One-Room, Country, & Historic Schools of Marion County

Marion County, termed “a howling wilderness” in 1865, had three schoolhouses in 1871.

Dr. J. N. Rogers of Marion, Kansas, presided over the first school taught in Marion County. The building, which was situated opposite what is known as William Brumbaugh Place, had been erected especially for school purposes. Students came from the surrounding counties, and some even from Texas. The enrollment reached 36. All this was in the winter of 1865-66, before the organization of any school district within the county’s boundaries.

School district No. 1, which comprised the city of Marion and adjacent territory, embraced the whole county at once, an area of more than 1,000 square miles. In quick succession, there followed the organization of District No. 2, known as the Antelope district; then Districts 3 and 4, the former a few miles east of Florence and the latter at Florence, divided the honors with Marion and vicinity and obtained their due proportion of the school funds. For a long time, the districts in the county’s eastern, southern, and extreme southwestern portions derived revenue from the unoccupied western and northern portions. However, except for the Scully tract of land, in the northwestern part, the county is divided into school districts of convenient size.

The first schoolhouse, a substantial stone structure of four study rooms and four recitation rooms, was erected on a commanding site overlooking Marion in 1873. The first principal of the schools was Thomas M. Potter, who, for two years, strove to advance the educational interests of the city. He laid well the foundation and, refusing re-election to the principalship, retired to a farm. He was followed by T. A. Bogle, who looked after the development of the schools with fidelity for five years. Afterward, Mr. Bogle served as county superintendent of public instruction for two years and four more years as county attorney. At the close of his service, William Bogle, his brother, was superintendent for one year. Afterward, he studied medicine and became a leading physician in Atchison, Kansas. G.A. Boyle succeeded Doctor Bogle in a term of one year and afterward returned to teaching. Then came E.M. Donaldson, who for two years labored industriously and unceasingly to promote school interests in the city and county. During his principalship, a fine four-story stone structure was erected in the valley to accommodate many children living at a distance from the hill. These two buildings, with a one-room building, also of stone, one mile west of the corporation limits, furnished sufficient school facilities until 1889, when the original house was remodeled and enlarged into the new high school building.

The first person to fill the office of school superintendent in Marion County was Levi Billings, a well-known and enterprising citizen. He served one term and was followed by W. S. Moulton, who looked after the county’s school interests for another two years. Then came Dr. J.N. Rogers, who held the position for four years. Next, J. F. Rockafield, deputy superintendent under Doctor Rogers, succeeded to the position he held for one term. Following him came the first and only lady superintendent the county has ever had, Mrs. J.M. Sharon, who formed many new districts during her four years of office. David Harrison, one term; John Madden, one term; and W. B. Zercher, three terms.

In 1882, Marion County had 80 schools, of which there was one joint district with Chase County, one with Dickinson County, and one with Harvey County. At that time, it had four teachers in grade one, 62 in grade two, and 35 in grade three. The number of children of school age was 4,359; the number of male teachers was 42; female, 54; the average age of teachers was 22. The average monthly pay of male teachers was $36.73; for females, $32.43. The bonded indebtedness for schoolhouses was about $35,000. Hillsboro employed two teachers: Florence and Peabody, four each; Marion Center, five; the other districts, one each. There were 97 rooms used for school purposes.

In 1886 and 1887, the total enrollment was 732. Succeeding him came D.W. DeLay, a veteran in this field of labor, who, for four years, carefully watched and promoted the educational interests of the city.

By the early 1890s, there were 120 organized school districts, and 126 school buildings were located in these districts; 153 rooms were needed to accommodate the school children, and in these rooms, 153 teachers looked after the educational interests of the coming men and women of Marion County. The total school population was 7,758, 5,910 of whom were enrolled in the different schools between October 1, 1891, and October 1, 1892. Of this number, 3,152 were males and 2,758 were females. The average daily attendance during the same period was 3,885.

