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America’sFirst Kindergarten
150 years
1856 - 2006
Kindergartencomes from the German language. Kindermeans children andgarten means garden.
Inthe 19th century. Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) started the first kindergarten,Garden of Children, in 1840.
“Childrenare like tiny flowers; they are varied and need care, but each is beautifulalone and glorious when seen in the community of peers.”
FriedrichFroebel
First Kindergarten in America
painting by William E. Unger, 1956
Watertown Historical Society Collection
TheWatertown, Wisconsin, Historical Society, owners and operators of the famedOctagon House Museum and America’s First Kindergarten, paid special tribute tothe 150th anniversary of the founding of the kindergarten on Sunday, August 27,2006.
Theevent was held on the grounds of the historical society, located at 919 CharlesSt., Watertown, WI. The public wascordially invited to attend the afternoon festivities which included briefspeeches from Mrs. Jessica Doyle, wife of the Governor of the State ofWisconsin,
Elizabeth Burmeister, Secretary ofEducation for the State of Wisconsin, John David, Mayor of the City ofWatertown, Joel Kleefisch, State Representative, Dr. Doug Keiser, WatertownUnified School District Superintendent, as well as officials from the WatertownHistorical Society.
Thecelebration began at 2:00 pm and after the speeches therewasrefreshments and a chance to inspect the kindergarten museum building.
Thekindergarten was founded in America by Margarethe Meyer Schurz, wife of thefamousGerman-American statesmanCarl Schurz. Mrs. Schurz was a native of Hamburg, Germany, and as a young womanlearned the principles of the kindergarten from its creator, Friedrich Froebel[cross references[ 1],[ 2 ]. In the 1850s she came to London, where hersister had founded the first kindergarten there.
Whilein London she met and married Carl Schurz, then a fugitive from a Prussianjail. They came to America shortlythereafter and settled at first on the east coast and then in 1855 they came toWatertown where Carl Schurz had relatives.
Oncehere Carl began an active career in politics, while his wife set uphousekeeping. But she longed for something that would give purpose to her life,so she began a small kindergarten class inthe Schurzfamily home, which was at one time located at 749 N. Church St. in 1856.The Schurz home, known as “Karlshuegel” or “Carl’sHill” burned to the ground in 1912.
Theclass proved to be very successful, but the noise of the children was too muchfor her husband, so she was forced to move her class to a small frame buildinglocated originally on the corner of N. Second and Jones streets in Watertown. At the time the dwelling was being used as aprivate home by Carl Schurz’s parents.
It wasin this little building that the kindergarten took off. The original classnumbered only about five students, the Schurz children Agathe and Marianne, twoJuessen girls (cousins of the Schurz’s) andthelone boy Franklin Blumenfeld, son of the editor of the localGerman-language newspaper.
Mrs.Schurz ran her school through 1857 when the Schurz family moved toMilwaukee. The kindergarten continuedsporadically here, always operated as a private school, through the nineteenthcentury, finally becoming a part of thepublic schoolcurriculum after the turn of the last century.
Mrs.Schurz died from complications of child birth in 1876 and her remains arebelieved to have been transferred to her native Hamburg, Germany. Her husband,Carl, rose through the political ranks, first aiding Lincoln in his bid forpresident in 1860, then becoming a general in the Union Army during the CivilWar, later Secretary of the Interior under Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes andultimately he went to work in the publishing field. He diedin New York in 1906.
As forthe kindergarten building, after the Schurz family left Watertown, the buildingpassed through many hands, becoming a cigar factory, fish store and religiousbookstore. Inthe 1920s a local women’s club, the Saturday Club, erected a memorial marker todesignate the historical significance of the building. Then in1956, exactly 100 years after thefounding of the kindergarten, the little building was in danger of beingrazed. It was through the efforts ofMrs. Rudy Herman and Gladys Mollart of the Watertown Historical Society thatthe structure was saved and moved to the grounds of the Octagon House, where itnow rests. It has been open to thepublic since 1957.
___ 1837 __________________
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
01 261937 article <> One hundred years ago a German schoolmaster namedFriedrich Wilhelm August Froebel opened in Blankenburg the world's firstkindergarten. Lonely, eccentric Friedrich Froebel, who had left school at atender age to become a forester's apprentice because his teachers thought him adunce, believed that children were "young plants needing to be nurturedcarefully." In the garden of his private academy, which gave thekindergarten its name, Teacher Froebel supervised the play of his neighbors'children in a systematic manner[1], until hissocialistic and irreligious leanings moved the Prussian authorities to closethe school.
Thatbroke Friedrich Froebel's heart, he died soon afterward. Last week fell not only the centenary of thekindergarten but Friedrich Froebel's birthday, and 750,000 restless U. S.kindergarteners had to sit still on their little red chairs long enough to hearhis story.
First U. S. kindergarten was started in 1856 in Watertown, Wis. by Mrs.Carl Schurz, wife of the famed Thuringian revolutionary who became Lincoln'sMinister to Spain, Hayes's Secretary of the Interior and the first German-borncitizen to sit in the U. S. Senate. Undersuch auspices the kindergarten soon attracted philanthropists. Phoebe AppersonHearst, mother of William Randolph, opened one for the children in herhusband's mining community at Lead, S. Dak. and financed the Parent-Teachers'Association mainly to promote the kindergarten movement.
Ayoung teacher in San Francisco's dismal Tar Flat section named Kate DouglasWiggin (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm) made the kindergarten popular in one of herfirst tales, The Story of Patsy. When the Atlantic Monthly damned thekindergarten as "a joy saloon," spunky Miss Wiggin flashed: "Ilike the name. Anyone who has seen, as I have, the dreary tenement rooms inwhich many children live would be glad to give them little tipples ofjoy." [Another generous early patron was Boston's Mrs. Quincy Shaw, who atone time kept 30 kindergartens going. Once a youngster who was asked "Whois itbrings the flowers adorning earth anew?"promptly piped "Mrs. Shaw."]
Nolonger a philanthropy, the kindergarten has steadily penetrated the U. S.public school system since St. Louis opened one as an experiment in 1873 underSuperintendent William Torrey Harris, who as
U. S. Commissionerof Education (1889-1907) saw kindergartens established in more than 400 U. S.municipal school systems. After Depression retrenchments in 52 cities,including Chicago, Commissioner John Ward Studebaker's U. S. Office ofEducation made the Froebel Centenary a happy birthday by reporting thatkindergartens, with budgets, were on the upgrade, are now available to 30% ofthe nation's 5-year-olds.
Time Magazine, May 03, 1937
Crossreference notes
[1]Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the greatest architects of the modern era,acknowledged thatFroebellearning sets of blocks played a role in the development of hisarchitectural thinking. His motherprovided him with these blocks at an early age with the hope that he might oneday become an architect. Even as anadult, Wright often used the Froebel blocks as a "scratch pad" duringthe design process.
