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buildings was that of a hotel under the supervision of Charles Duvall. Greenfield
and Neuman, the operators of the mill, were equally as successful in creating a
desire to enlarge the village.
About this time one of the early dwellers, namely Samuel Adam Cook built a
grocery and dry goods store on the spot later occupied by the old I.O.O.F. hall.
Shortly after its construction however, it was destroyed by fire and Mr. Cook
built a second store, this time located almost directly opposite, east of the rail-
road tracks. This store is known to be the first on that side of the division line.
It seemed a common habit for each new store to fall in line in giving space to the
post office and thus Mr. Cook became Unity's Postmaster.
While Unity was witnessing the establishing of new stores and businesses, a
man of importance and prominence came into the community, namely John R.
Salter. He, having attended the University of Wisconsin, was naturally quite in-
terested in school affairs. Up until this time it was nothing more than a grade
school, thus the students graduating from the eighth grade were forced, either to
go to some distant place or to discontinue their education. To better such con-
ditions, Mr. Salter in 1883 began plans to organize a High School. He, himself,
consequently became its first Principal and taught in same for a period of four
years. In Mr. Salter's first graduation class of 1887 there were seven students;
namely, Fred Vaughn, John Lamont, Arthur Ransom, Jennie and Worden Cook,
Calvin Burton, and Grant McCurdy. Some of our old-tirners of today remember
some of these former graduates.
In spite of the good times and happy hours of this cheerful group, disaster
would darken their path. One afternoon in the fall of 1890, children apparently
amused themselves by playing with matches in the woodshed of the school build-
ing. Usually the outcome of such a game proves fatal as was the case in this
incident. A fire was kindled in the wood shed and gained ground too rapidly for
Second high school in the village.