Newspaper Clippings for
March, 1922
2 March 1922
Peter Fisher, Sr., Former Resident,
Dies in Kenosha
Peter Fisher, Sr., 73 year old, county superintendent of schools
in Lake county between 1881 and 1889, died at his home in Kenosha
at 6 o'clock Friday afternoon, following an illness of the last
six months with heart disease.
Mr. Fisher was an educator and lawyer, was prominently and
favorably known through the middle west. After his final term as
county superintendent in Lake county, he moved to Kenosha and
became active in the practice of law.
Mr. Fisher was born in Somerville, N. J., September 21, 1848,
being a son of Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Fisher. In 1851 the family
moved west, spending that winter in Kenosha. The following spring
they moved to Antioch where they purchased the famous Fisher farm
which still remains in the family.
Mr. Fisher was educated in the rural schools, later attending
high school in Waukegan. In the spring of 1865 he enlisted in the
151 Illinois infantry, and was in command of that unit when it
went to the front.
In 1872 Mr. Fisher became a teacher in the Lake county schools,
becoming county superintendent in 1881. He studied law and
entered a law practice with Judge D. L. Jones, of this city. At
the close of his final term in 1889, he left Waukegan and wen to
Kenosha where be became associated with the late James Cavanagh
in the practice of law. In 1897 he resigned from that law firm
and began an independent practice of law.
He is survived by a widow, Mrs. Emma F. Fisher, and a son, Peter
Fisher, Jr., and one sister, Miss Jennie Fisher, of Chicago, and
four brothers, Dr. John Fisher, of Chicago; Valentine Fisher, of
Colorado; Ben Fisher, of Kenosha, and James Fisher, of Antioch.
The funeral was held at 2:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon from the
home. Burial was in the cemetery at Kenosha.
Oakland School
The old Jones school or Oakland as it is now called, one mile
east of Loon Lake is being torn down, as a new building has been
erected to take its place.
This old building has been on the site for sixty-one years. On
September 18, 1861, the directors of school district number
thirty-one met and decided to buy one-half acre of land from Mr.
Wm. Eddy for fifty dollars for school grounds.
Mr. Martin Burdick built the school house for three hundred
seventy-two dollars and fifty cents. Mr. Robert Minto built
fourteen rods of fence around the school lot for one dollar and
twenty cents a rod. The winter term commenced in December with
Mr. A. Benedict as teacher at twenty dollars a month.
Two years later the term was lengthened from six months to eight
months. For the following summer term they hired Miss Shepherd
for eight dollars a month. Mr. Emery Adams received twenty
dollars a month for the following winter term.
Some of the other teachers who taught here are: Mrs. Mary
Beacher, J. M. Coultis, Eliza Judd, Miss Whipple, Annie White,
Sarah White, John White, Mary Hughes, J. W. Yule, Nettie Fays,
Nellie Paddock, David Minto, Mr. E. Smith, Mary Kerr, Miss Belle
Pope, Frank Blakesly, Clinton Curtis, Agnes Kerr, Mary Elsing,
Annie Elsing, Leula Thain, Emma Thain, Clara Stedman, Martha
Hall, Genevieve Welb, Irene Kennedy, Tina Welce, Ona Thorpe, Anvy
Moise, Bertha Siver, Cora White, Rena Wells, Annie McCredie,
Tessie Cunningham, Pearl Cleveland, H. P. Hilbish, Hester Goldy
and Mary McCann.
This building was used until the fall of 1921, when a brick
building was erected by John Dupre of Antioch. At this time one
half acre more land was purchased from Mr. Duse for two hundred
dollars. The old building was sold at auction on the twenty-third
of December for one hundred dollars to Dan Sheehan, who is now
tearing it down in preparation to moving it to his farm.
