THE SUGAR GROVE SCHOOL Around 1856 or 1857, the first school was built of logs. It stood on the northwest comer of the land now owned by George H. and Ione Williams, Township of Kickapoo, Vernon County. Later it burned and the new school was built across the road from where Burdette Nelson now lives. Five generations of our family attended the Sugar Grove School. George Spurrier was the first school clerk (great-grandfather of George H. Williams). The first teacher was Miss Elizabeth Williams of Sylvan Township. One morning when she opened the school door, she found a mother bear and two cubs inside. She ran back to her boarding place, George Spurriers, to get help. He and Mr. Taylor shot the mother bear, and the two cubs escaped into the woods. In the early 1870s, Miss Sidie Howe of Boaz taught at the school for $5 a month. From that amount, she paid her room and board at the Spurrier home. In the early years, the curriculum consisted of spelling, First Reader, Second Reader, Third Reader, Fourth Reader, constitution, grammar, history, geography, orthography, penmanship, and mental and written arithmetic. There were two sessions- summer and winter. The older boys did not attend summer session because they were needed at home to help with the work. They came only in the winter months, while the little ones attended both They had no pencils and paper but wrote on slates with slate pencils. Augusta Spurrier (daughter of George and Nancy Spurrier), after graduating from 8th grade, studied and wrote an examination. Having passed the examination, she was given a certificate to teach. She was sixteen, and the known years she taught at Sugar Grove were 1872 to 1875. She married Stephen Davis and was the mother of Elvin and Emma Davis. Dora Crumrine was seven years old when Augusta Spurrier taught. Having passed the 8th grade, she also studied and wrote an examination. She received her certificate to teach, and, like Augusta, was sixteen when she began to teach. She taught her nephew, Herman L. Williams, age six, in the 1880s. (Herman L. Williams was the father of George H.) Dora later graduated from Oshkosh Teachers College and taught at Fort Atkinson High School around 1901. She later married Mr. Ward and owned and ran one of the Sugar Grove stores. After Mr. Ward died, she married Albert Hutchison. A man by the name of J. W. Powell taught in 1890. Mercy, or better known as Mertie, Nixon of Seelyburg taught at Sugar Grove in the late 1800s. She married Fred McEathron (uncle of Ione Williams.) Nellie Spurrier (granddaughter of George and Nancy Spurrier) taught in 1905. Later she proved on a claim of land in South Dakota and taught in many schools in that area. She married Lyman Lockwood. Many teachers rang the Sugar Grove bell, summoning the children to come and learn. Early teachers were Liza Shattuck and Olive Rabbit. Gena Lake, Eula Norris, and Verna Jackson were teachers of George H. Williams. Other teachers were Mollie Spurrier (great-granddaughter of George and Nancy Spurrier), Charley Rossen, Faye Nemec, Ida Thompson, Audrey Grim, Orvin Midtun, David Smith, Edward Heal, Betty Oberson, Cleo Walters, and Emily Solverson. The following were the last teachers to teach at Sugar Grove: 1950-51, Mrs. Frances Thoenes; 1951-52, Mrs. Frances Thoenes; 1952-53, Mrs. James OConnor; 1953-54, Mrs. Jean Simpson Getter; 1954-55, Miss Diane Coy; 1955-56, Mrs. John Doran; 1956-57, Mrs. June Parker; 1957-61, Mrs. Louise Bender. The school became part of the one-room country school closings in 1959. Sugar Grove became part of the Kickapoo School District. It closed at the end of the 1960-61 school year. The building was sold to the Sugar Grove Church of Christ for $1 and was moved and joined to the north side of the church building. The younger generations are glad they can still visit the school building. Known students who became teachers: Augusta Spurrier, Dora Crumrine, Nellie Spurrier, David Smith, Mollie Spurrier, Audrey Grim, George H. Williams, Eva Williams, Edward Heal, Lester Heal, Helen Nelson, Jean Simpson, Larry Collins, Professor, Patricia Williams, Eloise Williams. Last names of families who attended Sugar Grove: Spurrier, Crumrine, Drake, Alexander, Williams, Lake, Heal, Grim, Smith, Hutchison, Longmire, Galbrath, McEathron, Hocking, Van Fleet, Enfield, Shattuck, Willison, Shepherd, Dutcher, Pugh, Rieser, Collins, Simpson, Nida, Bailey, Walters, Nelson, Peterson, Kanable, Keyser, Wanless, McCarter, Randall, Ewing, Schoville, McCool, Eide, Gald, Oens, Gander, McKittrick, Potts, Osborn. Bankes, Olson, Yuran, and