The Log Schoolhouse

Near this spot, facing the Indian Trail, the village’s first public school was erected in 1834. Built of logs, its floor, desks, and benches were constructed of lumber floated down the river from Bellevue’s sawmill. Warren B. Shepard, the first teacher, had a dozen pupils. The pioneers paid eighty dollars for their schoolhouse, using it also for religious services, debates, and other meetings. Sometimes friendly Potawatomi Indians dropped in to watch the strange doings.