Levis Township
~~Schools~~
Clark County, Wisconsin
Schools of Levis Township, Clark Co., WI
CARLYLE School Levis school district #1 was located in sec. 1 (1914 & 1915 maps = Remus land, Buddenhagen land in 1930) served both Levis and Washburn townships: Carlyle School closed in 1941, sold and moved about 1959, highway 73 runs through the site now. (Prior to the Carlyle school in sec 1 there was a school in sec 2 on the Geo. Adams land per 1880 map, it is not shown on 1893 map)
Teachers: Gladys Neff Sept-Nov 1904; Ethel Carter Kuhn 1909; Lillian Ehlers 1927-32; Eleanor Kissling 1933-34; Eleanor Kuechenmeister 1934-35; Gertrude Bartz 1935-38; Marvelene Duge 1938-39; Elaine Pietenpol 1939-40; Gertrude S. Reams 1953-54; Mrs. Dale West 1953-1956; Mrs. Doug Hantke, V. Warek, P. Opelt, L. Schultz 1956-1957; Mrs. Gary Northrup, V. Warek, P. Opelt, D. Kalina; Mrs. Gary Northup, V. Warek, P. Opelt, D. Kalina 1957-1958; Mrs. Florence Connors, V. Warek, P. Opelt, D. Kalina 1958-1959; Mrs. Art Kevars, V. Warek, P. Opelt, D. Kalina 1959-1960; Mrs. J. Richmond, V. Warek, P. Opelt, D. Kalina 1960-196.
Students: 1904 about 15 students including Charles Neff; Theron & Ruth Crockett; Hattie & Clara Wilke. 1909 about 21 students including Theron, Avis, Clifford, Ruth & Ella Crockett; Mable, Oscar & Walter Keller; Mary, Josephine & George Vasko; Dorothy, Bennie, Henry & Ethel Dahnert; Otto & Helmuth Schultz; Orin Hanks; Adolph Ziegler; Arnold, Clara & Hattie Wilke; Emily Frie. 1953-54 about 20 students including Malcom Jahr; June, Gilbert, Bruce & Edgar Crockett; Bonnie Kaczor; Irene & Walter Wucki; David, Marilyn & Kenneth Meier; Sharon Anderson; Shirley Havlicek; Janice & Kenneth Lindow; Carol Horehled; George Ulrich; Patricia Poelzel; Celieta Jacobs.
DELLS DAM Levis school district #2 located in sec. 18, served both Levis and Dewhurst townships: (not on 1880 map, 1893 map = RRI land, Schultz land in 1914 and 1930) June 1868: “The people of school district #2 are proud of their new school house built by Orson Cornwell. Miss Mary Wood started teaching there last Monday.” August 1889 newspaper: “F. Rundle completed the stone foundation under Dells Dam school.” Prior to 1889 there was another school for district #2 located on the west side of Black River in sec 18, Edith Fessenden (1871/1955) and John Johnson (1870/1953) who married on Nov 20, 1892, attended school together there, walked across the frozen river in the winter. Dells Dam School closed in May 1961 and the students were then bussed to the new Pine View school located in Levis sec 9.
Teachers: Mary Wood 1868; Elizabeth Quinnell & Mrs. Donald Crothers 1912; Emma Ruege 1915; Gladys Selves 1927-28; Orvilla Selves 1929-32; Marion Huntley 1933-35; Ethel Walker 1935-36; Minerva Davis 1936-38; Minerva Viergutz 1938-39; Angeline Perushek 1939-46; Marjorie Pietenpol Trewartha 1946-47; Mrs. Myra Kuehling 1947-51; Mrs. Bethel Webster 1951-52; Mrs. Ellen Palmer 1952-53; Mrs. Bernice Swartling 1953-58; Virginia Gunia 1958-59; Mrs. Bernice Swartling 1959-60; Mrs. Joan Staffon 1960-61.
Students: 1912 about 22 students including Arthur, Helen, Minnie & Rudolph Ehlers; Richard Walters; Harry Swallow; Clyde & Vivian Horton; Ralph & Wilbur True; Robert, Rose, Mildred & Ethel Anderson; Lewis, Bernice & Leroy Schilling; Roy Westlund; Clara Nelson; Ferol Leopold. 1915 about 22 students including Martha, Albert, Harold & Mabel Waller; Lucy Davis; Gretchen, Clyde & Vivian Horton; Ethel, Robert & Esther Anderson; Hazel Schultz; George Rundall; Rose Nelson; Bernice & Lewis Schilling; Ferol Leopold; Helen , Rudy, Arthur & Minnie Ehlers; Harold True.
