Early Summit County Schools

On March 7, 1862, Henry B. Wilde took the oath of office as County Selectman and afterwards the court proceeded to divide the county into school districts. (County Court records.)

School districts were numbered as follows: Heneferville—Number 1, Coalville—No 2, Wanship—Number 3, Peoa—Number 4, Kamas—Number 5, Park City—Number 6, Upton—Number 7, Hoytsville—Number 8. James Woolstenhulme presented a petition for a new school district known as north Kamas school district. On September 23, 1871 a petition was forwarded by Ward E. Pack and thirty-three others to change the division lines between Kamas and North Kamas. (This petition is on page 105 of County Court records).

Over the schools in Summit County was a Superintendent. Each school district of the County had three school trustees whose duty was to: have charge of the schools; build school houses; hire teachers; and furnish needed equipment. Books were purchased and owned by the patrons of the school. One reading book would be passed from one child in a family down the line until the books were so mutilated that it was a rare occasion to have a lesson where all members of the class had the pages in their books. Sometime after 1900, books were furnished by the school board. Around this time more rooms were added to the school houses until communities had two or even three teachers. As spring farm work opened up, the older children were taken out of school for farm work and did not start in the fall until after the seasonal farm work was finished.

The County Superintendents who assisted in the administration and gave examinations to teachers were paramount to the progress of the schools. The following men were early superintendents in Summit County:

Alonzo Winters; John Boyden (1883 to 84); Charles Mills (1883 to 84); E. H. Rhead (1883 to 84); A. S. Seward (1885 to 86); F. E. Merrill (1887 to 88); O. C. Lockhart (1889 to 90); Charles A. Short (1891 to 1892); D. S. L. McCorkle (1893 to 1898); Frank Evans (1899 to 1900); Clarence Blocker (1901 to 02); Walter M. Boyden (1903 to 06); Oscar Wilkins (1908 to 11); and George Cooper appointed by Commissioners to fill the unexpired term of Oscar Wilkins and James Kearns from 1912 until 1913 when the County was divided into three School Districts.