website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Lincoln
School Dedicated
Exercises By The Pupils of The School
Remarks by the Mayor
and Other Citizens
The School Building One
of The Finest in the State
Sanitary Conditions
Perfect and Everything Up To Date
Watertown Gazette, 02 18 1910
Lincoln School Dedicated
- Hundreds of citizens visited the new Lincoln school last Saturday, it being
open for inspection from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.
The pupils of the school furnished a very appropriate program in honor
of the event and in honor of the day, Saturday being Lincoln's birthday
anniversary, after whom the school is named.
A fine bust of the late Abraham Lincoln occupies a conspicuous place in
the lower hall on the left as you enter the building, and here the statue was
unveiled and the exercises were held, the pupils of the school and teachers
being arranged on the stairways leading to the upper story; all held small
flags and waved them as they sang the Star Spangled Banner. The program was a most excellent one and
spoke well for both teachers and pupils.
Hon. Wm. F. Voss intended delivering an address, but was prevented from
being present on account of an accident he met with that morning.
The following was the program:
Song,
America Pupils
Unveiling
the Bust of Lincoln
Presentation
of Bust of Lincoln Bennie Winklemann
Recitation,
Abraham Lincoln Alex
Hoffmann
Recitation,
O Captain, My Captain Helen Frey
Essay, The Naming of Our School Fred
Hollenbeck
Recitation,
Gettysburg Address Hildegard Zeidler
Remarks by
Supt. W. P. Roseman
Song, The Star Spangled Banner Pupils
Mayor Arthur Mulberger, Hon.
C. F. Viebahn and James W. Moore, president of the
Board of Education, were then called on, the two latter confining their remarks
principally to the excellence of the new school building, Mr. Viebahn laying particular stress on the good air and fine
sanitary conditions. The president of
the board told what he knew about erecting a public school building, and
complimented his coworkers on the Board and Superintendent W. P. Roseman for their strict attention to every detail of the
construction of the school, and stated that though many obstacles and
aggravations were laid in their way, they went right ahead and did what they
thought was right, and the result was that the Board and Superintendent feel
that a perfect building has been furnished our city, and though each member was
considerably annoyed and devoted a good share of their time during the past
year to the construction of the building without expense to their fellow
citizens, they felt well repaid for their efforts, when they now view this
magnificent building They especially
feel gratified, since they learn all who visited the building on Saturday are
loud in their praises of it.
The teachers and pupils too say "well done good
and faithful servants." Mayor Mulberger spoke also in complimentary terms of the new
building, and dwelt at length on Abraham Lincoln, his scant opportunities for
education as compared with the fine advantages given the youth of the land at
the present day, and referred in eulogistic terms to the people of this city
and state in furnishing good schools and a state university the equal of any in
the world.
Superintendent Roseman
referred very nicely to what the taxpayers of Watertown were doing for the
educational uplift of the youth of our city, and hoped the pupils of Lincoln
School would show their appreciation by taking good care of the new building
and report any case of malicious destruction of the property.
Lincoln School is one of the finest of its size in Wisconsin,
being handsome in design and is constructed and equipped after the most modern
methods, its sanitary condition being considered the most perfect that present
day science teaches. Approximately
$30,000 has been spent on the building, and to the credit of the board be it
said that only $87 in extras were expended, and this has been offset by
penalties charged to the contractors.
The contractors, Wagner & Baumann of Monroe, Wis,. have done their work very
satisfactory and that too under great difficulties at times.
The architects, Messrs. Claude & Starck of Madison too, deserve much credit for their
faithfulness in seeing that every detail and every wish of the Board of
Education was faithfully carried out.
The architecture of the building is fine, and the exterior presents a
very handsome appearance.
The school is 74x78
feet, two stories high with a large basement and an immensely large garret,
which can be used for a gymnasium. Two
colors of red tinted St. Louis pressed brick are used in its construction, the
doors and window trimmings being in Bedford stone. In the lower portion of the building the
brick is dark red, and the upper portion a lighter red, producing a very pretty
effect. The interior finish is in
Georgia pine, excepting the hall and stairs in the first story over the boiler
room, which is of reinforced concrete, adding greatly to the safety of the
building from fire [Lincoln School burned down in 1949]. The class rooms are in different tints, doing
away with that sameness in a schoolhouse that often gives it a depressing
effect. There are ten class rooms in
the building. In the basement, which is
nearly all over-ground, there is a domestic science room, girls’ toilet, boys’
toilet, boiler room, fan room and coal and ash rooms. The basement was particularly well
constructed, is well lighted and well ventilated.
In the first story are
four large class rooms, and a commodious hall, stairways on both sides leading
to the exits on either side of the building and two stairways to the second
story. In both the upper and lower halls
are sanitary drinking fountains, two on each floor. In the second story besides the class rooms
are a teachers' room and teachers' toilet.
These rooms were nicely furnished by the pupils and teachers of the
school and also a new piano furnished by the same, occupies the center of the
large hall in the upper story, giving the school a very homelike and edifying
appearance.
The ceilings in the
lower story are all of metal, and the floors in the upper story all have
material underneath that deadens the sound that is usually caused by walking or
stamping on floors.