“Theseprimary forms and figures were the secret of all effects (…) which were evergot into the architecture of the world”
–Frank Lloyd right, who play-learned much from playing with Friedrich Froebel’sblocks.
LincolnLogs are an American children's construction toy consisting of square-notchedminiature lightweight logs used to build small forts and buildings. Theywere invented around 1916 by John Lloyd Wright,secondson ofwell-known architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
___ 1856 __________________
MARGARETHEMEYER SCHURZ ESTABLISHED AMERICAS FIRST KINDERGARTEN IN 1856 AT WATERTOWN
Shehad studied in Hamburg, Germany with Fredrich Froebel, originator of thekindergarten, and opened her school soon after she came to Watertown.
___ c.1857 __________________
CAKESFORFIRST KINDERGARTEN KIDS
In the 1850's that outstanding statesman and soldier, Carl Schurz,settled in our community and came regularly to the mill, driving in from hishill-top home, theKarlshuegel of today, on thenorthern outskirts of the town, taking with him the flour for the little cakesso eagerly awaited by the children in his wife's kindergarten. This was the first school of its kind to beestablished and maintained in the United States. Derivedfrom the booklet"The Globe MillingCompany, Watertown, Wisconsin, 1845-1945."
___ 1858 __________________
SCHURZ’SLEAVE WATERTOWN
TheSchurz’s left Watertown in 1858 when Carl was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar andbegan to practice law in Milwaukee. He spoke on behalf of President AbrahamLincoln during the 1860s and went on to be Secretary of the Interior. Margarethe Schurz died at age 44 inWashington D.C. in 1876, three days after the birth of a son. After the family’s departure, others tookover the kindergarten in Watertown: Carl’s cousin, MissJuessen, followed by Mrs. Rose Kunert and Mrs. Kunert’ssister, Tante EllaKoenig who ran it as a privatekindergarten for 42 years.
___ 1861 __________________
HOBOKENACADEMY / Hoboken, New Jersey
FIRSTIN-SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN IN THE U.S.
In 1861thefirst school in the country to offer kindergarten classes as part of itscurriculum was the Hoboken Academy. The class began on February 11th, 1861 with 77 students inattendance. In addition, Hoboken wasalso home to the first teachers’ pension. Read on to learn all about the veryfirst in-school kindergarten in the United States, located right here inHoboken, New Jersey.
___ 1887 __________________
KINDERGARTENHELD IN TURNER HALL,MISS IDA KOENIG, TEACHER
___ 1898 __________________
04 18 KINDERGARTENCONDUCTED IN TURNER HALL (lower level)
Underauspices ofthe Turner Society
___ 1900 __________________
KINDERGARTEN HELD IN TURNER HALL,MISS ELLA KOENIG, TEACHER
___ 1901 __________________
KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL IN THEST. PAUL'S SCHOOL HOUSE
Watertown Gazette, 04 12 1901
Miss Ella Koenigwill open her kindergarten school in the St. Paul's school house on 6th Street[?] next Monday. Parents having smallchildren to send to school will do well to place them inhercharge.
___ c.1913 __________________
EARLY KINDERGARTEN CLASS, WATERTOWN
___ c.1928 __________________
click to enlarge
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___ 1929 __________________
UNVEILING OF MARKER / MRS. CARLSCHURZ HONORED
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HeimsehrGrocery, 1940s. First Kindergartenlocation marker on right
Watertown Gazette, 05 09 1929
Last Thursday night a very large number of ourcitizens and many from nearby places, were present at the unveiling of themarker at the southwest corner of North Second and Jones streets, erected bythe Saturday club in honor of the Mrs. Carl Schurz of this city, who conductedthe first kindergarten school in country at that corner in the building nowoccupied by CharlesHeimsehr and his sister. The boy scouts had charge of the unveiling ofthe marker, and kindergarten pupils scattered rose petals about the stone. The pupils of the three kindergarten classesunder direction of their teachers the Misses Adelia L. Siegler, FlorenceBrownlee and Harriet Blakely, gave a series of dance games, which delighted allpresent, and the High School band gave a fine musical program. Mrs. E. E. Fischer, president of the Saturdayclub presented the tablet and the granite marker to the city, and AldermanGeorge W. Block of the city council, made the acceptance speech, the mayorbeing unable to be present on account of illness. Joseph Schaefer, superintendent of the StateHistorical Society at Madison, was the principal speaker of the evening’sprogram at the Elks club, and Miss Hilda Schneider of the High School facultydirected a vocal program by the High school glee club. City Attorney R. W. Lueck was master ofceremonies.
Among other things in his address Mr. Schaefer said:
“Beginnings of great movements are always interestingand since the kindergarten has grown into a tremendous system of education forthe children, the fact that the movement had its American origin in Watertownought to prompt citizens of this town, especially, to feel proud.”
He said that he had spent muchtime in reading, looking up records andinpersonal investigations and has satisfied himself that in honoring Mrs. Schurzas the founder of the movement in America that honor is not misplaced, that thekindergarten here was the first one in America and that its influence hadbrought about the kindergarten system in this country.
Little isactuallyknown of her when one compares it with what is known of her illustrioushusband. Coming from a relativelywealthy family, brought up in luxury and comfortable surroundings, with everyadvantage, it is to her credit as a pioneer that she consented to come toAmerica, and especially to what was then the great undeveloped west. She did so reluctantly, to be sure, but onceshe had arrivedhere she made the best of it. Although she always did long for Europe, shenevertheless played her part as a leader in this territory and her influencehas been great. Her need for occupationand love of children induced her to start a kindergarten class here.
He praised the citizens of Watertownand the members of the Saturday Club especially for their great interest inperpetuating the memory of Mrs. Schurz. The bronze tablet on the granite stone contains the following . . .
MEMORIAL MARKER ERECTED ATORIGINAL SITE
03 02 1929 <>TheSaturday Club erected a memorial marker to designatethe historical significance of the building.
___ 1931 __________________
“TANTE ELLA,” PIONEER OF KINDERGARTENS, DIES
25Jan 1861 -- 28 Jun 1931 (aged 70)
Took over kindergarten founded byMargarethe Schurz
Watertown,Wis.-Miss Ella Koenig, 70, known to three generations of Watertown children,many of whom attended her private German kindergarten, as "TanteElla." died at her home here Monday of heart disease. "Tante Ella" conducted herkindergarten for 42 years.
In1876 "Tante Ella" Koenig took over the private kindergarten foundedby Mrs. Carl (Margarethe) Schurz in 1858 and ran it continually until1918. The kindergarten of Mrs. Schurzwas the first in the United States.
Cross reference: 1903, circa,Miss (Tante Elle)Koenig’s kindergarten class
Fornearly half a century Watertown people who wanted their children to acquire aknowledge of the German language sent them to "Tante Ella," whopermitted only German to be spoken in her classes.
