News: Clark Co. – 1st Wis. Public Teacher (Seminar - 2015)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Saemann, Quinney

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 7/29/2015

Wisconsin’s First Public School Teacher (Reed School - 2015)

Karyn Saemann, author of the new addition to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Badger Biographies Series for young readers, “Electa Quinney: Stockbridge Teacher,” will read and talk about her book this Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015, at 1 p.m. at the Reed School Historic Site in Neillsville. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow. Visitors young and old will also have the opportunity to tour the one room school.

Electa Quinney loved to learn. Growing up in the early 1800s in New York, she decided early on she wanted to become a teacher so she could pass her knowledge on to others. But life wasn’t simple. Electa was a Stockbridge Indian, and her tribe was being pressured by the government and white settlers to move out of New York State. So in 1828, Electa and others in her tribe moved to Wisconsin.

Almost as soon as she arrived, Electa got to work again, teaching in a log building that also served as the local church. In that small school in the woods, Electa became Wisconsin’s very first public school teacher, educating the children of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians as well as the children of nearby white settlers and missionaries.

Electa’s life provides a detailed window into pioneer Wisconsin and discusses the challenges and issue faced by American Indians in the 19th century. Through it all, Electa’s love of learning stands out and her legacy as Wisconsin’s first public school teacher makes her an inspiration to student of today.

Author Karyn Saemann is a former newspaper reporter and editor, who works as a freelance writer, editor and reviewer. She and her husband, whose family is, enrolled members of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, live in Deerfield with their two children.

Reed School is located at the intersection of USH 10 and Cardinal Ave, Neillsville. For more information, contact Reed School c/o H. H. Bennett Studio in Wisconsin Dells at 608-253-3523 or email at reedschool@wisconsinhistory.org.