This was a series of schools built new and called Greenwood. About 1850 a new schoolhouse was built on land owned by Lydia Snyder in Section 3. This was a three months school holding sessions 3 months in spring and 3 months in the fall. In 1870 the building called Greenwood was moved to Section 9, the present site of the Greenwood Church. In 1899 the Mendenhall and the Greenwood schools were consolidated, and a new building placed on the southwest corner of Section 2. This was a two room brick. In 1906 a basement was added and a hot air furnace installed. In 1907 the Burt School closed and the pupils transferred to Greenwood. In1915 a new room was added and the basement enlarged. Until about 1918 the first and second grades of high school were taught at Greenwood. In 1922 the Witter School closed and the pupils transferred to Greenwood. The school was finally closed in 1937 because of a malfunctioning boiler. It was thought more feasible to transfer the pupils to Liberty than repair the boiler.
The Mendenhall School Mendenhall School south of Goodwin’s Corner in Section 1 was named for the farmer who owned the land. This school closed in 1898 and the pupils attended Greenwood School.
Lotus School The 1884 Union County Atlas shows Lotus School in Section 17 and to the south of the Liberty-College Corner Pike, but again no further information.
Cottage Grove School The first Cottage Grove School located in Section 22 was a frame building but was replaced by a one room brick building. Year of replacement unknown. However, grades one through eight plus two years of high school were taught there before the school was closed in 1918 and the students were transferred to the Greenwood School.
Witter School Witter School was built around 1880 on Nine Mile Road near the present home of Raymond Witter. The building was brick and consisted of one room and two cloak rooms. Some of the early teachers were Margaret Dooley, who started her teaching career there, Russell Paddock, Mable Ball, Lillie Laird, Lucille Bannon and C. C. Abernathy. The school was closed in 1922 and the children transferred to Greenwood.
Salem School The Quakers had a large membership in the Salem community in Center township. They were believers in a good education so in 1851 the Quakers erected a schoolhouse to be under the care and control of the church. This school was one-story frame, ten feet in height and thirty feet long and twenty four feet wide. Lydia Davis was the first teacher. The second was William Haughton, a stern Quaker but excellent teacher. Salem School was governed for many years by the Friends. The students were required to attend "silent meeting" and sometimes these meeting would last over an hour and not a word was spoken. As the years passed there was a more liberal spirit so they ruled that those who did not wish to leave could remain and study under the supervision of one of the scholars.
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