Whenonly 15, Miss Koenig began working with children as an apprentice of Mrs. RoseKunert in Watertown's first public school building and continued until theWorld War made the German language unpopular. Scorning to teach any language but her native German. "TanteElla" closed her school rather than change to English. She has lived in retirement since 1918.
It wasGerman games that the children played in "Tante Ella's" school andGerman songs that they sang. Neverattempting to follow the modern trends in education, she patterned her schoolas closely as possible after the kindergartens she herself had attended inHamburg, Germany, where she was born.
Thestrict German tradition that she always maintained in her classes appealedstrongly to Watertown parents, many of whom had themselves attended schoolsvery much like "Tante Ella's" in the fatherland.
Herlast school was a little one-story, one-room frame building on Sixth St., muchlike the older rural schools, to which a dozen or more children came everymorning to greet their teacher in precise German and answer courteously thequestions she asked them. There theylearned old school German manners and customs. Her school was a bit of nineteenth century Germany transplanted totwentieth century America.
"Tante Ella" came to the United States with her parentswhen she was 6, and the family settled in Watertown while she was still achild. Shelivedhere ever since.
PARENTS:LouisaMuhlberger Koenig & Robert Koenig
Illfor more than two months, she died of a heart attack. She is survived by one brother, Hugo, ofWatertown. Her only other relative, abrother, died four years ago.
Milwaukee Journal, Tuesday, June 30, 1931
___1936 __________________
FLOAT IN WATERTOWN CENTENNIAL PARADE
July 4th, 1936
___ 1938 __________________
WATERTOWN PARTICIPATION INNATIONAL AIRMAIL WEEK
In celebration of the twentiethanniversary of the advent of airmail, Franklin D. Roosevelt's PostmasterGeneral James Farley established National Airmail Week for May 15-21, 1938 tocelebrate and promote the fact the U.S. Postal Service moved mail reliably andwith speed.
Every citizen was encouraged toparticipate in the week's celebration by sending an airmail letter. In addition, each town was invited to createits own "cachet," a commemorative design to mark the event printed or stamped onthe envelopes mailed that week.
RecognizingProgress: The 1938 Celebration of Airmail Week, online article
___ 1943 __________________
STATEHISTORICAL EXHIBIT FEATURES FIRST KINDERGARTEN
08 01 <> More than acentury of progress in the three Rs in Wisconsin dramatized in the educationalexhibition which opens today at the state historical museum.
Theexhibit,tracing the growth and development of education in the Badger state, has beenarranged by Mrs. Ruth Harris,new assistant curator ofthe museum. According to the exhibit,Wisconsin’s early schools were conducted at military posts as early as 1816 byprivate tutors. Milwaukee had the earliestpublic school taught in 1836-37 by Edward West. Although admission was open to the children of thegeneralpublic, some tuition was charged. In Beloit, a land company as early as1837 provided a free school for the children of the settlers. Green Bay is behaved to have had a publicschool in 1840 although it was short-lived. Labor unions and the Working Man’s Party were the chief backers in theearly 1830s of the then radical idea of free schools for everyone. By free.schools early Wisconsin generally meant the type of education that waspracticed in New York where public money was not sufficient to pay alleducation costs, and parents were assessed to make up the deficit . . .
. . .The exhibit also pays tribute to Margarethe Meyer who became Mrs. CarlSchurz. Mrs. Schurz established Americasfirst kindergarten in 1856 at Watertown. She had studied in Hamburg, Germany with Fredrich Froebel, originator ofthe kindergarten, and opened her school soon after she came to Watertown. –The Capitol Times, 0801 1943
___ 1948 __________________
FLOAT IN STATE CENTENNIAL PARADE
Thefloat also featured in Watertown’s Memorial Day parade.
Watertown’s float in the state centennialparade at Madison on Saturday attracted a great deal of attention and evokedmuch favorable comment. The floatportrayed a garden scene, with Mrs. Carl Schurz, the teacher and founder of thefirst kindergarten, surrounded by her pupils.
The youngsters playing the role of thekindergarten pupils were, reading from left to right: Steven Kohls, son of Mr. and Mrs. LouisKohls, Richards Avenue; Mary Jo Hady, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Hady,River Drive; Marsha Wendt, daughter of Mrs. Evelyn Wendt, Concord Avenue; SusanKehl, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kehl, Richards Avenue; Bobby Bender, son ofMr. and Mrs. Milton Bender, Twelfth Street; Judy Ponath, daughter of Mr. andMrs. Victor Ponath, Concord Avenue; Donald Hartman, son of Mr. and Mrs. CharlesHartman, Harvey Avenue; Susan Jo Kressin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. GlibertKressin, Western Avenue; JaniceKuehnemann, daughterof Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Kuehnemann, (extreme right) played the role of Mrs.Schurz. The same youngsters and MissKuehnemann participated in the kindergarten scene in thehigh school centennial pageant. Thefloat was built by the Watertown Historical Society with funds provided by theWatertown Association of Commerce. MissGladys Mollart of the society had charge of the building of the float. All of the art workwas done by Mrs. Herbert Funk.
___ 1948 __________________
“CAVALCADE OF WISCONSIN,”PAGEANT
One of the scenes in the pageant,“Cavalcade of Wisconsin,” which is to be presented at the Watertown High Schoolauditorium tonight and Saturday night will recount the first kindergarten inAmerica which was established here by Mrs. Carl Schurz in 1856.
Above are shown JaniceKuehnemannas Mrs. Schurz and Harry Hird as Mr. Schurz, along with members of thekindergarten class, showing the group on its way to a picnic, and reading fromleft to right, Steve Kohls as Fritz; Susan Kehl as Marie; Judith Ponath asAnna; Marsha Wendt as Agatha Schurz; Robert Bender as Hans; Mary Jo Hady asHedwig; Donald Hartman as Carl, and Susan Jo Kressin as Trudy.
This picture was taken at yesterday’sdress rehearsal. Additional pictureswill be found on page four of theDailyTimes.
CROSS REFERENCENOTE: A Century ofProgress Cavalcade of Wisconsin: A Pageant Drama Based on Research in WisconsinHistory Through the Century, Ethel TheodoraRockwell, The Committee, 1948 - Historical drama - 81 pages.
CENTENNIALPAGEANT PREMIERE DRAWS CHEERS AT WATERTOWN
A bird comes flying in this old German game,played in a representation of the first kindergarten in America. The scene is from a pageant, “A Century ofProgress Cavalcade in Wisconsin,” being given Friday and Saturday nights byWatertown high and grade school pupils.
The role of Mrs. Carl Schurz is taken byJanice Kuehneman (rear). Clockwisearound the circle are Marsha Wendt, Bobby Bender, Donald Hartman, Mary Jo Hady,Steve Kohls, Judy Ponath, receiving the bird-borne message, Susan Jo Kressin,Susan Kehl.