Jones. Compiled and submitted byIone Williams. SUGAR GROVE Sugar Grove, Wis. used to consist of two general stores, two millinery shops, a blacksmith shop, a hotel, a post office, the Church of Christ, and a cheese factory. Now, one driving on Highway 14 will see the sign Sugar Grove thanks to the efforts of the late George H. Williams, who was insistent that Sugar Grove remain in fact as well as memory. The house that used to be the hotel stands on the corner of U.S. 14 and County X. Today it is the residence of Amish farmer, Amos Borntreger. A large proportion of the families that settled in the Sugar Grove area came from Ohio around 1855. In 1856, the four daily stages going to and returning from the following places each day were Black River Falls, Muscoda, Prairie du Chien, and LaCrosse. As long as the stages passed through, the hotel in Sugar Grove thrived. Sometimes people passed through, spending a weekend with old friends. Sugar Grove lies on a crossing of roads, and on a clear day one could hear the Stump Dodger railroad whistle as it passed through the Kickapoo Valley, letting its passengers off and on at the bordering towns. There was a sawmill in the little woods (now gone), west of the corner. Sugar Grove had quite a logging business. In 1890, the mill man did not get as many logs as he wanted, yet he occasionally steamed up. Rutter and Ward Company notified people by a shrill whistle when the mill was ready for business. George Spurrier was the Justice of the Peace for Sugar Grove, and his brother Green Spurrier was the surveyor. Sugar Grove boasted of a band. It had both male and female members. Business at the stores thrived on the many customers living in the area. For a while, Dora Crumrine Ward and her husband J.W. Ward were operators of a store. The cheese factory was south of the store on County X. It was owned by Mr. Granger. Farmers hauled their milk to the factory, taking back to the farm whey to feed their hogs. Mrs. F.H. Drake had a card advertising her store: Mrs. F.H. Drake, Stylish Milliner, Sugar Grove, Wis. You are invited to call and examine my new stock of latest style trimmed hats. Dr. Randall (doctor of medicine) lived where Allan Randall lived in the old house. His daughter had the first formal wedding at the Sugar Grove church. The post office was situated in the living room of the house owned by the late Alice Williams. The big spruce tree that is there now was standing then. The path worn by people going to and from the post office can still be seen as it entered off the road. The first post master was Henry B. Hopkins of Connecticut. Lyman C. Drake was the last postmaster, listed as 1883. Sugar Grove was named for the many sugar maples growing around the church and that area. The making of maple sugar was an annual event. This grove of trees was cleared away by Herman L. Williams and Alexander McEathron. The largest log was too big for the Sugar Grove sawmill and had to be taken to Readstown for sawing. As farms were built trees were cut, and were hauled to the mill to be sawed into lumber to make new homes. With the trees gone, the earth was plowed, and many beautiful wild flowers were gone. Nevertheless, this area must have been a beautiful sight in the fall to all who came and settled in Sugar Grove. Submitted by Ione Williams, who in 2004 moved out of the area to live with her daughter. SUGAR GROVE CHURCH OF CHRIST The first religious services were held at the residence of Zachariah Smith, in 1855, by Daniel Parkinson, an Ohio minister, then living at Viroqua, Wis. Mr. Parkinson often stopped at the Smith home to preach the Gospel, and a number of people rallied to the service of Christ. In June of 18 5 7, the Church of Christ was organized at the schoolhouse, on Section 13 by George Babb, the first regular minister of the church. The schoolhouse was situated on the northwest corner of the land now owned by George and Ione Williams, and was built of logs. The original membership was composed of about fourteen people. Abram Williams and Zachariah Smith were chosen elders, and William Shore and Henry Davis as deacons. The original membership was composed of the following: Zachariah Smith and wife; William Shore and wife; Abram Williams; George Spurrier and wife; Henry Davis and wife; Ruben Drake