Grove Beginnings...Part 7

Government Reports, 1907
By Rose StauberOne hundred years ago the Grove Board of Education made a financial report for the year which was published in the "Grove Sun" July 12, 1907. The report follows:

Report of Board of Education
For Scholastic Year Ending
May 30, 1907

Receipts

3-5 of Town taxes applied on school fund 1906
$1238.04
100% tuition received and applied to school fund
70.80
3-5 occupation applied to school fund
148.00
Balance on hand of fund for 1905
395.20

_______

Total 1852.04

Disbursements:

Principal teacher, 8 months at $65
$520.00
Assistant teacher, 8 months at $40
320.00
Janitor, 8 months at $8
64.00
Scavinger
5.00
Wood
35.61
Appraisment on school lots
135.00
Rent
250.00
Well and pump
59.00
Repairing pump
4.20
Furniture
5.40
Brooms, erasers, crayons, etc.
19.35
Sun Office
3.75
Stationary
2.00

_______
Total expenses for 8 months
1423.81

Balance
428.73
Less as per Treasurers report
59.05

_______

Balance
on
hand July 1st $369.68

George A. Cox, Recorder.

According to the School Fund receipts and warrants paid, the principal
was W.C. Jordan and the assistant Sadie Barnes.

On May 11, 1906, the Grove Sun ran an announcement of the Annual meeting of the Stockholders of Grove Educational Association which was to be held at the Court House in Grove on Tuesday, May 22, at 4 p.m.. The purpose of the meeting was to elect a board of directors for the coming year, and transact other important business. The notice was signed by O.W. Killam, Pres. and Ad V. Coppedge, Sec'y.

O.W. Killam and his brother, W.T., were Missourians and partners in
various businesses around Grove. Ad V. Coppedge had been in the same law class
as O.W. at the University of Missouri. Ad went on to a distinguished law
career in Grove and Delaware County.

It was O. W. Killam, as president of the association, who had signed
for Lot 5 in Block 57, appraised value of $54 for the lot and estimated
value of the stone foundation was $200. The town of Grove bought the other
five lots in Block 57 for $54 each when the lots were sold. Block 57 is the southwest corner of the intersection of Center and 7th Streets. It is the anchor that the school has spread from in that area.

What is this about meeting at the Court House? The Northern District
Court, one of the federal courts established in 1890 to provide law in
Indian Territory between the 1890s and statehood, was seated at Vinita.
It appears that the court did work a circuit and held court in Grove on
some schedule. The "courthouse" was the second floor of the building on
Third Street now known as "Courthouse Apartments". With statehood getting
nearer and Grove sure to be the county seat, it appears the city fathers had
already decided that they had a courthouse.

A word about the "scavenger" in the list of school expenses. The
dictionary meaning of the word includes one who removes dirt, filth and
such from the streets. The term used here appears to include cleaning
outhouses.
There's no doubt that it was a dirty job and paid very poorly.

Copyright © Rose Stauber 2007