Schools in Galena Township
La Porte County Indiana - Detailed History
Prepared by Donna M. Nelson

Mud Creek – Section 8 - Located at 1000N and 100E -
The first Mud Creek school house was built in 1841 on land belonging to Theodore Heckman, with Amanda Armitage serving as the first teacher. When a new brick building was erected in 1892 by Frank Tappan, the first building was moved about ½ mile east, across the road from the Hesston Church, and used for grain storage. A published list of LaPorte County Schools; 1927/1928 shows Mud Creek as a one-room school, teaching 8 grades; enrollment 34.
After 1931, when the one room school houses in the township were merged into Galena Central School, the brick school was used as a residence and later became the property of the La Porte County Historical Steam Society.
It is still in use today. Some of the pioneer families whose children attended this school were Mayes, Hensell, Schwenk, Pagel, and Maerz.
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Mud Creek, G. Cooper
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Mud Creek, G. B. Cooper
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1929-30 - Mud Creek – Stella Schumaker

Bunker Hill – Section 13 - Located at 500 E, South of 1000N -
The first Bunker Hill school house was erected prior to 1874 (see 1874 plat book) and remained in use as a school until 1899, when a new brick building was constructed.
The original building was then used as a Free Methodist Church and later moved to the north and occupied as a residence.
Teachers at Bunker Hill included Jennie Sperry, Lucy Sutherland, Stella Smith, Addie (Austin) Fargher, Frank Austin, Bertha Williams and Eva (Austin) Hacker.
The school was closed in 1916.
Local lore tells a story about the origins of the school’s name. India (Sutherland) Green related that the Pioneer Literary Society held meetings in the school house and that both Israel Lewis and Finney Barnes wanted the job of getting the building ready for the meetings. Much bickering over the subject resulted in a fight and, at the next Literary Society meeting, a member of the Woodmansee family read an original poem in which their fight was compared to the Battle of Bunker Hill. As a result, the school began to be called Bunker Hill School.
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Bunker Hill, Lucy Sutherland
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Bunker Hill, Eva Austin

Mount Pleasant – Section 36 - Located at 500 E and 700 N –
In 1863 the new system of education was well under way in our county, having been in progress for eleven years. In that year Mr. J. G. Laird, then county examiner,
made a tour and a thorough inspection of the county schools. An extract from his report says: “The first school I visited was Mount Pleasant in Galena township.
I found a school of thirty pupils in a nice and well arranged room. The school is conducted by William A. Coombs. I stayed here half a day and heard several classes
read and recite in arithmetic and grammar, and was well pleased with all the recitations, and especially with the government of the school.
I consider the house, school and teacher number one.” (Excerpt from Daniels’ 1904 History of La Porte County).
Neighborhood families included Garman, Teeter, Brewer, Bladecki, Mrozinski, and Martin.
Teachers included William Coombs, Commodore Garman, Cleveland Garman, and Kizzie Preston.
A published list of LaPorte County Schools; 1927/1928 shows Mount Pleasant School as a one-room school, teaching 8 grades; enrollment 20.
The school closed in the 1930(s).
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Mount Pleasant – M.R. Sutherland
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Mount Pleasant – No Teacher
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1929-30 - Mount Pleasant - Edna S. Mayes

Francis – Section 15 - Located at 1000N and 300 E. –
Organized prior to 1874 (see 1874 plat book), the original building was replaced by a brick structure in 1885.
Some of the neighborhood families of the period included Annabel, Sutherland, Paddock, Foster, Francis, Goit, Wells, and Tappan.
This school was closed about 1915. It was occupied as a residence until the 1960(s) or 70(s) and eventually left to the elements. Its former location is now vacant and unkept.
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Francis – Francis Martin
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Francis – Jennie Sperry

Barnes – Section 20 - Located on 200E (Fail Rd) and 800 North –
The early school building was moved across the road from its original location to make way for a new structure in 1886.
Area families were Davis, Goodall, Etherington, Kostka, Fargher, Kill, Austin and Tappan.
This second school was replaced by another with the consolidation of the township schools into the new Galena Central School in 1931.
A published list of LaPorte County Schools; 1927/1928 shows Barnes as a one-room school, teaching 8 grades; enrollment 44.
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Barnes - C.W. Francis
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Barnes – Kathryn Moore
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1929-1930 – Advanced–Nora Sullivan; Primary–Helen Huhnke