Every district in the county sustained the legal four-month term of school, and the average length of the school term was nearly six and a half months. The amount of money raised for school purposes from July 1, 1891, to July 1, 1892, reached the sum of $80,848.07; the amount expended during the same period was $68,225.28, leaving on hand a balance of $12,622.79, with which to begin a new year. With school property having a valuation of $160,000 and a bonded indebtedness of only one-fourth of that amount, that indebtedness rapidly diminished.

The wages paid to Marion County teachers were higher than in the majority of counties in Kansas. The average monthly salary of male teachers was nearly $52; that of female teachers was nearly $40. Outside of the city schools, where male teachers, acting in the capacity of superintendents or principals, received comparatively large salaries, sex cut little, if any, figure in the wages paid in the same grade of work.

The city schools of Marion County in the early 1890s were in Marion, Peabody, Florence, and Hillsboro. Lehigh, Burns, Lincolnville, Lost Springs, Tampa, Durham, Ramona, Aulne, and Canada were other village schools. Marion and Peabody were the largest schools in the county. Both had high-school departments that thoroughly prepared students for the three State educational institutions – the University of Kansas at Lawrence, the State Agricultural College at Manhattan, and the State Normal School in Emporia.

The schools were under special jurisdiction and supervision, consisting of a board of education of ten members and a city superintendent.

This review of the schools would not be complete without a tribute to the wide-awake, progressive spirit shown by the teachers of this county in the formation of the Marion County Teachers’ Association, which met quarterly during the year at Marion, Peabody, Florence, and Hillsboro, in rotation.

After July 1969, the office of County Superintendent ceased operating. Legislation regarding the school unification program called for the extinction of this office. The administrative work was moved to the state office at Topeka, Kansas, which, in turn, supervises the county schools through the superintendents of the five districts.

Marion County has five school districts today, including:

• Centre USD 397 – Headquartered in a rural area between Lost Springs and Lincolnville, the district includes the communities of Lincolnville, Lost Springs, Pilsen, Tampa, Ramona, Antelope, Burdick, and nearby rural areas of Marion, Morris, Dickinson, and Chase Counties. Centre was one of the first significant consolidations of rural high schools in Kansas that was successful. It had students from approximately 256 square miles in four counties bussed to school.
• Goessel USD 411 – Headquartered in Goessel, Kansas, the district includes the community of Goessel and nearby rural areas of Marion, McPherson, and Harvey Counties. All schools are in Goessel.
• Hillsboro USD 410 –  Also known as Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh USD 410, it is headquartered in Hillsboro, Kansas. The district includes the communities of Hillsboro, Lehigh, Durham, and nearby rural areas of Marion County. All schools are located in Hillsboro.
• Marion-Florence USD 408 – Headquartered in Marion, the district includes the communities of Marion, Florence, Aulne, Canada, Eastshore, Marion County Lake, and nearby rural areas of Marion County. All grades are located in Marion.
• Peabody-Burns USD 398 – Headquartered in Peabody, the district includes the communities of Peabody, Burns, Wonsevu, and nearby rural areas of Marion, Chase, Harvey, and Butler Counties. All schools are located in Peabody.

