Edith Griesel Love (born 1901)
(Mrs. Harold W. Love)

Edith Love -- School Days

Oral History, Tape #6
Interviewed by Janet Granger

Janet Granger:
Tell me something about yourself, and we're going to talk about school days in the West Creek area. I have with me Edith Griesel Love. Would you tell me about yourself, Edith?

Edith Love:

I was born November 2, 1901, at the home where we lived during my childhood six and a half miles from Lowell. We lived on what the Indians had called South Island -- a sandy ridge surrounded by fertile farming land. Three other families also lived on the ridge. In spring, during the heavy rains, the Kankakee River would overflow and sometimes the dike would break. Our home was really an island. We traveled in a boat. The problem was solved when the river was dredged, straightened and stronger dikes were made.

My father discovered an Indian grave which looked like a burial after a war, as several skeletons looked as if their bodies had been thrown in and buried with their weapons.

Our transportation was horse and buggy on dirt roads so we didn't go to town very often.

Janet Granger:

What became of those Indian bones? What did you finally do with them? Do you remember?

Edith Love:

People became sort of curious, and my father just put the dirt back on the grave and wouldn't let anybody disturb it.

Janet Granger:

I see. Do you know where they are now?

Edith Love:

No, I don't think anybody ever has found anything to it yet.

Janet Granger:

I see.

Edith Love:

Driving up, shopping and driving home took most of the day and sometimes we had the treat of eating our dinner at the Schmal Hotel. Now the Schmal Hotel is now called the Commercial Hotel.

Janet Granger:

Yes, it's on Commercial Avenue.

Edith Love:

And, uh, there was the fun of hunting the usual bag of candy the storekeeper had tucked amongst the groceries.

Janet Granger:

Go on.

Edith Love:

Our school was a one room school four miles from home. The site lies south of Lowell near the east bank of Cedar Creek where the Joe Lappie's residence now stands. It was the Egypt school, so named because the settlers called their community Egypt, the land of plenty. The school was discontinued in spring of 1927.

There was one big room -- a belfry with a big bell to call us to school. Now, the teacher usually would ring the bell, or one of the older boys in school. At the entrance on a bench was a water pail, a ladle, wash pan and a long hall for coats, caps, overshoes, and lunchboxes. A large stove stood in one corner of the big room. We had ordinary school equipment plus an organ. A shed outside was used for fuel and possibly a place for a horse. Two small his-and-hers buildings were in the back which were usually dumped over on Halloween. Several big oaks grew in the school yard.

I started to school at the age of five. There were thirty-three pupils in the school, but only four in my class. Namely, Ed Nomanson, Milford Bahr, Clifford Uhter, and myself. My first teacher was Maybelle Carsons. Third grade teacher, Isabelle Koon. And the rest of the grades was Charles Dickinson.

Our transportation was horse-drawn bus. But if the roads were bad, our grouchy bus driver ordered us to walk while he drove the horses.

For our lunch we had sandwiches of peanut butter, cheese or jelly, prood, cake or cookies, and sometimes candy. As my cake and cookies were homemade, I swapped with the others for their store cookies.

In warm weather, we wore print dresses and in winter, woolen dresses with pinafores, and long underwear and high top shoes. At recess, if weather was favorable, we were expected to be outside. Games played were Hide and Seek, Drop the Handkerchief, Fox and Geese, Farmer in the Dell, and Crack the Whip. Boys played marbles and baseball, sometimes drafting the girls. Games for inside were Blind Man's Bluff, Gossip, I Spy, and Charades. And during the months when there was snow, we had an ideal slope north of the school for coasting. Some brought sleds but most of the boys found large pieces of tin, carrying several riders. Even the girls loved going down on them.

One of the very coldest days in January the boys asked permission to go down on the creek and slide on the ice. We girls thought that meant us, too. But girls slide all in a bunch. So all went well until we struck rubbery ice, and down we went. After a struggle with the ice, we managed to get to the shore. Then across the meadow, up the hill and under the fence to school with very wet clothes. Our teacher parked us around the stove to dry -- shoes on top of the stove. We weren't punished but our teacher asked, "Did I give you girls permission to go to the creek?"

