District No. 27 – Woodbury School / Gille School – Washington County Historical Society

The Woodbury School in 1954.

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District No. 27, Woodbury/The Gille School
DISTRICT FORMED	1869 and 1873
YEARS SCHOOLS BUILT	N/A
GENERAL LOCATION	6 miles southwest of St. Paul near Woodbury.
MODERN ADDRESS	located at Old Afton Rd. and Courtly.
DISTRICT BOUNDARIES	The border with Ramsey County marked the western boundary and the district stretched about 3 miles to the east in the southwestern region of the state.
DISPOSITION	Now razed
NOTES	Before 1869: First school was the parsonage of the German M.E. church and some private homes. 1869: School built. 1873: New school built, replaces old one. There was no pump at the school. Water was carried from the neighboring farm. Grades K-8 According to the Rural School News, The Gille School studied much about Indian life, and even had pow-wows. Until 1910 each teacher had 30-40 students. It declined afterwards so that later only one teacher was needed. Enrollment: 1898: 62. 1899: 51. 1938-25. 1939: 24. There were two rooms in the newer school building, which allowed the district to split grades and have two teachers. It was the only school in the area that had two teachers.
MEMORIES:	“One Christmas, we were invited to the Pieper home to perform for Mrs. Pieper who was an invalid. They had a large home and the entire school body took part. Mrs. Pieper enjoyed it very much, especially one play in which her daughter had the leading role.”-Elfrieda Brustman

Known Teachers:

1873-4:Alexander Oldham
1892-3: Miss Agnes
1894-5: Miss Kenyon
1898-9: Louise Chilton, Laura Mahle
1931-2: Elfrieda Zibell Brustman
1932-3: Elfrieda Zibell Brustman
1933-4: Elfrieda Zibell Brustman
1934-5: Elfrieda Zibell Brustman
1938-9: Margaret Olson
1939-40: Margaret Olson

Other teachers: C.E. Rose, W.C. Doyle, George Pilgrim, H.J. Bebermeyer, Mrs. Homberg, Margaret Funk, Clara Kernkamp Mahle, Covena Bach, Esther Baab, Jeanette Garbe Schilling, Clara Bach, Sarah Bothe, Laura Mahle Kernkamp, Annie McHattie, Rose Kruse, Gertrude Austin Bielenberg.