Historic Schools in Marion County

Name	District	Years of Operation	Location & Information
Arnold	4	1910-1947	Arnold School Arnold School was built in 1910 and named for Mrs. M.C. Arnold, who taught in the area for 38 years. The building was a school until 1947, after which a local veterans group used it. The veterans donated the school to the Florence Historical Society. Linda and Doug Eschelman purchased the building in 1993 and rehabilitated it as a bed and breakfast known as Stone Haven. It is located at 111 W. Sixth Street in Florence, Kansas.
Bethel	8	1885-1937	Bethel School This school is a one-story, gable-roofed, native limestone structure. A woodshed or coal shed and an outbuilding were constructed in the 1930s. A storm cellar with a concrete top is located west of the building. Bethel School’s interior is comprised of two bays. The entry bay contains the coatroom and is separated from the classroom by a partition wall. Students of all ages attended Bethel School until the early 1900s, when compulsory education laws restricted attendance to grades 1 through 8. The length of the Bethel School year fluctuated in the 19th and early 20th centuries, averaging about six months a year. The school year rose to seven months in the 1930s, and in 1948, an eight-month school year was adopted. Bethel School served the families of School District Number 8 as a center for education, public meetings, and social events. Bethel School is located five and a half miles east of Lincolnville,
Bichet	34	1896-1946	Bichet School Bichet was a French settlement located about four miles east of Florence. When the community’s first school, erected in about 1878, burned down in 1896, a new school made of limestone was built the same year. Listed in the National Historic Register, it continues to stand today. It is five miles east of Florence on U.S. Highway 50 just north on Bluestem Road.
Brown-Corby		1930-1992	Brown-Corby School Built in 1929, this school was built on the site of the old Valley School. An excellent example of Late Gothic Revival architecture, it was designed by Wichita-based architect Samuel S. Voigt. The building has red brick walls with ashlar limestone detailing, projecting bays, buttresses, and stone surrounds. It retains the original wood and steel windows, which is unusual for a public school building of this age. The building was the town’s grade school for 62 years, closing in 1992. It was named in honor of Anna Bown and Jenny Corby, two long-time teachers in the Marion school district. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The building now serves as apartments. It is located at 412 N 2nd Street in Marion, Kansas.
Bruderthal	70	1878-1956	Bruderthal School, 1930. It is located in Hillsboro. In 1909, Elizabeth Ewert was the teacher. The old Bruderthal School today. It is now a residence at 224 N. Main.
Burns Union School	65	1905-??	Burns Union  School The two-and-a-half-story Romanesque Revival red brick building was completed in time for the opening of the school in the fall of 1905. The total cost of the structure with its furnishings was $9,000. Located on Main Street in Burns, Kansas, it now serves as the Burns Historical Museum. There is a playground behind the school. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1975.
Canada	60	1873-??	Canada School Located near Canada, this building still stands today on private property.
Dobbs	6	1873-1951	Dobbs School Dobbs was originally four miles northwest of Marion. The school was donated as a gift to Emporia State University in 1969 to serve as a museum and memorial to pioneer Kansas education. Dobbs School To move the structure, the school was completely dismantled and restored stone by stone at its new location. It is located in Lyon County at 12 West 18th Avenue in Emporia, Kansas.
Ebenfeld	20	1926-1960	Ebenfield School This one-story red Craftsman/Bungalow-style brick school is six miles southeast of Hillsboro at 1497 Kanza Road.
Hill		1873-??	Hill School Construction of the magnesium limestone schoolhouse was started in 1873 and opened to students in 1874. The Cost of construction was $15,000. A 500-pound bell hung in the belfry. When the school opened, grade school students had the first floor and the auditorium, and older students had the second floor. The Hill School building is the oldest in Kansas and is in continuous educational use. It was built in 1873 of native stone. It is listed on the National Historic Register. It is located at 601 E. Main.
Kreutziger	97	1886-1960	Kreutziger School The original school was located in the small community of Kreutziger, located about five miles north of Canada, Kansas. The school now serves as a museum in Hillsboro, Kansas, at 5th and Ash Streets.
Pilsen	115	1889-??	Pilsen Grade School The old Grade School in Pilsen, Kansas.
Union	4	1905-1965	Union School The Burns Union School in extreme southeast Marion County was Kansas’s first consolidated grade and high school. In April 1904, four districts in Marion, Butler, and Chase counties voted to consolidate. Classes began in September 1904 in the old Burns grade school and the former post office building. Students were transported from a 43 square mile area to Burns via three special-order “buses.” This was reportedly the first use of school buses in Kansas. The new one was completed in time for the opening of the school in the fall of 1905. The total cost of the structure with its furnishings was $9,000. The Burns Union School was the only district schoolhouse until 1921, when a new high school building was completed. The original building was still used for classes until a further unification of school districts in 1965 terminated its use. At that time, the old school building was given to the Burns Community Historical Society as a museum. The Burns Union School Building is a two-story Renaissance-style structure with a full basement and an attic. A playground is behind the school. It is located at the southwest corner of Main and Ohio in Burns, Kansas.