Watertown, Wis. — The state premiere of the“Century of Progress Cavalcade in Wisconsin,” a pageant for Wisconsin’scentennial, was held here Friday afternoon. The audience was an enthusiastic auditorium full of school children.
Before the year is out, the pageant, writtenby Miss Ethel T. Rockwell, will be given in scores of celebrations throughoutthe state. Miss Rockwell, of Madison,centennial pageantry adviser and coordinator, wrote the drama for distributionto any Wisconsingroups which wished to mark theircelebrations with a pageant.
The 200-pupil cast of the pageant will giveits first performance to an adult audience at the high school auditorium Fridaynight. They’ll repeat Saturdaynight. For six weeks the high and gradeschoolers have been practicing under the direction of teachers.
The pageant consists of many scenes andtableaux, with narrators relating the stories. Some of the scenes, generalized so that they may be presented anywherein the state, concern the lumber industry, conservation, dairy industry,educational progress, government and the many war periods. Each community is expected to insert severalscenes ofstrictly local interest. Watertown’s concern was the firstkindergarten class in America in 1856 and the first graduation class ofWatertown high school 75 years ago.
Thepageant is being presented here to replace the annual high school senior classplay. Milwaukee Journal article
___ 1940s __________________
1940s
___ 1955 __________________
“FIRST KINDERGARTEN IN AMERICA” STAMP
01 26 1955 <> One of the importantissues confronting the Watertown Historical Society and its board of directorsat its annual meeting Monday evening at the Watertown Free Public Library iswhether or not it will be possible for Watertown to gain recognition sufficientto merit a “First Kindergarten in America Stamp” in 1956, when the centennialof the establishment in Watertown of the first kindergarten in this hemisphereby Margaret Meyer Schurz will be observed. The kindergarten was established by the wife of Carl Schurz in this cityin 1856. To date many localpersons have endorsed the movement since it was firstproposed some two years ago. It is saidthe matter falls within the scope of activities listed by the State HistoricalSociety of Wisconsin for local societies, namely: “Encourage the commemorationand proper observance of special historical events.”
Cross reference/related material: 02 131964. The U.S. Post Office Department again has declined to approve theissuance of a commemorative stamp in honor of Mrs. Margarethe Schurz, founderof America’s first kindergarten in Watertown. Congressman Robert W.Kastenmeier, however,was told that Mrs. Schurz would be given “very serious consideration” in theevent the department decides to issue a series of commemorative stamps in honorof outstanding educators. Referring tothe failure of the department to issue the stamp in 1956 on a significantoccasion,Kapenstein wroteKastenmeierthat “the ideal time to have issued the stamp was in 1956 on the 100thanniversary of the founding of the first American kindergarten in Watertown.”
WATERTOWN REGAINS CREDIT FOR HAVING FIRST KINDERGARTEN
03 31 1955 <> WASHINGTON [AP] Watertown, Wis. —not Boston – had America’s first kindergarten, the Library of Congress hasruled.
Rep. Davis (R-Wis) said Wednesday a report thelibrary made to him establishes that Mrs. Carl Schurz started the firstkindergarten in 1856 at Watertown for her daughter and children of her cousinsand neighbors.
In 1859, the report said, Mrs. Schurz met MissElizabeth Peabody in Boston and so inspired her that Miss Peabody devoted muchof her life to promoting kindergartens.
The investigation made by the Library ofCongress.’’ Davis said, “now definitely establishes not onlythat the first such school was in Watertown, but that it was Mrs. Schurz whoinspired Miss Peabody to make kindergartens her life work."
Davis said he is again asking the had PostOffice Department to issue a special kindergarten stamp for Watertown in 1956.
___ 1956 __________________
FIRSTKINDERGARTEN DISPLAY ON THIRD FLOOR OF THE OCTAGON HOUSE
Prior to the1957 moving of the Kindergarten building from 216 North Second Street to thegrounds of the Octagon House Museum
KINDERGARTENBUILDING TO BE MOVED
09 14 1956 <> Plans for Restoration MadeBy Historical Society
A representative group of members of the boardof directors of the Watertown Historical Society met last night in what mightbe termed a "jam session" in the club rooms of the Free PublicLibrary. As aresultan effort will be made to move and restore the old Kindergarten building fromits original site on North Second Street to the Octagon House grounds. The exact location of the building on thegrounds is yet to be determined. ByronWackett, president of the society, will be asked to appoint a committee to workon a plan.
Ralph Ebert, 128 Harding Street,had examined the building andbelievesthat the outer walls can be moved and kept intact. He found three outer walls consisting ofbrick, stucco and wood, which had been used in its construction. It was thought best to remove the bricks andstucco at the site and then restore its original frame siding at the grounds.
The north wall, roof and laths are in badshape as it has been allowed to deteriorate since theHeimsehrfamily used it as a store about 15 years ago. Mr. Ebert found hand-splitlaths and a roundedwooden ceiling with the plaster below which characterizes many of the earlybuildings. Mr. Ebertreferredthe boardto some contractor(s)inorder to complete the project.
Miss Gladys Mollart informed the board of anucleus restoration fund which is available and Mrs. Eleanor B. Jones, FortAtkinson,scribe for the Antiquarian Society ofWisconsin, volunteered the support of this organization in furnishing thekindergarten when it is completed.
LOCATIONPRIOR TO MOVE TO OCTAGON HOUSE GROUNDS
02 06 1956
216 North Second
PREPARINGTO MOVE TO OCTAGON HOUSE GROUNDS
12 14 1956
MOVED/ RELOCATED TO OCTAGON HOUSE GROUNDS
12 29 1956 <> The old kindergartenbuilding in which Mrs. Carl Schurz established the first American kindergartenin Watertown in 1856 was moved today to what will become its permanentlocation, on the grounds of the Octagon House, owned and operated as a museumby the Watertown Historical Society.
The building, which was at North Second [216]and Jones streets, was occupied for many years by theHeimsehrGrocery.
Its last occupant was the Ryan Store, areligious goods dealer. Rudy Herman,Lake Mills,was in charge of the moving.
Cross Reference: “Thebuilding business has been good tome and I have noregrets,” reflected Ralph R. Otto of Watertown after closing out hisconstruction business and ending a family tradition that spanned 70 years. As Otto stood on the family homestead wherean auction for his business equipment was held last week, his comments on pastbuilding jobs were reminiscent of pages in a local history book. As a building contractor in business with hisfather andlater on his own, he recalled the manyconstruction jobs he worked on around the city. Some buildings, such as the old Savoy Theatre downtown where Valley Banknow stands, have been torn down tomake way forprogress. Other jobs, such as the FirstKindergarten building, have preserved history for future generations. Hehelpedlay the foundation andreplaster the walls when thebuilding was moved from its original site downtown to the Octagon Housegrounds.
