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                                CENTERVILLE
    The town of Centerville was at first a part of the Meeme township made
up of
the present towns of Schleswig, Meeme, and Centerville, and the south one-third
of
the towns of Eaton, Liberty, and Newton. That was from 1848 to 1850. The
number-
ing of the districts as originally set up was changed to the present district
numbers
in 1856. See the individual school histories for specific comments. Today
the town is
divided- into school districts numbers 1 to 6 inclusive.
                    CENTERVILLE NO. 1         POINT RIVER
                               Marion Hickmann
    The history of Centerville
District No. 1 dates back to
about 1852. The Centerville
assessment roll of 1856 on file
in the county treasurer's office
shows that that district was set
up for taxation purposes before
that date. The district then in-
cluded sections 1-2-3-10-11-15-
16, E½ of 4, N½A of NEV4, and
SE¼4 of NE¼4, and NE¼4 of
SE¼4 of Section 16. Those liv-
ing or owning land at that time
in the district were the Bakers,
Stoltenbergs, H o c k m a y e r s,
Obergockers, Janings, Kiels-
meiers, Doerschs, Bierdmanns,
Leiteritzes, Wagners, Stockmey-
  VIO, 1 11IU U  Al~o  VQ  11. USU  + C
Bogenschultzes, Moldenhauers, Boettchers, Wimmlers, Orths, Groteguts, and
Salms.
    Education for the district children was first provided in an old Lutheran
paro-
chial school which was located one-eighth mile west, one mile south, and
one mile
west of the present Point River school. Some of the older settlers in the
community
today can still recall going to the Lutheran school for their catechism and
three R's.
    The first school of frame construction was built in 1871 by community
members
for $560. It was called the Point River school after 1918 because the Point
River
flowed near the school building. It was located in section 3, town of Centerville,
one-
eighth mile west, and one-fourth mile south of the present site. The school
was built
the same year that the Lake Shore railroad was laid. In later years Albert
Mill, one
of the early teachers, made the grounds more attractive by planting a row
of cedars.
The first building had double seats and other equipment common to schools
of the
1870's. The old school was abandoned in 1908. The Groteguts bought the building
and sold it to Rudolph Kielsmeier for $152 in 1912. He used the old lumber
in it for
constructing a farm building.
    The second and present school was constructed in 1908-1909 for $3,003.
It is lo-
cated near the SW corner of the SEIA of section 3. The acre and a half site
was pur-
chased from Wm. Kono in 1908 for $275. The school was built as a two room
building
with a large attic and full basement. A basement furnace has always been
provided.
Kerosene lamps were used until 1939 when electric service was provided. Outdoor
toilets are still in use. The building has a water system made possible by
an artesian
well with high iron content.
    The structure built in 1908-09 was used as a graded school from 1909
to 1912.
The enrollment in the first school always was very great, but by 1908 it
became so
large that the state advocated two rooms. During the first years in the new
building
the enrollment reached a total of seventy-seven. In 1912 the southern half
of the
district organized a new school district with the result that the enrollment
was cut
almost in half. Centerville District No. 1 now contains sections 1, 2, 3,
part of 4, 9, 10,
and 11. In 1945-46 the enrollment had declined to a total of twelve.
     The second school used the double desks from the old school for several
years.
 They were replaced by single adjustable seats. After the school became a
one-room
 school again in 1912, one of the rooms became a playroom and a room in which
to
 prepare noon lunches. Up to 1940 it was the custom for the children to buy
their own
 books, but after that year free textbooks were provided.
     Adolph Doersch served on the school board for many years. Other school
board
 members before 1906 were Moritz Rossberg 1872-73; Andrew Rettele 1874-76;
Conrad
 Ortmayer 1877-79; Ernest Jaehnig, Fred Arends, G. Mill, Fred Jacobi, Adolph
Klessig,
 Fred Schuette, and J. Lorfeld.
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