Marion County Historic School Districts

Name	District	Dates	Location
Marion	1	1865-active	Marion
Antelope	2	1873-1959	It was four miles south of Lincolnville.
Florence	3	1873-1919	It was near Florence.
Florence	4	1873-closed	Florence.
Wren	5	1873-1952	It was five miles northwest of Marion.
Dobbs	6	1873-1951	It was four miles northwest of Marion.
Lincolnville	7	1873-(closed)	Lincolnville is now District #397.
Bethel	8	1875-closed	Near Lincolnville.
Phillips	9	1873-1949	Phillips School joined with Grape #54, and the new school was called Loveless. It was ten miles northeast of Marion.
Brown	10	1873-1951	It was four miles southeast of Marion.
Gnadenau	11	1874-1956	Gnadenau School, 1915. It was two and a half miles southeast of Hillsboro. Risley school was there first, in 1873. It combined with Gnadenau.
Peabody	12	1871-active	Peabody
Aulne	13	1873-1967	Aulne
Sunflower	14	1873-1951	It was four miles southwest of Marion.
Cresswell	15	1873-1960	Cresswell School It was five miles south of Hillsboro.
Dickinson	16	1873-1960	It was four miles south of Marion.
Williams	17	1873-closed	It was three miles west of Aulne.
Finch	18	1873-1960	It was five miles southeast of Hillsboro.
Thorp	19	1873-1946	It was two miles south of Aulne.
Ebenfeld	20	1873-1960	Ebenfeld School, 1890. It was six miles southeast of Hillsboro.
Pleasant View	21	1875-1960	Pleasant View School It was four and a half miles northeast of Marion.
Pleasant Hills	22	1879-1951	It was five and a half miles north of Florence.
Mitchell	23	1874-1908	It was near Florence.
Unknown	24		It was near Burns.
Bellview	25	1875-1946	It was three and a half miles southwest of Peabody.
Ridge	26	1875-1960	It was nine and a half miles southeast of Hillsboro.
Pleasant Valley	27	1875-1950	It was six miles east of Goessel.
Warham	28	1874-1960	It was ten miles southeast of Goessel.
Bond	29	1874-1946	Bond School It was in East Branch Township, four miles northeast of Peabody.
Emmenthal	30	1873-1950	It was four miles south of Goessel.
Goessel	31	1875-active	Goessel was later District #130.
Green Valley	32	1878-closed	It was three miles east of Goessel
Sand Creek	33	1873-closed	It was five miles southeast of Goessel.
Bichet	34	1878-1946	It was four and a half miles east of Florence.
French Creek	35	1878-closed	It was three miles north of Hillsboro. It consolidated with District 129.
Hochfeld	36	1878-1950	It was three miles north of Goessel.
Pleasant Hill	37	1873-1946	It was two and a half miles northeast of Peabody.
Clark	38	1873-1953	Clark School It was located three and a quarter miles southwest of Pilsen.
Bixler	39	1873-1953	Bixler School, 1907. This school was three and a half miles northwest of Marion.
Weaver	40	1873-1947	It was five miles northwest of Peabody.
Morning Star	41	1873-1961	It was three and a half miles southwest of Marion.
Prairie Center	42	1873-1946	It was three and a half miles southeast of Peabody.
East Creek	43	1875-1946	East Creek School It was three and a half miles southeast of Lincolnville. It was three and a half miles southeast of Lincolnville.
Milton	44	1873-1946	It was four miles northwest of Burns.
Williams	45	1875-1915	It was two miles north of Florence (Sears).
Porter	46	1873-1946	It was three miles southeast of Peabody.
Belton	47	1878-1953	It was four miles southeast of Tampa.
Schlehuber	48	1873-1954	It was four miles west of Hillsboro.
Lost Springs	49	1880-present	Lost Springs
Crites	50	1873-1946	It was five miles northwest of Burns.
Summit	51	1873-closed	Summit School It was seven miles southeast of Peabody.
Cross	52	1873-1946	It was two miles west of Lincolnville.
Antioch	53	1880-closed	It was three and a half miles northeast of Goessel.
Grape	54	1873-1949	Grape School joined with Phillips #94, and the new school was called Loveless. It was ten miles northeast of Marion.
New Hope	55	1875-1956	It was two miles northwest of Aulne.
Fifty-Six	56	1873-1958	It was eight miles east of Marion.
Durham	57	1875-closed	Durham combined with District 410.
Nusbaum	58	1875-1946	It was three miles north of Peabody.
Biscuit Knob	59	1878-1946	Biscuit Knob School Also called Biscuit Hill, it was four miles east of Peabody.
Canada	60	1873-closed	Canada School It was one mile north of Canada.
Youngtown	61	1875-closed	It was five miles northeast of Marion.
Beauty of the West	62	1874-1946	It was one and a half miles southeast of Pilsen.
Garner	63	1883-1947	It was two and a half miles west of Tampa.
