Holland School

 Located at the corner of State Road #252 and Holland Road, this single room brick building served as a work place for many outstanding teachers over the generations.  Among them were Kate WINSCOTT, Alfred DEFFNER, Maryrose QUICK, Helenrose HOELKER SELM, and Cora HARROP STEGNER.  Interestingly, Cora STEGNER had attended this very school as a student as she had lived with her parents on a farm immediately east of the school.  The SELMS, the HINES twins (Marvin and Melvin), ESTRIDGES, MEYERS, MARCUMS, KRUTHAUPTS, KOCHERS, RATZS, FRIES, and GLOECKNERS all attended here at one time or the other.  Marvin HINES, one of the twins, went on to Marion College and graduated from there.  He became a professor of physiology and has now retired from Indiana Wesleyan University, the successor to Marion.  The other twin, Melvin, became a farmer and is now currently retired from that occupation.

Arnold FRUITS also attended here, and it became his responsibility to start the school fires on cold mornings and to open the doors for early arrivals.  He was also expected to look after the school grounds.  He was paid the magnificent sum of $0.25 weekly for his efforts.  This somewhat less than generous sum came out of the teacher’s pocket, as no provisions for janitorial work were included in the trustee’s budget.  Mrs. Linda FRUITS SCHNITKER, daughter of Arnold FRUITS, is today a teacher at the Mt. Carmel junior high school.

The late Frank BURGEI operated a school hack and daily transported six or eight pupils to and from their home and school.

                                                                                                Elmer E. Peters, MD,

May 21, 1995