School: Unity, Sunshine Elementary
Poster: Dorene Newman
Email: ddnewman@webtv.net
 

HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE SCHOOL

The granary which sets on the Leo and Carl Domer farm today was the original "Sunshine School House" built about 100 years ago. The original site of the building was 1/2 mile east of the Domer farm, or on the corner now owned by the Thomas Clugston family, which is four miles West of Unity and 1/2 mile south. the new Sunshine School built on the corner four miles west of Unity on Co. Trk. "K". was erected in 1896 by local farmers. Pictures found of the school in 1907 show Mable Cook, teacher (supplied by Mrs. Bernard Newman and show below), one of the inside of the school about 1912 (supplied by Carl Domer). The school was consolidated into Riplinger Soo Grove school that fair Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Neuman purchased the building in 1955 and-remodeled, it into a home, where Mr. Neuman lives today.

Mrs. Antoinette Casey was one of two teachers who last taught in the Sunshine School. After teaching for eight years, she went to Colby where she taught eight more years. Mrs. Casey remembers riding to school on horseback. Because there were no facilities for the horse to stay, she would send it home and the family car would pick her up in the evening. On one occasion, someone saw the riderless horse, and thinking that the rider must have fallen, tried to take the horse back. The horse, however, was very persistent and went his way, home. (Written by Mrs. Duane Neuman).

(excerpt from the Unity Township Centennial Newspaper, 1974)

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