Early Schools, Part I

In 1863, a school house was built on the corner of 4th and Matilda Street. The next year, after the Matilda Street schoolhouse was built, it was found that more room was needed and a lot was bought on Nancy Street off the 3rd Street intersection. On April 1, 1864 Jonas McCallister was hired to build a one story, two room, wood framed school house. This building had poplar siding nailed vertically and continued to be used for 25 years and torn down in 1889.

The school on Matilda Street was used until 1876 when a brick building was constructed beside the wood frame school on Nancy Street.

After the brick building was built, higher learning was taught and the school assumed the quality of a high school. For several years Dr. Daniel Palmer had urged that there should be instruction in higher learning and was largely instrumental in calling a public meeting at which the matter was discussed by patrons of the school.

In 1988, the Warren School passed out of the hands of the township trustee to town management. The members of the school board were appointed by the town council and served three years, one going out each year. This board built a new two story, six room brick schoolhouse, where the one story wood frame house stood. About eight years later an addition was added towards the east and it contained two more rooms. It served that way until 1907.

That year a modern high school building was erected to the south of the older structure on the corner.

In 1922, mounting cost and the desire for a consolidated township school led to the abandonment of the town school board and the schools were turned back to the township trustee. Samuel Thomspon, the township Trustee, took over the ground and bought some more. In all he had over three acres. The contract was let on March 30, 1925 to construct the building, now known as the Knight Bergman Center, to operate as the township high school.

The total cost of the project was $155,746.00. The township school operated until 1966 when the county consolidated into one school.

More about the building known as the Knight Bergman Center in the next article.