___ 1957 __________________
RESTORATION OF, AFTER MOVE
02 22 1957 <> Restoration of the firstAmerican kindergarten in Watertown will get underway in the spring as a projectof the Watertown Historical Society. Theoriginal building in which Mrs. Carl Schurz conducted her kindergarten classesafter launching the kindergarten in Watertown in 1856 was recently moved fromits original site at North Second and Jones Streets to the Octagon Housegrounds where it will remain as a permanent monument to the kindergarten movementin the United States. Plans call to restorethe building and to furnish it much as it was in the days when Mrs. Schurzconducted her classes in it.
SCHURZ KINDERGARTEN SCENE OF DEDICATION PROGRAM
09 16 1957 <> Delightful summer weatherbrought an estimated group of 300 people to attend the program for thededication of the Margarethe Schurz first kindergarten building recentlyrestored on the Octagon House grounds. The kindergarten itselfin the midst of age-oldtrees and golden tinted flowers formed the setting for the program. Stepping inside the kindergarten one wasimpressed with the pleasant scene of Mrs. Schurz and her first kindergartenpupils playing at Froebel's games and singing the songs that always accompaniedthe games.
Zeno Kreiziger, Johnson Creek, helped tocreate an early atmosphere by playing old time German favorites on hisaccordion. Here and there one could hearnative Germans speaking in the language of their country.
The Rev. Royal Shepard gave theinvocation. In hispreliminary remarks he told of his own interest in Carl Schurz caused by hisgrandfather's story of how he took his grandmother to see the unveiling of theCarl Schurz statue in New York.
Extends Greetings
Assemblyman Byron Wackett, president of theHistorical Society, as master of ceremonies, extended the greetings andappreciation of the local society. MissDoris Grube gave a beautiful rendition of "TheStarSpangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key. Later in the program she led the audience inthe singing of America.
Charles Kading, president of the City Council,in his welcome message expressed the appreciation of the city and its citizensto the Historical Society for the preservation of Watertown's heritage of thepast for present and future generations. President Byron Wackett paid the society's tribute to the followinggroups and individuals to which it is indebted for the completion of theproject. A plaque inside the door of thekindergarten lettered by Mrs. Eunice Gruner lists the following donors: The City ofWatertown, Edward G.Broenniman and family and theAntiquarian Society.
Gratitude must also beexpressed to Miss Gladys Mollart who almost single handed supervised the movingand restoration of the building.
The Saturday Club that pioneered in theperpetuation of the first kindergarten by erecting a marker at the originalsite was also cited. Miss Helen M.Reilly contributed photographs and personal mementoes obtained from her aunt,Ellen Flavin, who was a governess for the Schurz children in Hamburg, Germany.
The Antiquarian Society received specialcommendation for furnishing the kindergarten building with its curtains andsome Windsor chairs and kindergarten tables. The latter furnishings were obtained by society members in Milwaukee.
McNeil Is Speaker
The address of the day was given by DonMcNeil, assistant director of the StateSociety in theabsence of Dr. Clifford Lord, director: He extended the greetings of the StateSociety members to Watertown. Mr. McNeilshowed in his talk the relationshipof local historyto state and national history. Wheneversomething tangible is necessary to bring an event before the public Mr. McNeilsaid it always begins. with local history. The pattern is then followed by the county and state and nationalgroups. He commended the localpeoplewho through their vision andlong hours ofwork showed what could be done witha restoration. Itwill now be a place of interest for threegroupsnamely,schoolchildren,secondly, tourists and finallyadults to see theartifacts and rooms where history was made.
Mrs. Robert Liners, in periodic dress, gave aninimitable interpretation of Margrethe Schurz and the founding of the firstkindergarten. Miss Alice Krueger andMrs. Emily Scott delighted the audience with a presentation of last year'skindergarten children in a group of songs and finger plays. The presentation of the keyof the kindergarten to the society's president was made by akindergarten child. The localkindergarten teachers presented the first kindergarten building with abeautiful bouquet of golden and bronze chrysanthemums and mums. Adding greatly to the interior were twobouquets given by Mr. and Mrs. E. R.Broeniman ofScarsdale, N. Y.
Schurz Association Present
One of the largest groups present was the CarlSchurz Memorial Association whose members live in Milwaukee but who sponsor theCarl Schurz Memorial Park at Moose Lake, near Nashotah. Albert E.Faisswith his wife MargareteFaiss expressed the desire ofthe group to do something of a memorial nature for the kindergartenbuilding. Accompanying this group wasKarl Wilhelm Richter, Dusseldorf, Germany and HelmutRolansch,Moers, Germany, who recently entered the United States.
Noted in the audience was Zida Ivey,representing the Fort Atkinson Museum and Larry Kracht, theAztalanMuseum, Mrs. Bessie Reed, Beloit, Antiquarian Governor and her sister Mrs.Josephine Reed Warner.
Lending further distinction to the Schurzfamily was MarieJussen,Oshkoshartist whose father was a cousin of Carl Schurz. While in the city MissJussenwas the guest of Mrs. Frank Kellerman. Miss Jussen is a cousin of Mrs. Matilda Weber Dana, Fond du Lac, motherof Mrs. Kellermann. Mrs. John I. Haugan,Janesville, as BessieFoote brought out the fact thatshe attended the kindergarten conducted by Marion Forbes in the basement of theoriginal State Normal School, Oshkosh. It was a private paid kindergarten.
Telegrams Received
Telegrams of regret were received from StateSupt. of Schools G. E. Watson, Arthur R. Hogue, professorinthe University of Indiana, relative of Carl Schurz, Mr. and Mrs. E. R.Broeniman, the formera son of E.G.Broeniman, Scarsdale, N. Y., Jim Chichester, afriend, New York City, and Mrs. Meta L. Corbin, Chicago, relative of CarlSchurz.
The Historical Society wishes to extendits thanks and appreciation to all who attended. There can only be one dedication event in thehistory of every building and the one on Sunday will be of great significancein the years to come in tracing the founding of the first kindergarten inAmerica by Margarethe Meyer Schurz. 09 16 1957 Source:Milw Jour
___ 1958 __________________
PREPARE FOR OPENING
04 21 1967 <> Miss Gladys Mollart,curator of the Watertown Historical Society, Mrs. Ralph Ebert and Mrs. DonMabie are shown in the final phases of refurbishing the kindergarten exhibitsfor the May 1 opening of the Octagon House and First American Kindergarten.
Mrs. Ebert, lower right, is fitting a dress onthe kindergarten child she created withpapermache and other materials, which she refers to as the"sixth child.”
The other five figures of children wereacquired after the Wisconsin Centennial Exposition in 1948, where they wereshown in a replica of the first kindergarten in the United States.
The model used thenofMargarethe Meyer Schurz and the figure of one child was presented to theWisconsin Historical Society at Madison, the other five came to Watertown.
The Watertown Historical Society purchased amodel for Mrs. Schurz. Mrs. Ebert, unhappy because of the discrepancy betweenfive children's figures, and the actual six who attended this firstkidergarten, went to work with her materials and createdthe sixth child. Since that day, some years ago, she has felt aproprietory interest in getting her ready for the openingeach year.
