Source: Ruth M. Brubaker, THE HISTORY OF PLEASANT TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS 1835-1962 (1979), pp. 32-33.

FLORA SCHOOL (DISTRICT 1)

The first school held in this district was during the winter of 1848. The schoolhouse was situated very near the place where a Mr. Amos Stoneburner's home stood or as people think of it today, a Mr. Quinter Hines farm. At that time there were very dense forests in this area. There were no surveyed roads in the district and the only way the pupils had to come to school by were the winding trails through the woods. Some of these may have been made by the Indians. The house was a very rude structure built of hewn logs.

The roof was made of long, split slab-boards. The windows of the house were about six feet from the floor. They were made by sawing out a log and then placing a long winder sash, with many small glass panes or i very early days greased paper in the openings.

The blackboard consisted of three wide boards nailed against two pieces of two-by-fours set up against the south end of the schoolhouse. These were then painted black. The seats for the writing classes were placed around the walls on the north, east and west sides of the house. The south side was left for the teacher. The seats were arranged in sort of a semi-circle, so as to face the pupils to the south. In a smaller circle sat the smaller pupils. The seats were made of long slabs with wooden pins driven into them for legs. A very high seat sitting in front of the pupil was his writing desk.

The first director in this district was Mr. Joel Ohmart, who in 1898-99 lived in North Manchester. He hired a Mr. John Milkes, of Ohio, to teach the first term of school. The term was for three months with a salary of $15.00 per month with board. He boarded with his patrons.

This beginning the first school all the pupils were beginners, making them all in one class, the "A.B.C. Class." There were about thirty-six pupils in the school.

The next winter Mr. Ohmart, beginning a director, thinking he could be a teacher, passed an oral examination, which had only lasted twenty minutes and received a certificate to teach. This examination was given in North Manchester by a certain doctor. The patrons were very anxious that Mr. Ohmart should teach for he taught both German and English language. The director did the hiring and paid the teachers, drawing the money from the trustee. For the first ten years teachers received about fifteen or twenty dollars per month with board. For the first seven or eight years the school was not graded. There were three classes, "the A.B.C. Class," the First Spelling, and the Reading class. All the classes took Arithmetic. When a pupil once took arithmetic, he was supposed to work on through without regard to his class. He would only call on the teacher when he could not do an example. The pupil might be working in all parts of the arithmetic at one time. The first grammar class taught was by Miss Ella Rhodes in 1858, who came from Ohio.

In 1858 or 1859, the schoolhouse was found to be too far south and so another was built just across the road from where a Mr. Jacob Warner then lived at that time. It is in the farm now owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Nichols. This schoolhouse was built by Mr. Joel Ohmart who was still the director of that district. This schoolhouse was a frame building and was such an improved building over the log house. This was used for school until in 1875 when the last one was built. This was a brick schoolhouse that was still standing up until a few years ago. It is not known for sure but believed this was used for school until the year 1908-09. After a time the trustee sold the building and land. As to just who was not found. But it had been used for storage for a number of years. The only thing that can be seen now are a few bricks laying on the ground and the old foundation where it once stood. There are a few small trees growing around the old wall.

It was felt that a Mr. Bussard might have bought the land that it stood on as it was on the same farm, but as to whether he got the building and for how much is not known.