Thursday, August 20, 1927

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   Lyons, Aug. 19. - The centennial of the erection of the cobblestone school house in District 6, known as the Jackson school, will be marked by a reunion tomorrow.

    Among the early settlers in the community was Dr. Cyrus Jackson, who located about five miles southwest of this village in 1800. He was married and lived in a log cabin until 1821, when he constructed a more pretentious house near the site of his former home.  This house, built in 1821, and now owned by Paul Seiling, stood with practically no reconstruction until two years ago when the siding began to give way on account of age and the outside was shingled.

    In 1831 children in the neighborhood of the Jackson settlement began to reach school age and the problem of constructing a school house was brought to the consideration of the settlers. In March, 1831, Hugh Jameson of Lyons, then commissioner of common schools, called a meeting of the residents of the neighborhood at the home of Dr. Jackson. At that meeting a school organization was effected by electing Christopher Myers, Peter Ackerson and Reuben Penoyer as trustees, Dr. Jackson, clerk and Peter Lott, collector of taxes.

    At this meeting it was decided to erect a school house. The plans provided it should be of cobblestone laid in lime and the building was 24 feet by 26 feet. The district was known as District 6 of Lyons and Arcadia, as the property is located partly in the two towns. The total cost of masonry and carpentry was $137.  The school opened that summer with Clark Mason of Lyons as teacher. The tuition charged was that each family should furnish one-half a cord of wood split and ready to burn for each child sent to the school. The wood was used for heating the school house. As Dr. Jackson had ten children, it will be seen that he had to skirmish around and have five cords of wood ready. 

    Miss Carrie E. Jackson and Aaron Jackson, grandchildren of Dr. Jackson, still reside on the farm adjoining the school house which has always been known as the "Jackson School House," being named at its erection in  honor of Andrew Jackson, then President  of the United states, between whom and Aaron and Miss Carrie Jackson there is a well defined line of family relationship.

    Today, 100 years after its erection, this little school house is still performing the duties for which it was built. The stone walls, two feet in thickness, in places show a slight separation, but aside from this and new siding from the roof to the stone wall, all remains as when first erected, even to the beams laid upon the stone walls.