Huntersville Church and School
According to church records, in 1842 the first Huntersville school was
conducted in the parsonage. A larger log school was built in 1846. In 1870
a brick school was built which measured 58' x 28'. It cost $2,300 and is
still in use today.
Presentation of the Reverend Dave Johnston of the Huntersville United Church
of Christ on the history of Huntersville To The Batesville Area Historical
Society
The story of Huntersville, Indiana, like so many other villages in America,
begins in another land. The original immigrants to Huntersville, and
neighboring Oldenburg, came largely from three small hamlets in northwestern
Germany - Bramsche, Damme, and Ankurn. Family associations which had existed
for centuries in Germany were thus transplanted to the new world.
In the early 19th century, family income in Northwestern Germany derived
mainly from hand sewn items. The beginning of the industrial revolution and
the development of powered looms in England destroyed the economy of this
area, creating economic distress among the people. This reason, among others,
created a situation in which many young Germans immigrated to America, which
had a need for these industrious and hard working folk.
The story now shifts to Cincinnati, Ohio. Nicholas Longworth, a prominent
Cincinnati businessman, held property in the wild lands of Indiana, and
needed settlers to buy it. He also owned a vineyard in the Mount Adams area
of Cincinnati. His workers consisted mostly of young Germans who wanted to
organize a church. He allowed them to use one of the rooms in his home for
services, and the immigrants formed the church which was to become
Huntersville Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1836. Mr. Longworth then sold
them 69.5 acres of land in the unsettled Indiana frontier for $1.50 per
acre. The town was laid out in 1841 with the church as its nucleus. The
first log church was constructed in 1840. The founding congregation had 18
families listed as members, their ages ranging mostly in their 30's and 40's.
Debate centered on a name for the new village. The wilderness around the new
town had a large area cleared out by a tornado, creating an ideal habitat for
wildlife. Deer and other game abounded. Sportsmen from Cincinnati came out
to hunt, and the area was popular for this reason for a number of years.
Because of this, the name Huntersville was chosen.
Education served a high priority amongst this group of immigrants. The first
school was organized, and taught in the church parsonage in 1842. The German
language and culture was also important to these people. To help preserve
it, they introduced the dorf, or village school system. Schools were located
about two miles apart and were a collective effort between church and state.
The pastor served as the school master and truant officer. His pay was based
on the number of students attending the school, so it was in his interest
to see that attendance was good.
The school day consisted of a full six hours of classes - the day began at
8:45 AM and broke for lunch at 12:00. Classes resumed at 1:00 PM and
recessed at 4:10. Two recess periods of ten minutes were allowed, one in the
morning and one in the afternoon. Classes included spelling, reading,
arithmetic, penmanship, geography, grammar, composition, declamation, and
deportment.
The material in these schools was pretty advanced. The eighth grade test
consisted of 300 - 400 questions, which included all subjects taught -
surveying, geography, history, health and medicine, science and mathematics.
The students would be assigned a number of questions upon entering the
expiation room, with no prior knowledge of what they would be expected to
answer. Passing the test was quite an achievement.
A log school building was constructed in 1846. The present church was
constructed from 1859 - 1860, and the old church then served as the school
building until a new school was built in 1870. This is the building currently
standing. The school continued to function until the conclusion of the
1944 - 45 school years. In the ensuing years it has served as a basketball
gym and a youth center.
Written By Paul R. Wonning