MEADOW VIEW Levis school district #4 was located in sec. 14. (Jasensky land in 1906, Petera land in 1914, Strupp land, Richmond land in 1930.) (Previously called “Lincoln” when it was a log schoolhouse, not on 1880 map, sec 11 per 1893 map, Ry. Co. land. Meadow View was built in November 1900. Republican Press news articles: Oct. 11, 1900 “John Carter was down Sunday looking over the place where he is going to build a school house for school dist #4 town of Levis.” Oct. 25, 1900: “C. Robinson is laying the stone wall for the new school house.” Nov. 22, 1900 “John Carter came back Wed to his work on the school house after a week’s absence.” Nov. 29, 1900: “John Carter has completed the new school house in dist #4 town of Levis. Miss Mary Mason closed a successful term of school Friday. Miss Mary Mason will teach the winter term beginning Dec 17.” Dec 20, 1900: “Mary Mason has begun teaching at the new school house in Levis.” Jan 10, 1901: “R. Satterlee has been delivering wood at the new school house the past week.” May 30, 1901: “The old school site that belonged to district #4 was sold Saturday to R.W. Canfield.”) Meadow View closed in May 1961, sold to Herbert and Eleanor Schoenherr for $777.00 in Jan. 1962. Students were bussed to the new Pine View school starting with the 1961-62 school year.
Teachers: Arthur McCray 1895-96; Musa West & Mary Mason 1900-01; Ruth Withers 1901-02; Clara Henderson & Celia Tyler 1902-03; Mable Tyler 1903-04; Helen Holmes 1904-05; Mabel Tyler 1905-06; Lola Neff 1906-07; Mabel Tyler 1907-09; Effie Alt 1909-13; Effie Rowe 1913-15; Lulu Richmond 1915-16; Lulu Kleinschmidt 1916-17; Berdine Redmond Kuhn 1917-18; Clara Wilke 1918-19; Ina Johnson 1919-20; Katherine Bunkleman 1920-21; Percy Hallock 1921-23; Adelaide Nason 1923-24; Emma Boson 1924-28; Marjory Morgan 1928-30; Lovella Dietrich Bolster 1930-31; Marjory Morgan 1931-34; LeNore Bartz 1934-37; Ethyl Walker 1937-40; Ethyl Vandeberg 1940-42; Marie Short 1942-44; Emma Furlong Hoepner 1944-46; Esther Ferguson 1946-49; Mrs. Dale (Genevieve Thurber) West 1949-56; Mrs. Doug Hantke 1956-57; Mrs. Gary Northup 1957-58; Mrs. Florence Connors 1958-59; Mrs. Art Meyers 1959-60; Mrs. J. Richmond 1960-61.
Enrollment: 1901-02 = 60; 1902-03 = 56; 1903-04 = 48; 1904-05 = 45; 1905-06 = 43; 1906-07 = 38; 1907-08 = 63; 1908-09 = 69; 1910-11 = 29; 1911-13 = 32; 1913-14 = 30; 1914-15 = 42; 1915-16 = 44; 1922-23 = 50; 1923-24 = 41; 1940-41 = 18; 1943-44 = 26; 1949-50 = 37; 1952-53 = 41; 1953-54 = 41; 1955-56 = 31; 1960-61 = 25.
Students: 1896 = about 31 students including Albert, Adolph, Robert & Lena Meier; Max Lipke. 1923 students include Anna, Frank, Louis, Lillian, Rose, Ladd, Charles & James Matousek; Harold King; Lillian, Joe & Lotti Ignatz; George & Ervin Holub; Viva, Hilda, Hugh & David Phillips; Viola & Frieda Rath; Ella, Emma, Blanche & Bessie Adamec; Anna & Louis Tichy; Roland Johnson; Mary, Rose, Charles & Sadie Cernik; Helen & Marie Krumpeck; Else & Willie Genteman; Dora & Irene Pettera; Joe Struensee; Gladys & John Sebesta; Sophie, Stella & Peter Zemba; John & Helen Stankiewicz; Lillian Kaddatz; Marvin Lueck; Harold Meier; Ladd Shramek.