Fairplay	64	1873-1946	Fairplay School It was six miles northeast of Peabody.
Burns	65	1884-present	Burns School in the 1880s. Burns is now in District 398.
College Hill	66	1878-1950	College Hill School It was It was four miles northwest of Tampa.
Endeavor	67	1884-1953	It was three miles northwest of Durham.
Ashcraft	68	1884-1953	It was three miles northwest of Durham.
Rose Hill	69	1884-1950	It was one and a half miles northeast of Lehigh.
Bruderthal	70	1878-1956	It was four miles northeast of Hillsboro.
Bruno Creek	71	1878-1946	It was four and a half miles northeast of Florence.
Steinbach	72	1878-closed	It was four miles southwest of Hillsboro.
Sunrise (“Hardscrabble”)	73	1878-1946	Also called Hardscrabble, it was four and a half miles northeast of Florence.
Santa Fe	74	1875-1940
Hope Valley (Hoffmungethal)	75	1877-1960	Hope Valley School Located in the Mennonite village of Hoffnungsthal, it was two miles south of Hillsboro.
Oliver	76	1879-1946	It was five miles west of Lincolnville.
Round Top	77	1880-1946	It was four miles southeast of Florence.
Light House	78	1879-1951	It was northeast of Hillsboro.
Lehigh	79	1888-closed	Lehigh, combined with District 410.
Springfield	80	1880-1953	It was five miles north of Goessel.
Heimbaugh	81	1878-1957	It was five miles southeast of Goessel.
Hillsboro	82	1880-active	Hillsboro, District 410.
Elm Spring	83	1882-1953	It was seven miles northwest of Durham.
Pleasant Valley	84	1883-1950	It was five miles northwest of Durham.
Highland	85	1883-1954	It was five and a half miles east of Tampa.
Shank	86	1883-1946	Shank School It was two miles southeast of Peabody.
Warren	87	1883-1958	It was three miles southeast of Durham.
Silberfeld	88	1883-1956	Silberfeld School It was five and a half miles northwest of Hillsboro.
Bell	89	1884-1953	It was six miles northwest of Tampa.
Ramona	90	1884-1967	Ramona School, 1909. Ramona, now District 397, Centre.
Comet	91	1884-1958	It was two and a half miles southeast of Tampa.
Unruh	92	1884-1956	It was five miles north of Hillsboro.
Pleasant Hill	93	1884-1947	It was two and a half miles southeast of Tampa.
Square Top	94	1885-1956	It was six miles northwest of Durham.
Sunnyside	95	1895-1950	It was two miles southeast of Ramona.
Bartholdi	96	1886-closed	It was four miles north of Tampa.
Kreutziger	97	1886-1960	It was five miles north of Canada.
Smith	98	1887-1946	It was two miles north of Pilsen.
Greenfield	99	1887-1957	It was two miles southeast of Goessel.
Maple Hill	100	1887-1953	It was two and a half miles southwest of Lehigh.
Heath	101	-1946	It was four miles south of Peabody.
Waldeck	102 & 103	1888-1958	It was three miles northeast of Leigh.
Kleinhamer	104	1888-1950	Kleinhamer School Kleinhamer School was moved to Sec 10-19-4 in 1950. It originally stood five and a half miles southeast of Lincolnville.
Center	105	1888-1960	It was five miles northwest of Peabody.
Spring Valley	106	1889-1940	It was three and a half miles south of Florence.
Unknown	107	1888-1906	It was near Burns. It consolidated with Burns in 1906, the first consolidation of two districts in Kansas.
Quarry	108	1888-1951	It was four and a half miles northeast of Marion.
Southview	109	1900-1946	It was four miles southeast of Peabody.
Tampa	110	1889-1969	Tampa is now part of Centre 397.
Townsend	111	1889-1946	It was three miles northeast of Peabody.
Hutchins	112	1900-1955	It was six miles west of Lincolnville.
Folsom	113	1889-1947	It was three miles northwest of Florence.
Red Top	114	1889-1947	It was three miles northwest of Florence.
Pilsen	115	1889-closed	Pilsen is now part of Centre 397.
Hartke	116	1889-1947	It was two miles north of Lincolnville.
Symes	117	1891-1941	It was six miles southeast of Lincolnville.
Columbia	118	1893-1953	It was nine miles west of Tampa.
Geis	119	??-1947	It was four miles west of Durham.
Merry-Go-Round	120	1893-1954	It was four miles east of Durham or three miles south of Tampa.
Doles Park	121	1900-1936
Lincoln	122	1894-1924	It was two miles south of Ramona.
Good Hope	123	1900-1948	It was two miles northeast of Goessel.
Plain View	124	1900-1952	It was three miles northwest of Lehigh.
Victory	125	1887-1957	It was five miles southeast of Durham.
Prairie View	126	closed
Grand Central	127	closed	It was in northwestern Marion County.
Countryside	128	closed	Countryside
Suncrest	129	closed	It was three and a half miles north of Hillsboro.
Goessel,	130	Consolidated	Goessel

