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Rappel, Joseph J. / A centennial history of the Manitowoc County school districts and its public school system, 1848-1948

Gibson,   pp. 82-94 PDF (5.9 MB)

Page 82

    Gibson township was added to Manitowoc County in 1850 and was originally
part of Mishicot. It remained a part of Mishicot township until 1858 when
the town
of Gibson was organized. While it was a part of Mishicot, school districts
were set
up in the combined township. The Gibson school districts were numbered to
to the combined Mishicot area of 1850 to 1858. After Gibson became a township
itself in 1858, the school districts were re-numbered from Number 1 to 7
                           GIBSON 1- LARRABEE
                               Marion Novachek
    Early in the year of 1858,
Darius Peck, Ven    and  John
Birdsalls, and  several other
families came to this area from
Gibson, Pennsylvania. The post
office in their old home in the
East was called Larrabee, so
these early English settlers call-
ed this little settlement Larra-
bee. As the school for district
No. 1 is located in this village,
it is only natural that the offi-
cial name of Larrabee school
be given to it.
    This area at one time was
a part of the Mishicot township.
Then this district was set up as
      *±tS~~~~t  Ve.....J  +T.
when Gibson became a township by itself in 1858, this district became Gibson
district No. 1. Since its organization many changes have occurred to its
especially to the south when Gibson Jt. 7 was set up.
    The first settlers found a need for a store and a school. Wencil Charvat
the store at the location of the present Graycarek garage.' The post office
located in
the present Wencil Ramesh home west of the village was moved to this store,
cause it was more convenient to get the mail at the store. This post office
in operation until the rural free delivery began.
    The English settlers in this community built their first school somewhere
east of
Larrabee. Just where it was located seems to be unknown. It was said to have
one of the first schools in the town of Gibson. Much of the early history
of this
school was furnished by Mrs. Leopold Kind and Mrs. Henry Heap since it was
until 1863 when Charles Kind moved to Larrabee and became the district clerk,
written records were kept.
    It is supposed that the first school was a log building, but nothing
is known of
its size or just how it was erected. Mrs. Kind and Mrs. Heap remember that
seats, desks, and blackboards were hand-made and that the rest of the furniture
equipment were meager and crude. Since this was the only public building
in this
vicinity, it was used for religious purposes. If a funeral was to be held,
the pupilq
were dismissed. Later, about 1875, a Methodist church was built. That has
abandoned, moved to the village, and is now used as a blacksmith shop. The
was very likely located north of the village because there is an abandoned
    The second school was erected iný 1884-5. The electors decided
to buy one acre
of land from Wencil Charvates f&- $20. This site was across the road
from the pres-
ent schoolyard. Leopold Kind supervised the construction of the building.
He and
his brother did the carpenter work, hired the masons, and the other helpers.
The total
coM of the brick school was $551.98. The school was about 24 x 30 feet with
four win-
dows for each long side. The front of the building had one door leading into
a com-
bination cloak and storage room. The classroom was furnished with double
a stoye, and the usual equipment of a school for that period. The old building
is still
standing at the location where it was erected, for when the present building
erected, the school site and brick school were sold to Fred Graycarek. He
is using
the building for a storage garage and the yard for a storage space.
    The third and present modern brick building was erected in 1920-21. In
tion for the building of the new school, the voters in 1919 authorized the
of one acre of land from John Finnel for $500. It was also voted to dig the
that fall and to begin building early in the spring of 1920. The new school
is modern
in all respects, having a full basement divided into lavatories, furnace,
fuel, and play
rooms. The entrance way has a stairway leading to the basement and one leading

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