Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society
Pages of the Past                                                                                                                       

The first school house in Mt. Vernon was a frame building built in 1851. When the new stone school house was built in 1866, the first frame school was then used as a wood shed. In 1884, it was written in the newspaper that, "C. J. Lewis has improved the looks of our schoolhouse very much with a cupola and a nice bell is hanging inside, and if the children remain outside after school calls now, it is not because they didn't hear the bell. On Saturday evening the stage brought Miss M. P. Tierny, of Madison, who has been engaged to teach the fall term of school here." At a meeting in 1887, the need for another new school house was discussed. A motion was made to build a new school house, but the motion lost. Not until July 18, 1910, did a motion to build prevaile. They voted to raise $5000.00 as a building fund. Dr. H.A. Sharpe and S.E. Foye were appointed as the building committee to act with the school board. Ed Pierce was the clerk, and he was instructed to procure building plans. The mason work was to be done by Charles Erfurth and S.E. Foye. The Kleven Bros. were given the contract for the building. The well at the school had been drilled in 1898.

Old records reveal that the teacher's wages in 1871 were $150.00 for the entire nine months of the school year. By 1947, the wages had increased to $2,025.00 for the same period of time.The teachers who taught at the Mt. Vernon School are fondly remembered by all of the residents of the town who were either pupils or parents. The following is a list of school teachers who once taught at the Mt. Vernon School; Alfred E. Brader, Reier Mikkelson, Libbie O'Conner, M.P. Tierny, Johanes Grinde, Lizzie M. Groves, Mrs. Tice, Viola Moore, Mrs. Lazarace, Hazel Onstead, the Harmin sisters, G. Marty, Roxie Boller, Walter Brink, Ernest Leuthi, Mrs. Julson, Clara Wittwer Strommen, James H. Smith, Annie M. Lee, Martin C. Hobbs, H.C. Michaelson, Alice Bjelde, Pearl Thousand, Margaret Lee, Jane Berge Doyle, Florence Andrews, Laura Norslien, and Lois Bayles, and others.

In spite of the fact that the new school house had two rooms, only one room was used for grades 1 through 8. The second room was used for music, art and extra curriculum activities. The school was the local center for plays, programs, debates, Mother's Club meetings, socials and teacher's meetings. The children attending this school were very fortunate. They had a huge playground across the highway in the Mt. Vernon Forest of Fame park. There was also an annual "play day" held every year in which all of the children from nearby schools got together for scheduled games and events. When the Mt. Vernon school district became consolidated into the Mt. Horeb school district in March of 1963, the Mt. Vernon School was sold for a family residence.

In the late fall of 1964, the La Follette Heights elementary school opened for its first student class. The school was situated on Highway G, south of Mt. Vernon. It was part of the Mt. Horeb School System. Elementary age children from Mt. Vernon went to school at La Follette Heights, and upon graduating from La Follette Heights they then went to the Mt. Horeb High School. The La Follette Heights School was closed in 1981, and now all ages of school children from Mt. Vernon attend classes in Mt. Horeb.