Mrs. Mabie is shownatthe left and Miss Mollartat the right. Not present, Mrs. Armin Rohde who was thehairdresser for the dolls.
Hours of the opening on May 1 and for thebalance of the season will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including Sundays,and guides will be on hand to greet visitors at these times.
Cross reference note: Allmodels have been discarded
___ 1950s __________________
FIRST KINDERGARTENMARKER REPOSITIONED
. . . 90 degrees (in the late 1950s, assumed)
Moved so plaque is facing south instead of east
Move probably coincided with the time of the move of the kindergarten tothe Octagon.
___ 1960 __________________
FIRST KINDERGARTEN SKIT
12 22 1960 <> Miss Alice Krueger,Webster School teacher, is the author and director of a skit on the firstkindergarten in America established in Watertown in 1856, which is scheduled tobe presented on WISN-TV, channel 12, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve, at 6 p.m. Mrs. Robert Liners will portray the role ofMrs. Carl Schurz in the sketch. SixWatertown children will also appear in the cast. Theyare: Ann Bruce,StoreyHibbard, Kate Bloor, Susan Hines, Melanie Shepard and Jimmy Schwoch. All are pupils atWebster School. WDT
___1963 __________________
PAINTING BY EUNICE GRUNER
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Panel painted by Eunice Gruner for American Legion in 1963
___ 1964 __________________
CHILD’S WORLD MUSEUM PROPOSED
04 22 1964 <> Watertown, by reason ofhaving been the first city in the United States to have a kindergarten, shouldbe the one city in the world to havea child’s world museum. Such is the opinion of Dr. David C. Davis ofthe Department of Education, University of Wisconsin. Dr. Davis was in Watertown recently as theprincipal speaker at the annual Founder’s Day banquet of the Watertown U. of W.Alumni group, at the Legion Green Bowl. In his address, Dr. David went into considerable detail about theplan and it is certainly something Watertown should thinkabout.
___ 1965 __________________
REUBEN THWAITES GOLD CUP AWARDED
10 11 1965<> The Watertown Historical Society was given top state honors Saturdayin Madison at the 1965 Institute for Local History when it received the ReubenThwaites Gold Cup in recognition for its excellent work in restoring andmaintaining the famed Octagon House and First American Kindergarten inWatertown. Assembly man Byron F. Wackettis president of the Watertown society. The cup is shown in the above photo with Miss Gladys Mollart, thesociety's curator, and Mrs. Donovan Mabie, custodian of the Octagon House.
FIRST KINDERGARTENERS VISIT FIRST KINDERGARTEN
11 02 1965 <> Lincoln School Kindergarten pupils visited the firstkindergarten located on the grounds of the Octagon House. The children are contrasting schools of longago with the modern school in connection with an educational TV program whichthey view each week from Station WHA-TV in Madison. WHA-TV program to feature kindergarten. The two children are Misha Radish and Mary Semon.
ARTICLES (2) ON FIRST KINDERGARTEN
It was 161 years ago, give or take a few days,that a young lady by the name of Margarethe Meyer Schurz started an educationprogram for her daughter, Agathe, age 3, here in Watertown. That small step wasthe first kindergarten in the United States and now over a century and a halflater, our community is still known as the birthplace of the kindergartenmovement.
Because this first kindergarten was startedjust beforeChristmas we thought a little bit aboutthose early years might fit well today. Most of our readers know the basics,but this information originally published a half a century ago, offers a fewinsights about this remarkable woman. We’re using the information from anarticle in theDaily Timesa half a century agowhich was written bya ThomasPledgeand we will be editing it down some. So, here we go:
“Christmas gifts are especially for children.A good gift can stretch a child’s imagination, coax him to observe andconstruct, and point to an orderly structure in life.
“A lonely dark-eyed, German immigrant womanwho lived in abrand new state bestowed such a gift onmillions of American children now 161 years ago. In her native language thegift meant “children’s garden.”
‘The woman was Mrs. Carl Schurz, wife of a manwho was to become a famous American statesman, soldier and journalist. Her giftwas the first kindergarten in the United States, open to the children ofWatertown, Wis., just before Christmas in 1856.
“Like a good gift, the kindergarten of Mrs.Schurz was designed to awaken naturally the fresh facilities of a child. It was a pioneer venture in a new city and anew state carved from the virgin forests of the Northwest Territory.
“At the kindergarten children played withcolored softballs and blocks of various geometric forms, like the “educational”blocks so familiar today.
“They sang songs together and collected itemsof interest on nature study walks. Itwas remarkably like kindergarten today. It was also a radical departure from the puritanical, ear-bendinginstructed on youngsters in the public schools of the day.
“Margarethe Meyer, a 16-year-old when shefirst discovered “a new education theory” espoused by Friedrich Froebel,studied under him at Blankenburg, Germany, in the world’s first kindergarten.
“Later Margarethe left for London where sheworked with her sister in the first kindergarten on English soil. In London shemet and married red-haired Carl Schurz, a young, ambitious attorney who hadfled his native Germany to escape the penalties for his antigovernmentactivities.
“Schurz and his 25-year-old wife came to theUnited States in 1852. Many of Schurz’s relatives had migrated to the new stateof Wisconsin, then one of the western areas of the nation.”
They considered living in Milwaukee butultimately decided on Watertown, “a new city about 30 miles to the west on thewestern terminus of the plank road.
“Schurz purchased a large tract of propertyabout one mile north of town, built a German style villa home and sent for hiswife, who was staying in Philadelphia. She arrived in the fall of 1856.”
We’ll go into a little more detail in the nextcolumn. Watertown Daily Times
_____________________________________
Last week we wrote about Margarethe MeyerSchurz and the fact it was 161 years ago just before Christmas that she startedan education program for her daughter, Agathe, age 3, here in Watertown. Thatlittle class of one was the start of the first kindergarten in the UnitedStates.
The column followed her early years inAmerica. Her husband, Carl Schurz, purchased a large tract of property on thenorth side of the city, about a mile from the downtown area. On the land he hada German style villa home built and then sent for his wife, who was living inPhiladelphia until the home was ready for occupancy.
That home was located on the hill just southof Union Pacific tracks that cross North Church Street, and on which somehousing units have been constructed. The original Schurz home was destroyed byfire decades ago.
That’s where we left the story last week.
_____________
Well, once Margarethe startedthe kindergarten for little Agathe, it didn’t take long andother relatives and neighbors in the city wanted their children enrolled in theclasses.
Margarethe set up a kindergarten room in theliving room in the home of her in-laws whichwas located inthe center of the city. She later heldkindergarten in a small building which was located at the southwest corner ofJones and North Second streets. That building was later moved to the OctagonHouse Museum grounds where it’s part of the experience for those who visit theOctagon House. Thatoriginal locationat Second and Jones is marked with alarge stone and plaque.
