Wood Road School

Wood Road School
Before 1900
Town of Somers, Kenosha, Wisconsin
(Photo courtesy of Jim Smith)

Wood Road School, about 1910
Left to Right: Unknown Helding, Loretta Swartz, Unknown Helding, Ray Feest, Everett Learned, Walter Moran
Ms. Riley-Teacher, Roy Swartz, Oswald Feest, and Frank Birch
(Source:  Photo courtesy of Robert Swartz.)

Wood Road School, estimate date 1928
(Source:  Photo courtesy of Robert Swartz.)
Click on photo for larger view.

Wood Road School, Somers Township
(Source:  Photograph Courtesy of Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson and names courtesy of Jim and Sharon Bose Smith)

Teacher: Miss McCurly

Back Row: Jack Rider, George Godlewski, Norman Thompson, William Fenner, Gordon Peterson, Marion Jacobsen, Dorothy Gardinier, Florence Rider, Lorna Smith, Jean Thompson

2nd Row: Merlyn Smith, Frank Witscheber, Emory Scheckler, Bud Thomas, Delores Barrows, Anita Witscheber, Mary Jane Peterson, Hazel Scheckler, Julia Kremis

3rd Row: Charles Huck, Sam Jacobsen, Joe Kremis, Charles Thompson, Esther Scheckler, Violet Empke, Lucille Thompson, Anne Kastelic

4th Row: Harry Kastelic, Walter Keiffer, Clem Godlewski, Russell Mandernack, Kenneth Mandernack, Otto Keiffer, Minnie Birch, Mary Ellen Thompson, Sheila Ann Smith, Angeline Birch

School District No. 9 - Wood Road School

"The earliest record available in the history of School District No. 9 is that of July 1856, when The Town Superintendent of Schools in the Town of Somers having formed on the 12th day of July 1856 in said Town, called School District No.9.

October 17, 1856, legal notice having been given the inhabitants of School District No. 9, met at the house of Philander T. Briggs to elect School Officers for the ensuing year - John Gibson, Clerk;  William R. Stetson, Director;  Philander T. Briggs, Treasurer.

Voted to raise Two Hundred dollars ($200) in addition to be amount to be drawn from the Three Districts from which were set of for the purpose of building a school house and maintaining a school for the ensuing year.

December 1856, John Gibson removed and Wm. Swartz appointed Clerk in his place.

March 1857, contract to let Wm. Shott build school house by the Clerk and Director for Three Hundred Dollars.

June 14th, Board met and accepted schoolhouse.

September 28, 1857 School District No. 9 annual meeting called by Director.  The Treasurer made his report:

Moneys received during the year from Town Treasurer $200.00

Town Superintendent $69.76

Cash paid out on order to Wm. Shott $200.00

Chair $1.25

Pail, Broom and cup $0.75

Teacher wages 16 weeks $48.00

To my Suesefeer (?) $16.01

Cleaning lot $3.75

Balance $269.76

Officers elected for the ensuring year.  Wm. Swartz-Director, C.G. Stetson-Treasurer, Philander T. Briggs-Clerk.  Voted to get 6 cords of good oak wood, sawed, split, and piled up - - bid of Wm. Swartz at Three Dollars per cord.

Monday, September 27, 1858.  Cash paid out as follows:

To Wm. Slocum for Deed $1.50

To Bain and Brothers for stove and bell $16.06

To Wm. Swartz for wood $18.00

To Shott for balance on building schoolhouse $100.00

For Black Board $4.00

For Lumber and Glass, etc. $2.95

Charges on Dictionary $0.50

Miss F. Farnum for teaching $88.00

For Library Books $8.31

For 2 blank books and register $1.25

For moving desks $1.00

To Miss T.M. Briggs for teaching $52.00

For schoolhouse lot $20.00

District voted to appropriate $15.00 for back house, $5.00 for library.  To get 4 cords of dry oak wood, sawed, split and piled up for $3.00 per cord.

September 24, 1866.  Voted to raise $50 tax for school.  Voted to get 3 cords of wood.  Wm. Schwartz to furnish it at $7.00 a cord.  $10 tax for library.  Voted to have 4 months school.  May and June the first term - September and October, 2nd term.

The first building was sold in 1877 and a new building followed.  This was sold in 1927.  In 1926 a new red brick modern building was built on the first original site.

Among those early teachers were Julia Hawley, Bertie Fitch, Helena Ozanne, Carrie Burgess, Jessie Petrie, Delia Cutting, Ambrosia Cronk, Lottie Raymonds, Herbert Cooley, Jennie Hastings, Minnie Crow, Addie Strong, Charles Flett, who later studied medicine and located in South Dakota.

Board Members - William Stetson, who came from New York in 1835, served as school clerk for twenty-five consecutive years.  William and Jacob Swartz also served many years on the school board.

Among the early students were Lloyd Briggs, who for years was Professor at the Oshkosh State Normal; James Briggs, also a teacher and Supt. of Schools in Kenosha County."

(Source: My Memoirs, by Minnie A.G. Ozanne. Copyright 1948--Minnie A.G. Ozanne. All Rights Reserved.)

More About Wood Road School

The first Wood Road School building was sold in 1877 and is still being used on the Joseph Huck farm.  A second building constructed in that year was sold to George P. Thomas in 1927, after a new red brick building was constructed in 1926 on the site purchased for the original school building. 

