district history

Freeman began his life-work as principal of the high school at Bridgeton, New York, in 1840.

In 1845 he was offered the principalship of Salem academv, at Salem, New Jersey, where he remained five years until he was elected principal of Wallkill Academy, at Middleton, New York.

In 1848 however, the tax payers of the village organized the school district and built a one room frame school on the corner of Main and Maple streets, where the Methodist parsonage now stands.

In 1849 the Gold rush started, hence the name 49ers.

1853. a large common school convention met at Jerseyville. composed of delegates from many adjoining counties, and one at Bloomington, for the whole state.

Addison Brown and Miss Frances A. Brown on the west side; Miss Lylia Galloway, in 1854. in the lobby of the First Congregational church, east side; Darwin Dubois, in 1854. in the First Methodist church; Mrs.

June 20, 1855, the council passed its first school ordinance under the new school law.

The first was Orlando C. Blackmer. who was appointed March 10, 1857 His assistant was S. F. Penfield.

The Ellis school, built in 1868 bears the name of Col.

In 1870, the village of Rockford as the community had then come to he known, erected its first high school.

The Marsh school, built in 1872. bears the name of Col.

In 1880, the court moved to new quarters in the Appraiser’s Building on nearby Sansome Street.

The Nelson school, built in 1881. is named for John Nelson, the famous Rockford inventor of the knitting machine.

In 1884 the public school system was thoroughly reorganized, and the city was made one school district, with one high school, in pursuance of an ordinance drawn by Hon.

Since its beginnings as a one-room schoolhouse in 1885, the Rio School District has been the center of the community for all the families it has served.

In 1891 the school had grown so that they had to use the upper floor and employ an assistant to the principal who taught the high school making six teachers in all.

The Brown school, erected in 1892, derives its name from Judge William Brown, who held many offices of public trust and was for twenty years judge of the circuit court.

The Church school was built in 1894, and perpetuates the memory of Judge Seklen M. Church, an early settler, postmaster, member of the legislature, and judge of the county court.

The Kishwaukee school was built in 1896. and derives its name from the street on which it stands, which, in turn, is derived from Kishwaukee river.

The Turner school was built in 1898, and derives its name from J. M. Turner, a supervisor and alderman.

DISTRICT SCHOOL TRAVELLING LIBRARIES The Winnebago County District School Traveling Libraries were organized in 1901.

Louisiana Purchase Exposition; 1903, Out Door Art for Home and School.

The present principal is Ellis U. Graff, who began his duties in September 1904.

The courthouse sustained damage in the great 1906 earthquake but was the only building in its district left standing after the earthquake and subsequent fires.

In 1907, fifty-seven years after the court’s founding, Congress created a second judgeship with the appointment of William Cary Van Fleet.

Yosemite School was the second elementary school built in the Manteca area in 1914.

By 1920, the building became very crowed and the present municipal building was used for first and second grade classes.

The original Manteca High School (see top picture) which was dedicated on January 27, 1923, was a beautiful California-Mission style school.

In 1938, the membership had grown to over 500 and rooms were so crowded that an addition was voted by the district costing approximately $52,000, the Federal Government contributing 45 percent under the Public Works Administration.

The original Yosemite School (see last photo), often simply called Manteca School, was also destroyed by fire in 1948.

The current Yosemite school which now serves as the Manteca Community Day School was opened in 1950.

The third school in Lathrop lasted only one year and was torn down in 1952 and replaced by the present school.

In 1966, Congress established the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Central Districts of California; this legislative change had the effect of removing the counties in the Central Valley and the mountainous eastern regions of the state from the purview of the Northern District.

Following a fire in the Manteca High School tower in 1968, the District Offices were moved to a house located on the Spreckles Sugar Company property.

Designed by architect William Pereira and built by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, the building stands at 853 feet (260 m). On completion in 1972 it was the eighth-tallest building in the world.

Transcriber: Jennifer Godwin Created: 13 February 2000 URL: http://kent.migenweb.net/towns/rockford/centennial/schools.html

The five-year plan, approved in 2015, was created by a committee of teachers, administrators, community leaders, students and parents.

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