and wife; William Powell; and Elmira Neuman. For some time there was no regular settled pastor, but the pulpit was supplied by preachers from other points. Worship was continued in the schoolhouse for four or five years. After the schoolhouse burned, the meeting place was moved to the frame building which was on the farm later owned by the Hocking brothers and sisters. The first Richland County Atlas issued in 1874 places the Christian Church on property owned by J. W. Martin in the southwest corner of Sylvan Township. Here worship was continued until a piece of land was bought and a building erected on the ground where the present church building now stands. In 1866, Henry Howe, Evangelist, held a meeting with nearly one hundred additions to the church membership. At that time a Bible School was organized with William Powell as the first superintendent. In 1874, a quarter acre of land was purchased from Zachariah Smith and a neat frame building was erected on the present site, in the Town of Kickapoo, Vernon County. Three carpenters were hired: Robert Byers, Ransom Kellogg, and Joe Davis. Friends of the church offered their help and worked willingly. The inside arrangement of the first church building was a row of seats in the center of the room, from the high pulpit back to the wood stove. On either side of the seats, along the wall was a pile of lumber to sit on. Often spring seats from the wagons and sleds were brought in for more seating space. Elder Milton Wells often remarked, I have seen more people standing to the square foot in the Sugar Grove Church than any place else I ever saw. Outside of the church, on all sides, were groves of sugar maple trees to which the teams were tied. Later, hitching posts were substituted. The maple groves, between the church building and what is now Highway 14, were often used for basket dinners. The dinners were sometimes followed by afternoon services and an evening service beginning at early candle light. About 1900, an addition to the building, on the south was begun, with George Ward and Rant Kellogg being the principle carpenters, but many gave a few days help without charge. The addition was dedicated on October 8, 1905, by Elder Milton Wells. The first Ladies Aid Society was organized April 3, 1902, at May Drakes for the purpose of raising money to furnish the interior of the new church building. The following officers were elected: president, Mrs. L. P. McEathron; vice president, Mrs. May Drake; secretary, Mary Moses; and treasurer, Daisy Turner. The Ladies Aid bought lamps, window shades, carpet, material for seats, 18 chairs, and papered the building. After the church was dedicated they bought the bell. Since then the ladies of the church helped furnish the parsonage, made quilts for the needy, helped the missionaries, and worked wherever they were needed. Since the establishment of the Sugar Grove church, many things have taken place. The churches at Readstown, Soldiers Grove, and Sabin have been established. Ministers H.F.Barstow, Alexander McEathron, L.Z. Smith and son, Gerald L.K. Smith and Clarence Clason have been sent out. Not an original sugar tree is left. The basement has been finished and remodeled into a kitchen and dining area. The inside walls of the church have been refinished and the high ceiling lowered in quite an unusual design worked out by carpenter Harold Haines. The first homecoming was held October 12, 1930. It was the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the new part of the building. Homecoming has always been observed yearly, on the second Sunday of October. The first was under the direction of Eldon Chitwood, then serving as minister. The 1940s brought electricity from REA. The kitchen now boasts of electric stove, refrigerator, and outlets to plug in electric appliances. The old wood furnace has been removed and replaced by two automatic oil furnaces. The south basement classrooms and foyer are equipped with electric wall heaters. On August 9, 1950, Sugar Grove Womens Christian Temperance Union was organized with a charter of six members, meeting each month in the homes of members. In the early 1960s, the Sugar Grove School was purchased for one dollar and joined to the north side of the church building. This room with the basement provided more classrooms, an entryway and office room. The outside entryway to the basement was eliminated. The work was done by the men of the church. The