Margarethe, in an 1859 trip to Boston,interested Elizabeth Peabody in the kindergarten idea and it was largelythrough her work that two decades later the concept of the “children’s garden”was incorporated into the public school system.
In 1867, when her third daughter, 2-year-oldEmma Savannaha, died, Margarethe, her health weakened by grief, left for Europewith Agathe and her other daughter, Marianne. They stayed there for about twoyears, returning to live in Washington, D.C., after her husband, Carl, had beenelected to the United States Senate. In 1871, a son, Carl Lincoln Schurz, wasborn, and in 1876 a second son, Herbert, was born. Two days after his birth, onMarch 15, 1876, Margarethe Meyer Schurz, the founder of the kindergartenmovement in America and one of Watertown’s most famous women, died at the ageof 43.
Today, Schurz Elementary School, on the city’ssouth side, is named in honor of her contributions to education in America.And, it all started about 161 years ago, nearly to the day.
Margarethe’s husband was well known inpolitical circles and although they were inWatertowna relatively short period of time, his contributions to the country wereenormous.
Carl served as minister to Spain, having beenappointed to that position by President Abraham Lincoln but was also a UnitedStates senator from Missouri, his adopted state.
He also was editor of the New York Post, oneof the largest publications in that city at thetime, andwrote editorials for Harper’s Weekly.
He served in the Civil War as a brigadiergeneral and then was promoted to major general. He fought in the battles ofChancellorsville, Gettysburg and Chattanooga and in 1865 served with Gen. W. T.Sherman’s Army in North Carolina. Carl Schurz died in 1906 at the age of 77.
Soboth of them were famous in their own areasand both were one-time residents of Watertown.
WDTimes, article 1; article 2:
http://www.wdtimes.com/features/in_times_square/article_7b077a7c-afd1-11e5-946d-bbf03c7b4f0c.html
http://www.wdtimes.com/features/in_times_square/article_e15b840a-aa52-11e5-97be-f3740830ad22.html
___ c.1965 __________________
WELCOMING SIGNAGE
700 Block of North ChurchStreet / Near NW corner of North Church and Margaret streets
___ 1967 __________________
MODELSOF CHILDREN AND MARGARETHE
Preparing for opening
0421 1967 <> Miss Gladys Mollart, curator of the Watertown HistoricalSociety, Mrs. Ralph Ebert and Mrs. Don Mabie are shown in the final phases ofrefurbishing the kindergarten exhibits for the May 1 opening of the OctagonHouse and First American Kindergarten.
Mrs. Ebert, lower right, is fitting a dress onthe kindergarten child she created withpapermache and other materials, which she refers to as the“sixth child.” The other five figures ofchildren were acquired after the Wisconsin Centennial Exposition in 1948, wherethey were shown in a replica of the first kindergarten in the United States.
The model used thenofMargarethe Meyer Schurz and the figure of one child was presented to theWisconsin Historical Society at Madison, the other five came to Watertown. The Watertown Historical Society purchased amodel for Mrs. Schurz. Mrs. Ebert,unhappy because of the discrepancy between five children’s figures, and theactual six who attended this first kindergarten, went to work with hermaterials and created the sixth child. Since that day, some years ago, she has felt a proprietary interest in gettingher ready for the opening each year.
Mrs. Mabie is shownatthe left and Miss Mollartat the right. Not present when this picture was taken wasMrs. Armin Rohde who was the hairdresser for the dolls.
N.B. When comparing pictures of now with that of1967, the figures we have today appear not to be the same as those from 1948,most likely having been replaced over time. Yet even those of today are showing their age.
ROTARY, KIWANIS AND LIONS TO PROMOTE KINDERGARTEN
03 25 1967 <> Watertown’s three service clubs —Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions today announced plans to join in a new campaign toadvertise Watertown as the home of the first American kindergarten. The three clubs will share the cost of suchpromotion. A new type of bumper stickerwill be utilized to call attention to the kindergarten established here in 1856by Margarethe Meyer Schurz, wife of Carl Schurz, theGerman-Americanpatriot, statesman, general, editor, lecturer and writer. The campaign is designed to promote Watertownas a place of historical significance and a city to visit. The stickers will be ready for distributionin about three weeks.
“MARGARETHE MEYER SCHURZ, A BIOGRAPHY”
12 06 1967 <> “Margarethe Meyer Schurz, a biography” authored byHannahWerwathSwart, and published by the Watertown Historical Society, was introducedFriday at a tea at the home of Miss Gladys Mollart, curator of the OctagonHouse and First Kindergarten. The book,which is available at Minar’s Office supplies, the Yarn Shoppe, and from MissMollart, carried a foreword by Elmer C. Kiessling, professor at NorthwesternCollege, and acknowledgments by Lee Block, president of the WatertownHistorical Society. The 15 chapters inthe slim volume will be of particular interest to Watertown residents and thosewho have visited the first kindergarten on the Octagon House grounds. The biography begins with Margarethe Meyer inher girlhood home in Hamburg, Germany, takes the reader from the kindergartenin Hamburg to Miss Meyer’s meeting with Carl Schurz, a Bonn University studentdestined to become a leader in American political life, to the family’s arrivalin America and Watertown, their life here and the establishment of the firstAmerican kindergarten. It portraysWatertown in the 1850s and is generously illustrated with historical pictures,several through the courtesy of Miss Helen Reilly, Watertown.
___ 1969 __________________
MOLLART HONORED FOR EFFORT
0628 1969 <> A reception will be held at the Octagon House on Sunday, July20, with Miss Gladys Mollart, curator of the Octagon House, as the guest ofhonor. There will be special music from2 to 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and light refreshments will be served. It is hoped that many people, especiallythose who may not have visited the Octagon House recently, will wish to do sothat day. Miss Mollart, a charter memberof the Watertown Historical Society, helped formulate the original articles andby-laws of the organization in 1933. Since 1945 she hasbeen incharge of the Octagon House as curator. In November 1948, Miss Mollart was singled out by the WatertownHistorical Society for a pledge of gratitude for her untiring activity. In connection with the Octagon House, andespecially for the development of the First Kindergarten as it was portrayed inthe State Centennial parade in Madison, and at the women’s building at theState Fair Park in Milwaukee during the State Centennial celebration. These efforts resulted in the StateHistorical Society giving the kindergarten figures to the Watertown HistoricalSociety. These figureshad been specially designed and made for the occasion andare the ones now in use in the First Kindergarten building.