Hatch’s Mill – Located on 200E (Fail Road) and 850 North -
The Hatch’s Mill Masonic Hall was built about 1870 at the intersection of 200E (Fail Road) and 850 North.
This was not a recognized school, but some of the Barnes school functions were held here and when enrollments were high and not enough space was available for all students at Barnes School,
the first grade was taught in the large meeting room of the Lodge. This continued until the new Barnes school was built in 1886.

Lamb – Section 31/32 - Located at 100E and 600 N -
Lamb school was built in 1841 and used as both a school and a church. In 1888 the structure was moved across the road and another built in its place.
Some of the teachers were: Frank Francis, Alden Wallace, Hattie Dunlap, Jennie Sperry, and Charles Worden.
Neighborhood families were Morton, Costello, Way, Carlson, Buell, Slater, Biege, Wells and Mansfield.
The school was closed in 1907.
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Lamb – Frank Francis
Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Lamb – Hattie Dunlap

Center School – Section 22 - Located on Road 300 E and 800 N – Because of its location near the center of the township, this school was used as the township voting place and for many other community activities. It continued until the consolidation in 1931/32 when students were transferred to the new Galena Central School. Teachers included Mrs. Earl Mayes, Frank Boland, Lizzie Preston, Esther Reeds, Stella Shoemaker, Mrs. Cromwell and Edna Lambert. Neighborhood families were Foster, Cadwell, Shedd, Miller, Conjolka, Hock, Rhodes, Morton, and Dudeck. A published list of LaPorte County Schools; 1927/1928 shows Center as a one-room school, teaching 7 grades; enrollment 23. Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, Jan 26, 1888 – Center – A.W. Galbreath Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1895-96 – Center – No Teacher Officers & Teachers of the Public Schools, 1929-1930 - Center, Edna L. Lambert

Galena Central School – Section 20 - Located on 200E (Fail Rd) and 800 North –
In 1931, six Galena township one-room schoolhouses consolidated to form Galena Central School.
Frank Surns was the Trustee, with Harley Barnes, Leo Laskoski and Leo Schumaker serving as the Advisory Board.
The consolidated elementary school was constructed on the site occupied by Barnes School. The one-room schools which made up the new school were:
Bunker Hill, Center, Francis, Mud Creek and Mount Pleasant.
Galena originally housed first through eighth grades, in four class rooms. The average class size was 40 to 50 students.
Teachers for 1940/41 were Lois Moyer (1-2), Edna Rosenbaum (3-4), Mabel O’Conor (5-6) and Mrs. Easter Arndt (7-8).
In 1956, four classrooms were added to the building. The old section housed grades 1-4 and the new addition was used for grades 5-8.
The “basement” under the new section was used as a music room, cafeteria (including a kitchen which provided hot meals), storage and other activities. 1956/57 enrollment was 185 students.
The school was later converted to Kindergarten thru Sixth grades and was closed in the Fall of 1995, when students from Galena Central and Hudson Lake Elementary schools consolidated
into the new Prairie View Elementary on 700 North near Hudson Lake.
The Galena school building currently houses Hesston Hills Banquet facilities.

Interlaken School - Brothers of the Holy Cross/LeMans Academy – Section 36 –
These were private schools which occupied the same property at different times during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Interlake - Summer Camp - located on Silver Lake, in Galena Township and boasted 500 acres on Interlake farm. Two hundred of those acres were in woodland and pleasant fields. - According to an ad, it offered an active life from Mid June until September where boys (age 9 to 18) could build huts, boats and learn outdoor skills. It was a part of the Interlaken Schools of Rolling Prairie. The school ran from 1907 to 1918. The school was founded by: Edward Aloysius Rumely MD (1882–1964) Some documents state that Interlaken School closed in 1918 due to anti-German sentiment associated with WWI.

          

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