Christian Builders class, under the direction of Donald Larson, paneled the interior. In 1956, the youth of the church organized into a group which they called Twelve and Teens.” They met for devotions and recreation under the leadership of minister Charles Gard. In the year 1957, Sugar Grove Church celebrated their centennial year. Rev. Alexander McEathron was to have been the speaker, but he passed away the Tuesday before, and Rev. Eldon Chitwood was asked to give the message. The Sugar Grove Leaf,” a newsletter, written twice monthly was begun in 1963 by minister Joe Adams. In 1970, minister Dan Lundgren made a redwood sign and placed it along Highway 14, inviting travelers and fellow Christians to the House of Worship. A well was drilled in 1972, and a pressure water system was installed. The kitchen was improved with new sinks and a hot water heater. Two restrooms were built in the northeast corner of the basement. In the fall of 1973, a basement was dug under the south addition and enclosed by Egge Brothers of Viola. The men of the church removed the front porch and put up framework to square off the building. Melvin McKittrick and George Williams donating their work as carpenters, made the framework into a beautiful foyer, covering the walls with paneling and ceiling with blocks and placing double safety doors at the front. With carpeting on the floor it provided a quiet and roomy entry in which to hang coats with doorways to enter either section of the sanctuary. The new basement addition was made into three private classrooms with a safety hall leading to the outside stairway. The building and basement meet all rules of the State Safety Code. The inside stairway on the south was built by Larson Construction Co. of Viroqua. The wall between the school and church was removed and a folding doorway was installed in 1974. The entire floor of the church was carpeted. In 1977, 80-year old Sheldon Glick was hired to paint the ceiling. After this was done, paneling was installed on the main part of the church with Donald Larson doing the carpenter work. Minister Ted Sieck applied the stain and varnish. In 1977, a new piano was purchased, and a new organ was bought in 1979. In 1978, George Williams surveyed the area and land for parking was deeded to the church by George and Ione Williams (George hired Curtis Crook to do the surveying). In 1979, the property on which the church building sits was resurveyed, and Iza Wanless and family provided space for a driveway around the church buildings. Kitchen cupboards, a sink, and refrigerator were donated by Robert Keller in memory of his wife. George and Ione Williams donated land in 1990 for a new parsonage. A new parsonage was erected the same summer. Submitted by Ione Williams. THERE ONCE WAS A TOWN AT KICKAPOO CENTER The history of Kickapoo Center really begins with a man named Samuel Estes. One day in 1850, he found himself floating down the Kickapoo River on a raft with a group of other men he had encountered at an encampment north of Ontario. He carried all he owned in a knapsack. He had until quite recently, been farming near Elkhorn, coming originally in 1846 from Massachusetts. A quarrel broke out on the raft between the trapper/adventurers, and Estes deemed it advisable to disembark in the general vicinity of Wilder Farm, north of todays Kickapoo Center cemetery. Estes built some sort of primitive habitation, not really describable as a cabin, and put his hunting and trapping skills to work, collecting pelts to be sold in Prairie du Chien. There was a herd of elk living along the banks of todays Elk Creek- a stream named by Estes. He was evidently alone in the Kickapoo Center area for as much as a year before other settlers came. He explored all the local Indian trails and was the first white to explore between Kickapoo Center and Ash Ridge. Ash Ridge was, at this early point in local history, a stopover on a major north/ south route called the Black River Road. Eventually, a horseback mail route would be set up from Orion, on the Wisconsin River to Richland City (Center), Ash Ridge, Kickapoo Center, Readstown, Brookville, Liberty Pole, to Viroqua. When people began coming into the private wilderness of Sam Estes, he journeyed to Prairie du Chien (the county seat of Crawford County, in these days before Vernon County was created) and registered some of the valley for himself. In 1854, after some preliminary scouting