Tabor College

Tabor College is a private Mennonite college in Hillsboro, Kansas. It is owned and operated by the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and adheres to Anabaptist doctrine.

Tabor’s doors opened in 1908 with 39 students and three instructors. Before the end of that school year, enrollment skyrocketed to 104 and seven faculty. It is named after Mt. Tabor, where it is believed the transfiguration of Jesus took place and has impacted the lives of thousands of people for over a century.

In 1918, a fire destroyed the building that housed the college for its first ten years. But supporters of Tabor banded together and built two new buildings in two years. The dormitory/dining hall and an administration/classroom building were finished in 1920 and are still used today. The H.W. Lohrenz Building is named after Tabor’s first president.

From its beginning, Tabor College has offered a broad Christ-centered liberal arts education, preparing students for employment and training church workers. The first two school terms in 1908-1909 included natural sciences, mathematics, English and literature, ancient languages, history, Bible and biblical history, business, vocal music and organ, and German reading and grammar. Painting and drawing were added the following year.

Throughout Tabor’s history, the Hillsboro campus has offered an associate of arts degree, a bachelor of arts degree, a master’s degree in education, and a graduate degree in theology. Additionally, the College offers graduate and online programs.

In 1961, Reimer Stadium was built on the south side of the Tabor College campus and named after former athletic director Del Reimer. In 2008, the old stadium was demolished and replaced by Joel Wiens Stadium in 2009, a joint venture between Tabor College and Hillsboro USD 410. The 3,000-seat stadium includes new artificial football and soccer turf, synthetic track and a throwing area for field events, new bleachers on the home side, a new press box, and new concession stand and restroom facilities.

On March 1, 2019, it was announced that Tabor plans to relocate their online programs from Wichita to the Hillsboro campus, about 50 miles north of Wichita, Kansas.

Tabor College operates under its own charter, with its Board of Directors responsible for the Mennonite Brethren churches of the Central, Southern, Latin America, and Eastern districts.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, December 2023.

Also See:

Marion County, Kansas

Marion County Photo Gallery

Kansas Destinations

One-Room, Country, & Historic Schools of Kansas

Sources:

Cutler, William G; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883
Genealogy Trails
Kansas State Historical Society, The Columbian History of Education in Kansas, Hamilton Printing Company, Topeka, KS, 1893.
Marion County Historic Schools
Tabor College
Wikipedia