9/25/2004:
The first private school in Jamestown was started in 1879 by a newcomer, J.J. Nierling. He arrived in town in the middle of the winter and rented a room for his school in a building that later became a fire hall. Nierling “canvassed the neighborhood for scholars,” offering classes in bookkeeping, reading, spelling, geography and penmanship. Tuition was $1 per student, per month.
The school lasted only six weeks, because Nierling saw more opportunities in selling land. Yet, two years later, he was appointed Jamestown’s first superintendent of public instruction. Apparently, some people were unimpressed. The Jamestown Alert reported Nierling “dressed in a new suit, is making too much of the office and ought to be bounced.”
Dakota Datebook written by Merry Helm