The first school house was built on the farm of H. R. Stillman – stood about at 4342 Adair Avenue. Probably built in the 1870’s – a one room building. Here the folks gathered for Grange meetings, Spelling Bees, Singing School and Sunday School and Christmas trees.
School was held off and on during the year when the children were not needed to work in the fields – about 75 or 80 days of the year. Often school was closed because there was no wood for a fire or an epidemic of measles or diphtheria. On the last day of school the parents were invited to a program by the students and sometimes the pupils were given a little gift such as a pencil by the teacher. Town meetings and elections were held here. On January 9, 1887 there was no school – a tramp broke in the school house – burned the teacher’s Bible and a part of the scholars books – took the teachers watch. A few days afterwards, Mr. & Mrs. Stillman canvassed the town for money to buy Louise Kirkwood, the teacher, a watch. The community presented her with a gold watch a few days later – she was much surprised. School usually stared the middle of November – went till Christmas – started again in the middle of January going until the last of Feburary – starting again the last of April for a few weeks. The term never seemed the same any year. On October 8, 1904 Sidwells moved into Stillman’s old school house.
-This material was gathered from the North Hennepin Post and the diaries of Ellen M. Bisbee, (sister of J. P. Shumway and Nathan F. Russ J. P. Shumway). It was compiled and edited by Evelyn and Esther Shumway for a Robbinsdale Historiocal Society slide show in 1980.