In August 1806, two families, the Griswolds and the Phelps, arrived in the Westerville area. These first two pioneer families settled near Alum Creek and immediately began to build log cabins to provide shelter for their families from the winter with its cold temperatures, ice and snow.
This pioneer group included Selina Griswold who travelled from Windsor, Connecticut, with her brother Isaac and his family. Selina became the first school teacher in the Westerville area. Beginning in 1808, she taught her nephews, Isaac Jr. and Edwin, and the younger Phelps children in the barn of Edward Phelps. She continued doing this for five years and then moved back to Connecticut to be with her other family members.
What do you have in your classroom and in your school that those students in 1808 probably did not have in the classroom in a barn?
Last updated: 2/15/2018
