Wilcox School in Ravenwood Park Restored

 The Wilcox School has recently been restored to its former state. It is the schoolhouse that is located in the Ravenwood Park south of the ball diamond. Numerous community volunteers and businesses donated goods and services to restore the building. Several people had old books, desks, and the blackboard from the school, which they donated.

The current park was built in 1976. In 1980, Fred Jackson bought the old school building, which was in a state of disrepair. He donated it to the Jackson Township Boosters, who decided to haul it from its rural location to its present location. They had to haul it through fields, and a road leveler had to go ahead of the school to level off the terrain. Fences had to be cut, and then fixed again once the school building passed through. Trees had to be cut in order to allow it to pass through; in one case, a tree hadn’t been cut enough and caught and ruptured the fuel tank on the truck that was hauling the school. In one case, a low water crossing had to be built in order to haul the school across a creek. 

The school was built in 1882. Classes actually started in 1880, with A.R. Potter being the first teacher from 1880 to 1881. Mr. & Mrs. Willis Wilcox sold the land for the school for $35, which was paid off in 1889. George Wilcox built the current building. 

The rules for schools statewide were simpler. Terms had to be for 8 months. Teachers had to have 10+ hours of professional training after completing high school. Each school had to have 200 books, 4+ sets of supplementary readers, 50 ag bulletins, a standard set of reference books; teachers had to attend teachers’ meetings regularly, schools had to have 3 or more framed pictures from well-known artists, they had to have musical instruments for the children, they had to have a pure water supply, playgrounds had to have at least two pieces of playground equipment, they had to host at least four community events a year, there had to be proper seating, and there had to be a complete set of maps.

The last class for Wilcox was in 1956-1957. Loree Jackson was the teacher; students were Barbara Madden, Ellen Madden, Carole Madden, Rodney Russell, Marvin Frear, Karen Meyer, Judy Stoner, Terry Stoner, Lacy Stoner, James Meyer, and Gail Russell.