Fire gongs are on each floor, which are used in calling
and dismissing school, and in case of fire are sounded continuously. The front door bell is connect with Miss Mary
Crangle’s room, the principal and a school telephone
connects her with all other classrooms as well as with the janitor’s room in
the basement. The building is equipped
throughout with electricity. The heating
and ventilating system is what is known as the Powers system, one of the most
perfect now in existence, including both direct and indirect heat. Two large boilers, a fan and an engine are
used to operate the system. While the
school is in session the fan is operated to force the heated fresh air into the
rooms above, and when school is dismissed the steam radiators only are used, it
requiring more fuel, and greater attention from the janitor, to look after the
fan. While school is in session the air
in the room changes seven times an hour.
Each room is operated independently of the other by
automatic dampers which open and close as the temperature of the room
changes. A thermostat is placed in each
room connected with a hollow tube with the pressure tank in the basement. The system is regulated so that a temperature
of 68 degrees is maintained throughout the building in cold weather. There are two sets of dampers, one
controlling cold air, the other the hot air; they keep working vice versa as
the temperature of the room varies. The
cold and foul air ducts lead from each room to the roof above. An hourly record is kept each day of the
temperature in each room, and in this way if any of the machinery gets out of
gear it will show in the heating and ventilating of the room and it can be at
once looked after.
The plumbing, as our citizens are aware, has been
given special attention. It is perfect
throughout the building. The toilet
seats are self acting and each works independently of the other. In the boy’s urinal there is a continual flow
of city water, which keeps this feature of the toilet room in perfect sanitary
condition. In each of the toilet rooms
there are a number of wash basins for the use of the pupils.
The roof is of red tile and will last for years.
Otto Biefeld & Company
of this city put in the heating and plumbing systems and did their work
well. William G. Pritzlaff
& Co. did the metal roof and cornice work, and H. G. Gillis the painting, under
the direction of the contractors, who placed all the work they possibly could
in the hands of local business men.
There are a few minor things about the building to be completed before
the school is formally accepted from the contractors, Messrs. Wegner &
Baumann, whose relations with the school board have been very pleasant and whom
the board found willing and anxious at all times to do the right thing. They were conscientious in their work and if
at times there were little errors found in the construction of the school they
were only too anxious to remedy them.
Mistakes are easily made in interpreting the plans of a building of this
magnitude, but when any were made, they never escaped the watchful eyes of the
architects and members of the school board.
All the seats in the building are new and of the
latest improved kind, being adjustable to the pupils; can be lowered or raised
as the occasion requires.
The especial thanks of the Board of Education, and our
citizens in general, are due our most worthy Superintendent of Schools, W. P. Roseman, who from the time it was decided to build this new
school, up to the present, devoted all his spare time to the work. He investigated, planned and assisted in
every way possible to have this school a perfect one, and many of the good
things about the school are due to his forethought and knowledge of school
affairs. Without his assistance the Board of Education feel that their work in
connection with this school would not have been so well done, and it is the
desire of the board that through the press he be publicly thanked for his great
assistance and untiring interest in this good work.
The building committee, consisting of Chas. E. Frey,
Frank B. Weber and C. A. Vaughan, are deserving of commendation, for on them in
particular depended a great deal in bringing this work to a successful
conclusion.
The board of education consists of:
James W. Moore, President.
Dr. C. R. Feld, Clerk.
W. P. Roseman,
Superintendent.
George Cooley, First Ward.
Chas. E. Frey, Second Ward.
Jas. W. Moore, Third Ward.
Dr. M. O'Malley, Fourth Ward.
Frank B. Weber, Fifth Ward.
Hon. Wm. F. Voss, Sixth Ward.
Chas. A. Vanghan, Seventh
Ward.
Two former members of the board, C. H. Jacobi of the
First ward, and Frank M. Eaton, now of Eugene, Oregon, deserve a good share of
the credit for the construction of the school, for when it was first talked of
building, they were enthusiastic supporters of the move and spent their own
money and considerable time in visiting schools of other cities to post
themselves on what was good for our city.
Following are some of the pictures hanging on the walls and other
decorations in the new school:
First grade—Sistine Madonna by Raphael
Second grade—Holy
Night by Correggio
Third grade—Return to
the Farm by Troyon
Fourth grade—The
Angelus by Millet
Fifth grade—Temple of Gizeh
Sixth grade—The Parthenon
Seventh grade—The Forum, The Coliseum and Sir Galahad
by Watts
Upper hall—Spring by Anton Maure, Head of Lincoln
Lower hall—The Gleaners by Millet, Bust of Lincoln by
Volk
A very pretty design
was presented to the school for Lincoln day by Mrs.
Otto Biefeld.
The design, which is made of red, white and blue flowers, is in the
shape of a lyre with a medallion of Lincoln at the top. The Declaration of Independence, donated by
Howard Donner, and a head of Lincoln, by Gustav J. Doerr,
occupy conspicuous places in the school.
Mrs. A. F. Solliday donated a beautiful supply
of cut flowers for dedication day.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin