Orchard's Historical Society Applies For Improvement Grant

By Natalie Bruzon
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Orchard’s Historical Society has been approved for a grant which will help make repairs to the Country School House. 

Pat Larson, president of Orchard’s Historical Society, said the school house is not only an interesting place to learn about local history, but also an educational tool for teachers. 

“(Students) have come down and visited the schoolhouse. Sometimes teachers bring the second graders down and let them go through it,” said Larson. “They let students look at the ABC cards that are up and the old maps. They can also look at the desks that the kids use to sit in, the old water thing, where you use to have the water and you had your little cup, or dipper, that you drank out of.”

The old schoolhouse was moved into town over ten years ago. Although it’s still functional, the repairs are much needed. 

“People can visit it, it’s just the roof is starting to get old,” Larson explained. “Its got the old wooden shingles on it, and they’re starting to break up and blow off and they’re starting to leak in a couple places. So they’re going to redo the bell tower and put a new roof on it. And, depending on how much the grant is for, we might be able to put siding on it.”

Although the schoolhouse hasn’t been used for decades, a couple Orchard high school graduates still remember attending school there. 

“John Eley graduated from that school and so did Betty Menning,” said Larson. “Well, they didn’t graduate, but they went to grade school in there, up to 8th grade when it was out in the country.” 

The schoolhouse is now cared for and owned by the Historical Society. It’s a neat place for Orchard residents to remember the history of this town. 

Although the school house remains locked, anyone wanting to visit can do so any day of the week. 

“Cliff Erb here in town, at the hardware store, has a key,” said Larson. “Anyone who wants to go through it can stop by at the hardware store and Cliff will either go with them or he’ll call me or MJ Schleusener to go down and show it. We’ve had quite a few people stop in and look at it.”

Those who wish can also visit the Rex Theatre, another historical building in town. 

“At the Rex, they’ve taken all the class pictures from the school, from the very first one in the early 1900s when the kid started graduating from Orchard High School,” Larson said. “They’ve got all those class pictures put up there in folders, and they keep putting them up year by year. We’re now up to where 2015 should go in this spring and next spring 2016 should go in. SO they’ve got old class pictures and also old trophies.”

The Historical Society also holds monthly luncheons at the Rex Theatre, with anywhere between 40 and 60 people in attendance every month. 

Larson applied to the grant for the schoolhouse repairs in conjunction with Julie and Deb Eley. 
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We applied to the grant between me and the Eley girls,” explained Larson. “We kind of went together for the historical society and put in that grant. We talked to Caroline Peterson down at the courthouse down there. And we talked to her and she said she thought everything should go through. And MJ, she’s our secretary, and she just got another letter on that and my name is on it. So I’m going to go up and I’ll sign it tomorrow and she’ll send it back in.”