1868 - pioneer school house- Jefferson & Ohio

Fred Karst in 1990 on the History of Culver's Schools

The first Culver school was built between 1898 and 1902.

Many think it was the grade school before it became the hotel. It was probably only two stories when it was the grade school.

Known to recent Culverites as the Osborn Hotel, the three-story frame building that stands as a landmark at the northwest corner of Ohio and Jefferson was called the New Culver Hotel in its heyday.

David Burns, now 81, recalls attending the first grade in the building in 1915 at a time when it was used as a school. The building at that time was only two stories high, Burns said.

The elementary school building, located about where the two-room addition is being built at Culver Elementary School, had grown crowded, and the school board had spent most of the available funds on construction of a high school. Consequently, Burns said, the first grade met in the former hotel building, and the second grade also used temporary quarters nearby.

Burns said that the building was constructed by a member of the prominent Osborn family -- the same man who built the Osborn Block in downtown Culver .

Burns believes it was built in 1902, although a Civil War veteran he knew claimed that it dated from 1898.

The hotel was remodeled by John Osborn, and during one period of reconstruction the third floor was added. High hopes for the building remained until fairly recent times. In February 1975, it was dedicated as the Osborn Center in honor of William 0. Osborn. It was planned as a center for senior citizens.

At the time when Burns was a student there, the first grade had a great many students, but enrollment declined in the higher grades, he recalled. Most students, he said, left school to enter the work force vafter 8th grade. Burns didn't leave school until after his sophomore year of high school, when he left to lay brick with his father. He continued in that occupation.

Some have said that it was later moved to the corner of Main & Jefferson on the southwest corner (now Heritage Park). Is was said to have been a residence for several years; later a hotel and eating house and last was converted and vused as a grocery store. It was finally torn down about 1926 to may way for the Hand Filling Station.

It is said that John Osborn [father of William O. Osborn] first bought the Exchange Bank as an investment, to start a hotel for flourishing Culver Military Academy business, Mr. Osborn then sold the bank to M. C. McCormick. The New Culver Hotel was situated on the corner of Jefferson and Madison [Ohio - unless location had changed over the years].

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This has surfaced in doing research and was published on 5 Mar 1919 in the Culver Citizen

1868 - pioneer school house of the town

The Carpenters have begun work on remodeling the Hand residence into a store [This is believed to be 101 S. Main St.

The building has a history, for the main part, 24X36, was originally built in the fall of 1868 - 51 years ago for a school house.



It stood in the center of what is now a street running north and south past the Hotel Culver, and a few rods north of the hotel corner. [Note this is a crop of the area from the 1906 Sanborn Map.



It succeeded the pioneer school house of the town which stood in about the same spot.

The older house was bought by the father [L. D. Wiseman] of Dr. Wiseman [Benjamin W. S. Wiseman], and moved to the corner where Henry Zechiel's house now stands and was remodeled into a dwelling. This building was moved again and is today occupied by the Adams family.

The new school house was built by a man named Lovett who lived on the John Sounders farm, and the first teacher was Muss Phoebe McIlrath who was succeeded by Adrain Foote. For some time the Methodist and Baptist denominations used the building for regular services.



This building was succeeded by the big two story structure which was remodeled 12 years ago into the Osborn hotel.



The substantial manner in which construction was done in those days is seen in the frame work of the Hand residence. The corner posts are 4X8, the sill 8X8 and the girder 4X8