(Source:  Kenosha News June 15, 1935 Centennial Edition) 

The First Wood Road School
(Source:  Original photo courtesy of Jim and Sharon Bose Smith.)

Partial 1887 Map of Somers Township
See Section 12.  School District #9 was the Wood Road School
Located on the Peter Lichter parcel.

Wood Road School Reunion
Kenosha News article, date unknown

Photo taken of the Wood Road School reunion at the airplane hanger of Charles Thompson on Highway 50
(Source:  Photo Courtesy of Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Copyright 2012.  All Rights Reserved.)

Front Row Kneeling Left to Right:  Vicki Kremis Klapproth, Man ?, Mary Ellen Thompson Werner, Harry Kastelic
Middle Left to Right:  Ann Kastelic, Lady?, Esther Scheckler, Charles Thompson, Joe Kremis, Sam Jacobsen, Charles Huck
Back Left to Right: Julie Kremis Covelli, Hazel Scheckler, Rita Neumiller, Lady?, Lady?, Marion Jacobsen, Lady?, Man?, Lady?, Man?

(If anyone can identify those people in question, please email Jackie at somershistory@wi.rr.com. 

Students and Teachers who attended the Wood Road reunion.
This was the sign-in registration list of the day.  The date was 1978.  It was found in the scrapbook of Vicki Kremis Klapproth.
(Source:  List courtesy of Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)

Lulu Schmidter, Burlington, Wisconsin (teacher 1936-1937
Mabel McKee (teacher 1936-1937)
John and Jean Thomas Murphy, Kansasville, Wisconsin
Vicki Kremis Klapproth and Sherwood Klapproth, Somers Township
Charles Thompson
Lucile Thompson Conde, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Top and Mamie Gardinier, Kenosha
Lucille Swartz, Kenosha
Susan Swartz Summers, Kenosha
Marge and Harry Kastelic, Kenosha
Lorna Miller, Kenosha
Ione Smith Kreamer and Ken Kreamer, Kenosha
Rich and Barb Free, Kenosha
Anne Kastelic, Kenosha
Caroline Bose King, Kenosha
Loretta Bose Ross, Chicago
Jack Rider, Racine
Mrs. Louise Rider, Racine
William and Lura Rider, Racine
Debres Barrows Safransky, Kenosha
Mary Ellen Thompson Werner, Kenosha
Ruth Thompson Smith and Paul Smith, Kenosha
Nancy Thompson, Bristol
Bob and Elaine Thomas, Kenosha
Vincent "Binnie" Thomas
Allie Smith, Kenosha
Ella and Wally Sadowski, Sturtevant
Mary Jane Acklam and George Petersen, Racine
John Conde, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Mary Ann Verheyen - Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Baldwin, Racine
Harriet Thompson and Julius Camponeschi, Hammond, Indiana
Myrtle Emmertsen Jacobson, Kenosha, teacher 1946-1947
Leone Bose Aarts, Kenosha
Cyrstal and Henry Sablinsky, Yorkville
Martha Swartz, Kenosha
Jack Swartz, Kenosha
Mabel Thompson, McSkimming, Mrs. Thompsons' mother
Barry Mattausch, Bremerton, Washington
Julie and Bob Lewandowski Pringle, Kenosha, teacher 1951-1953
Don and Helen Upson, Janesville, Wisconsin, teacher 1934-1936
Ray and Helen Kremis Dorf, Racine
Julie Kremis Covelli, Racine
Gary Thompson
Joe and Sally Wise, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Tom Conde
Paul and Mildred Swartz, Burlington
Dorothy Gardinier Hanks, Kenosha
Mary Godlewski Wojtak, Kenosha
Sam and Mary Jacobsen, Madison, Wisconsin
Marion Jacobsen Savich, Bonita, California
Gerty Kremis Hapanowicz and Richard, Kenosha
Marcia Thompson
Glenn Ours, Trevor
David Ours, Trevor
Hazel Scheckler Gitzlaff, Kenosha
Kathy Ours Bundever, Kenosha
Esther Scheckler Kaisir, Kenosha
Joe and Betty Lou Kremis, Sturtevant
LeRoy Leach, Kenosha
Don Scheckler, Racine
Kenny Holmes, Kenosha
Harry E. and Elsie Blinten, Sturtevant
Herb Gross, Kenosha
Alice Scheckler Meyer, Cudahy, Wisconsin
Dolores and Roy Safransky
Norman and Helen Thompson, Burchwood, Wisconsin
Gene Thompson and son, Ron, Burlington, Wisconsin
Klem Godlewski, Waukegan, Illinois
Tom Ricchio, Kenosha
Charles Huck, Somers Township
Frank and Anita Witscheber Storal, Kenosha
Kathy Larsen Roberts, Burlington, Wisconsin
Lois Meumiller, Kenosha
Albert and Violet Bose
Walter and Lil Andersen, Racine
Joe Weyres, Kenosha
Richard and Rosemary Thompson
Diane Thompson

Kenosha News article for Wood Road School reunion

(Source:  News clipping and names courtesy of Kim Heinen Bitto)

(Source:  Kenosha News.  No date on clipped article)