NORTH FREEDOM This village lost more than a century of history Monday when flames claimed a former schoolhouse. <\/p>\n
In 1902, decades before the building was converted into an apartment complex, the North Freedom School Board voted to establish a school on Oak Street. A new school was needed because the state had condemned the framed building that had previously served as a school, according to local historian Joe Wards book North Freedom: The First 100 Years. <\/p>\n
The schools cornerstone was laid in October 1902. The next year, the local library took up residence inside the school. <\/p>\n
In 1922, village voters approved adding a gymnasium and auditorium to the school. <\/p>\n
The school handled all grades from elementary through high school until the mid-1940s, Ward said. Then, upon graduating from eighth grade as Ward did in 1947 students had to choose to attend high school in Baraboo or Reedsburg. <\/p>\n
In 1961, the Baraboo School District annexed North Freedom, whose enrollment had dwindled to 98. The old schoolhouse continued to house classes until 1990-91, said Baraboo District Administrator Crystal Ritzenthaler, who then taught a combination fifth- and sixth-grade class there before moving to the new North Freedom Elementary School in 1991. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the original post: NORTH FREEDOM This village lost more than a century of history Monday when flames claimed a former schoolhouse. In 1902, decades before the building was converted into an apartment complex, the North Freedom School Board voted to establish a school on Oak Street. A new school was needed because the state had condemned the framed building that had previously served as a school, according to local historian Joe Wards book North Freedom: The First 100 Years Continue reading
\nNorth Freedom schoolhouse had long history<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"