RIVERSIDE Levis school district 1 was located in sec. 4: (not on 1880 map, 1893 map = B.F. French land, R. Lynch land per 1914 and 1930 maps) The original Riverside school was red brick, later replaced by a wood frame building after 1920, probably about 1936. A school board meeting was held on July 3, 1916 during which it was voted to build a cement floored 16’ x 20’ x 8’wood shed. On Sept. 21, 1935 the school board formally took 1 acre for the Riverside school grounds out of a 41-acre homestead belonging to the Lynch family. Riverside school closed in May 1961 and the students were then bused to the new Pine View school starting with the 1961-62 school year. (Riverside school was sold to Town of Levis for $1,000 in Jan. 1962, to be used as the new town hall.)
Teachers: Hannah Turville 1916-17; Marvel Johnson 1920-21; Leda Filitz 1927-30; Mrs. Otto Liskow 1931-32; Mrs. Lillian Meyer 1933-34; Ione Schwellenbach 1934-36; Mildred Bartz 1936-38; Pauline Medicke 1938-39; Mr. Donald Ingham 1939-41; Margaret Beeckler 1941-42; Esther Ferguson 1943-47; Mrs. Sylvia Kurth 1948-52; Mrs. Ellen Galster Palmer 1952-55; Paul Pettis 1955-56; Mrs. Marion Ray 1956-58; Velda Levanduski 1958-59; Mrs. Nina Walters 1959-61.
Students: 1916-17 about 13 students including Herbet Nickles; Henry Cummings; Ruth, Ramona & Ben Short; Mable & Faye Broihier; Martha & Leda Filitz; Ruth Lichner; Maurice & Agnes Dahl; Oliver Williams. 1920 about 12 students including Merton & Walter Lynch; Ernest & Alfred Dahl; Leda Filitz; Jessie Bryan; Ruth & Mildred Lichner; Fay & Leona Broihier; Beverly & Brooks Karl; Vera & Loal Shumway. 1946-47 about 22 students including Kathleen, Wayne, George, Dean & John Bryan; Evelyn, Lloyd, Jennie, Dale, Dorothy & Floyd Opelt; Arlene Kopp; Leo, Edna & Edith Lindner; Ronald & Darrel Embke; Robert & Beverly Matousek; James Filitz; Edris Wendt.
ROCK CREEK Levis school district # 7 was located in sec. 26: (not on 1880 or 1893 map, Newbecker land in 1914-30) Rock Creek School closed in 1941.
Teachers: Lillie Just 1917; Edna Thess 1927-28; Mrs. Myrl Liskow 1929-30; Iola Gemmeke 1931-32; Florence Laks 1933-36; Elsie Zank 1936-38; Mrs. Caroline Bohac 1938-1940.
Students: 1912-13 about 18 students including Caroline, Frank, Henry, John & Katherine Sonheim; Rose, Martha & Bill Smith; Viola, Gertrude, Isabelle & Paul Wesoloski; Bill Cotroba; Catherine & Charles Schoen; Frank & Tom Kolar. 1917 about 13 students including Bill, John & Andy Kurasz; Harold Sindelar; Henry & William Genteman; Philip, Catherine & Carrie Sonheim; Rula, Henry & John Schoen; Jean Wesley;
PINE VIEW served both the Levis and Dewhurst township school districts as district 4 of the city of Neillsville . It was located in Levis sec 9. (1960 map = Fred Subke land; 1976 map = Ed & Marian Genteman land) Pine View school was built on a five-acre plot purchased for $650 from Mr. & Mrs. Fred Subke and Mr. & Mrs. John Subke, about 7 ½ miles south of Neillsville on the north side of highway 95. The 100’ x 56’ one story structure cost about $43,000 and consisted of four classrooms, toilet facilities, kitchen, principal’s office, teachers’ room and storage room. It had thermostatically controlled forced air heat. Pine View opened for the 1961-62 school term and operated until about mid-1970, it was sold in 1976.
Sources: Sharon Short, Eleanor Ruth Gentemann Schoenherr’s “125 Years of Progress 1856-1981” book about Levis Township, Clark County, WI & Dee Zimmerman.
History
In 1961-62, the Carlyle students were bussed to the new Pine View School and the three old schools were sold to the highest bidders.
Meadow View was sold to Herbert and Eleanor Schoenherr for $777.00 in January of 1962.
Riverside School became the new town hall for the township of Levis with the high bid of a thousand dollars.
IN 1976, the Pine View School was sold, culminating the rural school era for that area.
Information contributed by Dee Zimmerman.
Additional Information