___ 1970 __________________
May AMERICA’SFIRST KINDERGARTEN SIGNAGE
___1972 __________________
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESNOMINATION
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
___ 1975 __________________
WISCONSIN BICENTENNIAL MEDALLION
America’s First Kindergarten commemorated
___ 1989 __________________
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED INKINDERGARTEN, Robert Fulghum, 1989
___ 1992 __________________
FIRST KINDERGARTEN PRINT CARRIED ONSPACE SHUTTLE
<> AMERICA’S FIRST KINDERGARTEN <>
EST. 1856 IN WATERTOWN, WI
CARRIED ABOARD THE SPACE SHUTTLE “ENDEAVOR”
COMMANDED BYCAPT. DANIEL C.BRANDENSTEIN, MAY 7, 1992
___ 2006 __________________
Roots of KindergartenFirm in Watertown
KINDERGARTEN HAS BEEN IN THE CITY FOR150 YEARS
06 28 2008 <>Webster Schoolkindergartners scurried around the First Kindergarten building playingolden day games and learning about Margarethe Schurz. The event was held in celebration of the150th anniversary of the First Kindergarten. Watertown Daily Times, 06 28 2006
DIGNITARIES ATTENDANNIVERSARYEVENT
08 28 2006 <>Kindergartenanniversary brings out state dignitaries Watertown Daily Times, 08 282006
COMMENTARY
08 29 2006Thispast Sunday Watertown and area residents came to the famed Octagon Housegrounds to pay tribute to the 150th anniversary of the first kindergarten inthe United States.
It wasfitting that this ceremony be held at the site that now houses that firstkindergarten building which was first used for that purpose back in 1856 byMargarethe Meyer Schurz. Although for much of her life she was overshadowed bythe political legend of her husband Carl, it was her contribution to Americaneducation that has elevated her to prominence in that field.
Kindergartenstarted as a rather small program for two of the Schurz children and a coupleneighbor children in this wild territory known as Watertown. It was only 20years after this community was settled that her contribution to education wasstarted.
Sincethat time, kindergarten expanded throughout the country and years ago becamethe standard offering in' all schools, public and private. Today the program has expanded so far it isnow offered in forms we're sure Margarethe never even imagined -pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten and even 4-year-old kindergarten. All of theseprograms are extensions of what this remarkable lady accomplished back in 1856.
WhileMargarethe and her husband, Carl, called Watertown their home only a few yearsa century and a half ago, the marks they both left on Watertown are indelibleand are forever part of our community's rich heritage.
Thefact that Elizabeth Burmeister, Wisconsin superintendent of public instruction,took the time to be at the anniversary program places special emphasis on theimportance this tool is in the educational community.
Watertownand Margarethe Meyer Schurz are famous because of this novel program that isnow 150 yearsold but it is the generations ofchildren who have passed through kindergarten who have benefited the most.
Ourcongratulations and appreciation go out to the Watertown Historical Society andall those who worked hardto, make this celebrationsuccessful. WatertownDaily Times, commentary, 08 29 2006
150TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT / ImagePortfolio of
Linkto online portfolio
CharlotteGroth
Mayor John David
Jessica Doyle, Wife of WI Governor
Elizabeth Burmeister, Sec of Education
Douglas Keiser, School Superintendent
JoelKleefisch, State Representative
___ 2009 __________________
First Kindergarten video, YouTube
___ 2018 __________________
08 15 NEWYORKER MAGAZINE ARTICLE ON EDUCATION
August15, 2018article by Dan Kaufman forNew Yorkermagazine on the current political landscape in Wisconsin, including the issueof education. Articleincludes reference towriter’s visit to FirstKindergarten on the grounds of the Octagon House Museum:
OnSaturday, I visited a white clapboard house in Watertown, the site of the firstkindergarten in the United States. Now amuseum, the school was founded in 1856 by a German immigrant named MargaretheMeyer Schurz. Schurz had studied withFriedrichFröbel, the founder of the original kindergarten(“children’s garden”), in Blankenburg, Germany, in 1837. “The kindergarten is the free republic ofchildhood,”Fröbel once wrote.
Thatspirit is on display in the little one-room museum, where you can hear arecording of children singing “Kommtein Vogelgeflogen” (“A BirdComes Flying”), one of the songs that Schurz’s first students sang. Her school lasted only a couple of years inWatertown, but the kindergarten movement quickly spread. In 1882, Milwaukee become the second-largestAmerican city, after St. Louis, to offer free kindergarten as part of a publiceducation.
Earlierin the week, Ihad spoken with Evers about Schurz’skindergarten, and about Wisconsin’s place in the history of education inAmerica. He considers himself a defenderof thisheritage, and believes his path to victorylies in reclaiming the trans-partisan pragmatism that once defined Wisconsin’spolitics. “You don’t have to be ahistorian to remember that progressivism wasn’t necessarily Democratic orRepublican,” he told me. [link to New Yorker article]
Dan Kaufman is the author of “TheFall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and theFuture of American Politics,” which was published in July. Dan Kaufman of Brooklyn, New York, is aWisconsin native whose work has appeared inThe New York Times MagazineandThe New Yorker.
___ 2019 __________________
06 21 PAINTINGINTERIOR CEILING AND WALLS
___ 2020 __________________
10 05 WHITEHOUSE PROCLAMATION ONGERMAN-AMERICAN DAY
MargaretheSchurz and First Kindergarten in American noted
___ 2023 __________________
-- -- NEWINTERIOR DISPLAY
Link toYouTube video clip
___ 2024 __________________
08 28 INTERACTIVECLASSROOM TO BE ADDED
TheWatertown Historical Society is launchinganexpansion project that will add an interactive classroom to the site. Thisnew space, connected to the original schoolhouse by a breezeway, will allowstudents to engage with the same types of toys and learning tools used by thefirst kindergarteners in the U.S.
<PORTFOLIO OF PICS
CrossReferences:
FRIEDRICH FRÖBEL
Facebookpage dedicated to Friedrich Froebel.
Articleon First Kindergarten, mentions Webster School
WATERTOWN’S FIRST KINDERGARTEN COMPARED TO BOSTON’S
01 30 1960 <> The Sheboygan Pressnotes founding of German-speaking kindergarten to that of English. “The honor of Watertown, as well as theentire state of Wisconsin, must be restored.”
WATERTOWN’S FIRST KINDERGARTEN COMPARED TO OSHKOSH’S
In 1871, Oshkosh State Normal School, ateacher-trainingschool was established. It becamethefirst school of this type (normal school) in the nation to have a kindergarten;Professor Rose C. Swart introduced practice teaching in 1872.
MargaretheMeyer Schurz – A Biography
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Thebook “Margarethe Meyer Schurz – A Biography” by HannahWerwathSwart has been reprinted by the Watertown Historical Society and is nowavailable in e-book format.
E-BOOK:
play.google.com/store/search?c=books&q=margarethe+schurz
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[1] Kids have never spent less time playingoutside . . . https://communique.uccs.edu/?p=140792
Table ofContents
History of Watertown,Wisconsin
Index
Elizabeth Burmeister, Secretary ofEducation for the State of Wisconsin, John David, Mayor of the City ofWatertown, Joel Kleefisch, State Representative, Dr. Doug Keiser, WatertownUnified School District Superintendent, as well as officials from the WatertownHistorical Society.
