The Richest Soil Grows the Deepest Roots: Life in Platte County's Missouri River Bottoms by Helen Ruth Poss Marr

Author:Helen Ruth Poss Marr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2021-08-11T17:22:52+00:00

11

School and World War II

During most of my of my grade school years, World War II permeated life. After our country entered the war, Americans had a collective sense of national responsibility. As the country shifted to weapons, ships, and tanks as well as feeding, clothing, and supplying troops, our family made do with what we had. We already knew how to do that having survived the Great Depression.

Just a few weeks after that sleepless night in the garage when we listened to the ominous radio news about Germany’s invasion of Poland, I began first grade. I attended Stillings School, a one-room schoolhouse where eight grades were taught by one teacher. Three students were in first grade that year, two boys and me. While I attended Stillings School from first to eighth grade, the total student enrollment varied each year from twelve to just over twenty.

The following history of Stillings School comes from Looking Back in Lee Township (Dowling, 1981). The school was originally named Aurora Seminary for the aurora borealis (northern lights) symbolizing the light that would come to the people through education. Built on the Gottlieb Scherf farm in 1871, the structure was moved in 1892 from its original location to a spot closer to the rail line. At that point, the school was renamed for the nearby young town of Stillings, founded by Vinton Stillings. Vinton, who was from a political family in Leavenworth, would later serve as a longtime Kansas State Senator. In 1889, the same year the town was founded, he built a pontoon bridge to connect Stillings and Leavenworth. The cantankerous river, however, made short work of the bridge, washing it away within six months. Afterward, Vinton was closely involved in building the first steel bridge to span the river.

I loved going to school. I knew most of the kids at Stillings School because they were from nearby farms. Also, it was the same school my mom and most of her siblings attended (as well as Grandma Poss, though I was not aware of that until after my parents died). Typically at country schools, many family relations existed among students because of land ownership passing down to family members. At Stillings School, the students were mainly from Moppins, Kisker, or Lutte families. A couple generations earlier, Knopfs were among the students. Grandpa Kisker was on the Stillings School board right up until he died, and afterward, Uncle Ed (Mom’s brother) joined the board.

The school year ran from September 1 until mid to late April, ending earlier in the spring than nowadays because students were needed on their farms to help during the growing season. We didn’t have extended breaks and days off, other than a couple days at Thanksgiving along with a week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Until World War II, many children in rural areas attended school only through eighth grade. High schools, concentrated in cities and towns, were too far from most farms making it impractical to attend. Public transportation to and from school was lacking.

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