Next day, all were there but me. I had to get a new pair of shoes, as mine were dried and cracked, especially the soles. How relieved my teacher was when he found out I wasn't sick, for he was sure some of us would have pneumonia.

Janet Granger:

What did your parents say when you came home and needed the new shoes?

Edith Love:

They didn't like it too well, but they were glad we were all right.

Janet Granger:

You were all right. That's the main thing.

Edith Love:

We had nine months school with three months vacation. Holidays were Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and Easter. At Christmas and Thanksgiving we had programs consisting of recitations, songs and plays. And Santa usually brought nuts, candy and fruit. We had spelling bees within our own school. Box socials were held and public invited. With the money made, we bought a phonograph and records. This was an old Victor Victrola with a big horn.

Janet Granger:

I see. Was it just like a table model?

Edith Love:

It was like a stand with a phonograph sitting on it.

Janet Granger:

I see.

Edith Love:

Our last day of school, the parents were invited to bring picnic lunch. Usually the teacher furnished a large container of ice cream. Each pupil received their report card, games were played and this was the climax of the year.

My favorite teacher was Charles Dickinson. All the children respected him and he never laid a hand on a child. If anyone needed correction, the culprit would stand in the corner or clean the blackboards after school. We studied reading, writing, arithmetic, history, grammar, geography, civics and even the girls had to take agriculture. Penmanship was the Palmer Method which I didn't do very well in.

My first music teacher was Bessie Black. Later, I had Vernal Kelsey Shurte. These ladies traveled to all the country schools in Cedar Creek and West Creek Townships.

Janet Granger:

Now, did they go by buggy? They went by buggy?

Edith Love:

Yes. They had a horse and buggy.

We did not have a library, but books were brought from the county library. Books I enjoyed were Black Beauty, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Elsie Dinsmore, and The Rover Boys, which were my brother's books.

At the end of the year, all eighth grade pupils in Cedar Creek Township had to go to a central school to take an examination. Ours was the Orchard Grove School. Written examination questions were sent from the state. We had all day to answer on all subjects. When we arrived home, our teacher looked at the questions, squashed them in his hand and said, "They were harder than the teacher's examination."

To my surprise, when the results finally came back, I was named valedictorian. My brother was salutatorian. Combined commencement exercise of Cedar Creek/West Creek Public Schools, were held at the Taylor Theater, Lowell. Program of music by chorus, and an address, and presentation of diplomas. Our class motto was "Excelsior'; class flower, lily of the valley and the class color, Nile green and white.

Janet Granger:

Now, where was the Taylor Theater where you held your commencement exercises?

Edith Love:

On the spot where the abandoned Nazarene Church on Clark Street.

Janet Granger:

Oh, it was on Clark Street. Okay.

Edith Love:

Now the highlights of my schooldays -- well, one of them was the September 13, 1916, I entered high school at the old crowded school -- high school then. We had four false alarms that we were going to move and finally, one morning, Dr. Iddings called the high school pupils into the big room and talked. He said he wanted to talk to them. Well, he began talking and pretty soon he started smiling. He said, "Go on, get your books; we're going to go over to the school." And we walked two by two with all of our books over to the high school. There we had a seat for everybody.

And another one of my highlights was November 18, 1918: Armistice signed. End of the war. No school. Celebration began at 4:00 a.m. Automobile horns were blowing, bells were ringing, guns were firing. In the afternoon, we had a very nice big parade, and there was an evening of dancing as long as anybody could stay.

Janet Granger:

Did they dance on the main street of town, on Commercial Avenue, or that was the main place?

Edith Love:

That was the main place I would say.

Janet Granger:

Well, that was certainly interesting, and thank you for telling us about your school days Mrs. Love.