By Dr. Ferrell Miller, Geary County Historical Society Researcher
History Is Made Here: A Review of the Early Days of Public Schools in Geary County
This author and Dr. Mary Devin have been researching and compiling information to be published in a book titled An Annual Timeline of Innovation and Promise in the Geary County USD 475 School District 1980-2004. It will be a follow up to another book, Project Heritage, which recorded the history of schools from the beginning of schools in Geary County until 1980.
While doing the research on the current book, an article written in 1984 was discovered. It is as follows:
"Some details of the first school days in Junction City were recorded in the 1921 Junction City High School Yearbook. Ella McKay wrote most of the following information in that yearbook about the early schoolhouses, students and teachers.
Our first public school had its beginning during the second year of the Civil War (1862). Junction City had been incorporated in 1859, and during this time subscription schools (private, locally operated schools) filled the needs. Charlotte McFarland deserves the honor of having been the first teacher in Junction City.
Her first efforts were directed to the children of her neighbors whom she invited to her home and instructed for hours each day without any remuneration. Her school was so successful that she was soon employed to teach all the children in the little village. They walked to her home one mile west of town. Each morning, she prepared her one 12 by 12-foot room by taking out the bed and putting in benches, then at night the benches were removed again for living.
After some time, this room became too small, and it was found necessary to find a more spacious one. In turn she used the room over the jail at Eighth and Jefferson streets, a room in the old City Hall at Eighth and Madison streets, and a room on Sixth Street, two doors west of Washington.
Later a room over Taylor’s Store on the corner of Fifth and Washington was fitted up and a public school inaugurated with a Mr. Davidson in charge, assisted by Mrs. McFarland. This was called District No. 2.
Two years later the school was over the store near Sixth and Washington. This room was used just at the close of the Civil War (1865). The town was thrown into great excitement one day over the news that a four-year-old colored child had entered school. A few days later the building burned. As this was the only available room for school purposes, the school was effectually stopped, and the colored youngster didn’t go. Two years later a school as opened for colored children.
In May of 1866, bonds were voted and a committee appointed to secure a site and arrange for the building of a schoolhouse. The people of the town were astonished when work began on a building where the residence of J.C. Ziegler located at 501 W. Walnut, which at that time was in the country, since there were no other houses south of Fifth Street.
This building was used for seven years during which time about $300 was required each year to repair damage done during vacation. But it never entirely filled the needs of the town as there were children who could not walk such a distance.
In 1870 the Board purchased lots on which to build a schoolhouse for the perpetual use of white children. On a lot just east of the courthouse, a school for colored children was built and used for six years. In 1873 the McKinley School (present site of the H.D. Karnes building) was erected for the perpetual use of white children. In 1877 colored children were admitted to all the grades with equal privileges.
"Source: Junction City Union, Sunday, September 2, 1984, by Kathy Brown George, Geary Museum Curator and Ralph Murphy.