Education and Resources
Cemeteries, Rural Schools & Gasconade County Landmarks
Places We Love
Scenes from Gasconade reflect a culture of people, their daily lives, and the environment in this rural county. The major towns are unique in their history, landscapes, and buildings. Rivers are dominant features at Hermann, Fredericksburg, Gasconade, Mt. Sterling, and in farming areas near Owensville, but the rolling hills create the beautiful landscape with vibrant colors in fall, a multitude of greens in spring, and lush growth of trees in summer. Creeks abound creating playgrounds for children of all ages on summer days. Lake developments furnish homes with scenic views and recreation. Vineyards have become a new agriculture for the county with a dozen wineries and vineyards to support them. Traditional agriculture is evident in bottom land with grain crops, and hill land with cattle.
Cemeteries in Gasconade County
Cemetery records are an important source of information for genealogists. The GCHS Cemetery Survey lists burials in Gasconade County. This survey, published in 1985, contains inscriptions from gravestones in many cemeteries. Large city cemeteries, namely Hermann, Owensville, and Bland, as well as church cemeteries and family cemeteries, are included.
Cemeteries are sacred places and visitors need to be sensitive to local customs. If researchers want to visit a family cemetery, they should obtain permission from the current land owner.
Gasconade County Cemetery Survey can be obtained by contacting the Gasconade Historical Society using the Store with this web site or visiting one of the facilities in Owensville or Hermann.
Rural Schools
Much of what we know about early schools in Gasconade County is from Goodspeed's 1888 History of Missouri. His information is taken from court records and school trustee reports. From this account, we get a fascinating picture of what it was like to teach in and attend a Gasconade County school in the 1800s. Much additional research has been compiled in recent years.
The first action taken in Gasconade County by the county court in reference to the schools was on April 16, 1821, when Philip P. Boulware, William Clark, Joseph Morrow, William Hughs, and James Kegam were appointed commissioners of the public lands allotted to Gasconade County for the benefit of the public school. In 1831, Robert Rollins, Sandford Bachus, and James Jett were trustees of the first school district in Gasconade County, and in July, Sandford Bachus received $48.00 belonging to this district, the first reference to a school fund found upon the records.
Hermann has always taken great interest in the success and efficiency of her schools. August 7, 1839, a committee was appointed, consisting of William Pommer, T. Leupold, and D. Widersprecher, to examine Mr. Hume as to his knowledge of the English and German languages, and the examination being satisfactory, Mr. Hume, on the 12th, was appointed teacher of the town school on the following conditions:
That he obey the instructions of the trustees of the town.
That his salary for the present shall be not less than $350 per annum.
That he shall attend school from 9 am to 12 pm and from 2 to 4 pm in the winter, and from 6 to 10 am and from 2 to 4 pm in the summer; no school to be held Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
That he give instructions in reading and writing the German and English languages, grammar, arithmetic, history, geography, and drawing.
That the school commence on the 26th of August, 1839.
School books were to be furnished by the town, and sold to the parents of the children at cost price. There were to be bought 100 copies of Wilmsenn's Kinderfreund, 50 copies of Webster's spelling books, $10 worth of common writing paper, quills, and inkstands. A stove suitable for the schoolhouse was ordered in St. Louis, and a blank book for the purpose of registering the names of the children. It was then decided that large scholars should attend in the morning, and small ones in the afternoon.—Goodspeed, 1888 History of Missouri
These grade schools were listed in Gasconade County in 1925. They are (with district number): Peace Valley #2, Hermann #3, Morrison #4, Gasconade #5, Coles Creek #6, Frene Creek #7, Lower Little Berger #8, Upper Little Berger #9, Peace Hill #10, First Creek #11, Stolpe #12, Hoppe #13, Lange #14, Pershing #15, Upper First Creek #16, Swiss #17, Roth #18, Richmond #19, Willimann #20, Stoenner #21, Weidemann #22, Lost Hill #23, Mud Creek #24, Pin Oak #26, Bay #27, Neese #28, Drake #29, Lone Grove #30, Pleasant Hill #31, Kiehl #32, Goerlish Ridge #33, Mt. Sterling #34, Neese #37, Old Woollam #38, Manda #39, Wisemann #40, Rosebud #41, Excelsior #42, Morgan #43, Owensville #44, Boettcher #45, Barbarick #46, Old Bland #47, Bland #48, Canaan #49, Lone Ridge #50, Oak Grove #51, Tea #52, Warren #53, Tayloe #54, Burchard #55, Island #56, Weller #57, Cleavesville #58, Cross Roads #59, Grace #60, Long Ridge #61, Collier #62, Hamby #63, Persimmon Pond #65, Red Bird #67, Oak Forest #68, and Highland #70.
In May 1949, the Gasconade County Board of Education called for the formation of three re-organized school districts, R-I, R-II, and R-III. At the election, R-II and R-III in the southern part of the county passed, but R-I failed. It was approved in 1958. With this, country schools passed out of existence.
