News: Spencer History – School Hot Lunch

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Parrette

Source: Spencer Centennial Book (1874 – 1974)

Spencer School had its first hot lunch program in the winter of 1910-11 when Polly Parrette became a ninth grade student, walking to and from her farm home. Each noon she presided at the open door of the old pot-bellied stove. As per instructions, each youngster emptied the contents of his lunch pail (a 2 quart syrup pail) on his desk, removed the meat from the sandwich, put it back in the pail where it was placed by Polly on the hook end of the long stove poker and held over the fire until it became sizzling hot and ready to be replaced on the bread. Country mothers began to wonder why their children had taken such a liking to beef, especially the leftover round steak, and the principal began to wonder why the room smelled so smoky upon his return each noon.