Marengo Township

The Pringle School

By Mary Manning

John Beldin and Mr. Tower were the first settlers to arrive in this area in 1835. They bought land, built log cabins and went back to Indiana to get their families who moved here in 1836. Theirs was the first wagon trail west of the Fox River.

This site for settlements was chosen because of access to building materials, as the woods stretched for miles north and west. There were ample springs for water and open space to the south for growing crops. Because of these settlements at the edge of the woods, a meandering trail connecting them evolved into River Road. Four one-room schools, Pringle, Poyer, Diggins and one in Boone County were built on this road.

This is the third building in the district. A log cabin school in the early 1840’s burned, the second, a frame building was moved to the north and was used to form part of a house on the Stull farm. The Thomas Richards family conveyed land to the district in 1848 for at least one of the earlier schools, and was located directly west of the Pringle School.

The Pringle School was built in 1867 of limestone quarried at Garden Prairie and transported by wagon to the site. The land was donated by the Patterson Pringles.

Much of this early history comes from a handwritten account by an anonymous writer, who was born in 1867 and was a student in Pringle School. The account describes the interior of the building as being a very spare environment. Long benches having varying heights to accommodate different sizes were ranged across the room. There were no backs on the benches which encouraged good posture and straight, strong spines. The highest bench for older children was at the back of the room – a boon for them as they could lean against the wall. There was no provision for writing surface, no paper to be used, until much later when brown wrapping paper served a second purpose, after being smoothed and cut for the children to use.

Enrollment in the years from 1870 – 1940’s fluctuated from 10 – 25 students. Books were scarce, even dictionaries were not always available. In the early history of the schools there was a fall and winter session attended by boys after harvest and before spring planting season. A summer session was held which was mostly attended by girls. The students carried on attendance well into their teens as there were no high schools. Many of Marengo’s early community leaders were products of this educational system, passing from the local district, directly to higher education.

The 1870’s account tells her teacher was Mary Wilson. This is the first in long line of Wilson females to serve as teachers in this school. Mary was the daughter of John and Margaret (Pringle) Wilson. Others of the Wilson family to serve as teachers were Edith, Marjorie, Margaret, Ruth, Jean and Kathryn. They derived from two generations of Wilson’s. It is not surprising that the Wilson name became added to the school’s name.

One room schools were administered by the county superintendent. Teachers were required to fill out a detailed annual report, which contained attendance records, a detailed class schedule, student achievement levels, and explanation for retentions. The teacher also maintained an accounting for petty cash in amounts under $ 10. for such purchases as bats and balls. The county superintendent reviewed the reports, visited the schools, evaluated both the physical conditions of the building and grounds and also the teacher’s performance.

The schools held fund raisers for such things as rhythm band instruments, a radio, and other classroom aids. One of the most popular methods of raising money was basket socials. Ladies young and old put together sumptuous meals in attractive baskets which were auctioned off to the highest bidder, sometimes eliciting escalating prices between rivals for the basket of the most attractive maiden in the district. Students sold seeds to raise money. Another unusual fundraiser was one carried out in Pringle School by Kathryn Wilson, who taught over 25 years in this school. The students were grouped into team of four students each and gathered walnuts in the autumn. They worked after school hours gathering, cleaning, and packing the walnuts in pecks and sold them in time for the Christmas baking season.

Consolidation of one-room schools began in the 1920’s in this county, but many remained in operation until 1947, including Pringle School. It became part of the Hawthorne School District on Carmack Road. The building was purchased by Melba Brewington, a Chicago connoisseur of antiques, art, and glassware. She used the building as a residence until her death in 1967, when it was purchased by the DiBona family of Marengo.

Reading through the record books which were collected by the county superintendent one can learn much about the world outside the four walls of the school, and how the outside events affected the school. For instance, in the year 1919, the school closed for five weeks in October and November due to the Spanish influenza epidemic. School was suspended for half-days during the 40’s so that rationing books could be issued to community members. Some of the earlier teachers were men, some of them teaching the fall and winter sessions and switching to their own farm work in the spring and summer. Women teachers filled the position during the summer sessions. Later the profession was filled most often by unmarried women. If they married they were no longer eligible to accept employment. The last teacher in this school was in the late 40’s and she was a married woman, Mrs. Roy Stockwell.