reports over the preceding couple of years, a major expedition of people with names like Cushman, Lawton, Gibbs, and Ostenbaugh arrived in Kickapoo Center. The first cabin had been built on the site in 1852, by James Foreman Jr. Now a real town took shape. In 1854, A.C. Cushman built a sawmill at the mouth of Elk Creek. He structured a dam, a mill race, and a two acre pond at the site. Soon after this, a second sawmill was build by Pete Neely farther up Elk Creek. Later still, Jesse Osborn erected a grist mill between the two sawmills. Also in 1854 Robert Wilson came from Pennsylvania and built a log cabin hostelry which became the post office and he became the first postmaster. Wilson was an ardent Democrat, naming his hotel the Jackson House, in honor of Andrew Jackson. He was also a deacon of the Baptist church, which managed in 1880, to build a church on Kickapoo Street, the hamlets main east/west artery. At the far east end of Kickapoo Street, in 1857, Knox and St. John opened a store in a log building. In time, this log building was converted into a two-story structure with a basement and residential lean-to at the west end. There may have been offices in the upper floors, taken up by such firms as Andrews and Smith real estate. This entire structure would be dismantled about 1906 and would be used to construct buildings on a farm along Moore Road on a nearby ridge. This store building was south Kickapoo Street, at the west end of a bridge. A buckeye tree was planted at the northeast comer of the store by an owner named Hopkins in the 1890s. The road and bridge were just north of this tree, which still stands, overlooking the deep depression near the riverbank, which was once the stonewalled basement of the store. The 1884 History of Vernon County makes an interesting reference to the little collection of houses known as Kickapoo,” locating it in section 35, town 12, range 3 west- at which spot today is virtually nothing. In addition to the Kickapoo Center cemetery, the Barrie cemetery was also located near the village. In 1853, David Barrie left Scotland, and in January 1854 he began farming at the site of todays Bruce Hanson farm. He built the present house in 1877. He married Mary Guist, daughter of Isaiah Guist of Manning. His granddaughter, Myrtle Barrie, married Russell Kanable and they lived there for many years. Kickapoo Center endured into the rail age. Although a formal railroad station was never constructed, a rail siding and platform was erected in the 1890s on the bottom land south of the present ________ house. Local farmers and woodsmen would deliver wood to this spot for loading into a freight car, which would periodically haul this product to markets far distant. The railroad was discontinued in the late 1930s. Kickapoo Center had a brief moment of glamour in the years between the two World Wars. From the 1920s until the 1940s, a nightclub called Inland Park was located where the Cushman sawmill once stood, on land not far from where Elk Creek meets the Kickapoo River. This was a large, well-known, eating, dancing, and amusement place initially built and operated by Lemuel (Putch) Rabbitt. He operated the establishment from 1924 to 1934, when it was sold to . It operated for eleven more years, finally being destroyed by fire. It is reported that during the ownership of the Schroeders, some of the most well-known orchestras in the country played at dances. In the middle 1960s a new bridge over the Kickapoo was built at Kickapoo Center. This replaced an early 20th century steel truss bridge which once stood at the end of Kickapoo Centers main street, and the former Main Street has returned to nature. Pilings along the Kickapoo River, just north of the path of the former highway remain in testimony of the valiant efforts made to protect the highway from the continual threat of the rivers floods. Kickapoo Center is now little more than a concept. Most traces of the more than 100 years of civilization that existed in this floodplain have been hauled away or buried under years of river silt. Submitted by John H. Sime, thanks to Bill Brown, Joe Childs, Carol and Julius Hanson, Ron Phillips and Epitaph-News. Town of KickapooP.O. Box 1Readstown, WI 54652Phone: 608-629-5848 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 608-629-5848
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 04:03:55 +0000
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