Salem School District No. 4

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Salem School District No. 4 in Washington County. Now settle in, because this story starts the way all the good Texas ones do: with land, a church, and somebody willing to build something that lasts. Back in 1858, a man named William Bohne gave two acres of land to the trustees of Salem Lutheran Church.

Not for profit, not for trade. For a church and a schoolhouse. Then in 1867 he gave another two acres for a second church building.

And when that second building went up, you know what happened to the old one? It became a schoolhouse and a parsonage. That old church house kept right on working.

Salem Lutheran Church itself had been organized in 1865, and from those roots the early schools of Salem grew. The subjects were writing, arithmetic, spelling, and religion, and they were taught in both German and English. For a stretch of time, the school board itself was writing its minutes in German, right through from 1896 all the way to 1913.

Then in 1914, the minutes switched to English, and kept going that way until 1960. That is a paper trail across two languages and a whole lot of seasons. By 1880, Salem School was going by the name School Community No. 33.

Six years later, in 1886, the church members voted to open the school to the public. Now it was known as the Salem Community Public School, and it was being instructed by the church pastor himself, Reverend F. Jesse.

Meanwhile, a fellow named William Wehmeyer was petitioning to open more schools in the area. He got Salem Community Schools No. 27 and No. 34 opened in 1889 and 1891. Then in 1895, he donated land from the Nelson Smith League to the school trustees.

He wasn't done contributing. He was building something. By 1914 a second room had been added to the school, and more land from the Nelson Smith League came in through William and Hannah Kemper.

A survey done in 1918 recorded Salem as a two-room school with two teachers and seven grades. Modest on paper. But what was coming next was anything but modest in commitment.

In 1919, a man named John H. Addicks started teaching at Salem. He would serve as both principal and instructor for forty-four years.

Forty-four years. That is not a career, that is a covenant. Now, in 1909, schools had been combined into districts, and that reorganization created Salem District No. 4.

The school had a name, a structure, a purpose, and eventually, a long run of consolidations that would tell the final chapter. The Wonder Hill School closed in 1954. Its students were bused to Salem for two years.

Then Salem itself was consolidated with Pleasant Hill School. And Pleasant Hill, that last anchor in the community, closed in 1987. Its students went to Brenham Independent School District.

The marker calls it what it was: the end of more than a century of education in the community. From two acres donated by William Bohne, to a two-room schoolhouse, to forty-four years of John H. Addicks showing up every morning, to a final bus ride to Brenham.

Salem School District No. 4 didn't just teach reading and arithmetic. It taught a community what it meant to keep something going, right up until the day it couldn't.

What the marker says

Early schools of Salem were created through the organization of Salem Lutheran Church is 1865. Two acres of land was given to the Salem church trustees by William Bohne in 1858 for the establishment of a church and schoolhouse, and another two acres for a second church building in 1867. The old church house remained as a schoolhouse and parsonage. Writing, arithmetic, spelling, and religion were taught both in German and English at the time. School board minutes were written in German from 1896-1913, and then later in English from 1914-1960. In 1880, the Salem School was called School Community No. 33. In 1886, church members voted to open the school to the public. Known then as the Salem Community Public School, it was instructed by the church pastor, Reverend F. Jesse. A second room was added to the school by 1914 and land from the Nelson Smith League was added from William and Hannah Kemper. A 1918 survey recorded Salem as a two-room school with two teachers and seven grades. Longtime head teacher, John H. Addicks, started teaching in 1919 and was both principal and instructor for 44 years. William Wehmeyer petitioned to open Salem Community Schools No. 27 and 34 in 1889 and 1891, respectively. He then donated land from the Nelson Smith league to the school trustees in 1895. In 1909, schools were combined into districts created Salem District No. 4. Eventually the community school districts began consolidating when the Wonder Hill School was closed in 1954. Its students were then bused to Salem School for two years, at which point, Salem was consolidated with the Pleasant Hill School. Pleasant Hill School closed in 1987 and students were sent to Brenham Independent School District, reflecting the end to more than a century of education in the community. (2017)