čina by published thursday september 16, 2010 silver lake...

Pavuč ina Corner – By Tony Kadlec Published Thursday September 16, 2010 Silver Lake Leader , Silver Lake, Minnesota Page 1 of 6 Kadlecovi.com Pavuč ina Corner – By Tony Kadlec THE KOMENSKY SCHOOL HOUSE On August 20, 2009, the Komensky school house would become the fifth landmark in McLeod County, Minnesota to be added to the National Register of Historic Places ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Minnesota#M cLeod_County ). This building formerly housed the students of school District No. 11, but it was not the very first school building for this district. Komensky School House at intersection of County Road 4 and County Road 79 between Silver Lake and Hutchinson, McLeod County, Minnesota. Photographer: Jack Renshaw, 1972. The first District No. 11 school house was built in Hutchinson Township , on County Rd. 79, in Section 26. Wencel Pessek donated a corner of his homesteaded property for the building, which was destroyed by fire. A wooden one ‐ room school house was built where the Komensky School now stands. The first written record of District 11 was in 1876. Budget for the school year: cash on hand‐ $5.68, monthly wage for teacher ‐ $30, general repairs of the building ‐ $10. By 1911 over 100 pupils were enrolled. At a special school district meeting an addition to the wooden building was discussed, but voters decided to build the present two‐ room brick school. Total construction cost was

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Page 1: čina By Published Thursday September 16, 2010 Silver Lake ...kadlecovi.com/documents/2010_SL_Leader_September_16.pdfPavučina Corner – By Tony Kadlec Published Thursday September

Pavučina Corner – By Tony Kadlec Published Thursday September 16, 2010 Silver Lake Leader, Silver Lake, Minnesota

Page 1 of 6 Kadlecovi.com

Pavučina Corner – By Tony Kadlec

THE KOMENSKY SCHOOL HOUSE

On August 20, 2009, the Komensky school house would become the fifth landmark in McLeod County, Minnesota to be added to the National Register of Historic Places (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Minnesota#McLeod_County). This building formerly housed the students of school District No. 11, but it was not the very first school building for this district.

Komensky School House at intersection of County Road 4 and County Road 79 between Silver Lake and Hutchinson, McLeod County, Minnesota. Photographer: Jack Renshaw, 1972.

The first District No. 11 school house was built in Hutchinson Township , on County Rd. 79, in Section 26. Wencel Pessek donated a corner of his homesteaded property for the building, which was destroyed by fire. A wooden one‐room school house was built where the Komensky School now stands. The first written record of District 11 was in 1876. Budget for the school year: cash on hand‐ $5.68, monthly wage for teacher ‐ $30, general repairs of the building ‐ $10. By 1911 over 100 pupils were enrolled.

At a special school district meeting an addition to the wooden building was discussed, but voters decided to build the present two‐room brick school. Total construction cost was

Page 2: čina By Published Thursday September 16, 2010 Silver Lake ...kadlecovi.com/documents/2010_SL_Leader_September_16.pdfPavučina Corner – By Tony Kadlec Published Thursday September

Pavučina Corner – By Tony Kadlec Published Thursday September 16, 2010 Silver Lake Leader, Silver Lake, Minnesota

Page 2 of 6 Kadlecovi.com

$5,272.50 and included a full basement and furnace, two classrooms on the first floor, also a library and manual training room.

Naming of the new District 11 building was decided on July 20, 1912, at the annual district meeting when John Urban suggested Karel Jonas, and James Zavoral suggested Jan Komensky. A written vote resulted in Jonas – 7, Komensky – 13. The cornerstone of the building was set on July 18, 1912

John Drahos purchased the old school for $80, with terms stating he pay cash in seven days and remove the building from the site. The old school remained in a pasture northeast of the Komensky school until it was destroyed for residential buildings. The Komensky school was in operation from 1912 to spring 1959, when mandatory consolidation forced District 11 to join the Hutchinson district with a few merging with the Silver Lake district. The Západní Česko‐Bratrská Jednota (ZČBJ) (or Western Bohemian Fraternal Association in English, now referred to as WFLA), purchased the brick school in 1959 for $300. It is now used for meetings and social activities. After considerable interest was shown in having a District 11 reunion the first Old Timers picnic was held June 14, 1953, with over 300 persons in attendance at the Komensky School, and so the tradition goes on…

The following historical newspaper articles document the interest and excitement surrounding the dedication and establishment of the Komensky School House back in 1911‐1912.

Source Material for This Article A special thanks to Ann (Plihal) Hahn for providing a copy of the application materials that was submitted to the United States Department of the Interior National Parks Service and resulted in the placement of the Komensky School House on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.

Your Komensky Memories? If you have any memories of the Komensky community, please send them to me by email: [email protected] or call me: (651) 271‐0422 or send your letters to my attention: 1408 Fairmount Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105. Děkuji! Tony Kadlec