History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              318 HISTOEY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.
agement and general condition of the schools were found to be very creditable indeed. Some time ago the state inspector re¬ ported as follows on the library of the High School: ' The library is excellent. Probably there is no better school library in any town of the size of Omro in the state, and there are few better in any place, regardless of size.' The library has been care¬ fully card-catalogued by Miss Lucy Thatcher, of the English department, and is in constant use by the students. The teach¬ ers have made every effort to enlarge the library, as reference books right' at hand are very valuable. The library has over 500 volumes of magazines, including complete sets of the World's Work, the Eeview of Eeviews, McClure's and Scrib- ner's, and nearly complete sets of The Forum, Harper's, Cen¬ tury, St. Nicholas, Technical World and other standard maga¬ zines. Poole's Index and the Eeader's Guide make easy refer¬ ence to magazine articles. There are special libraries in the department of domestic science and in the department of man¬ ual training. The girls in the first year High School class in domestic science are preparing meals to which their parents are invited. The girls, in groups of four, serve dinner. They are required to prepare and serve a meal for ten people at an expense not to exceed $1.25. There are forty girls in the class, and each section strives to make the best record. The members of the second year German class recently finished reading a short play, and were then required by the teacher. Miss Abel, to translate the play into English, after which four members of the class presented it before the High School literary so¬ ciety."
The manual training school was the gift of Mr. H. W. Web¬ ster, a pioneer, and for many years one of the leading business men. His sawmill formerly cut 5,000,000 feet of lumber each season. Hon. Hiram Wheat Webster was a native of New York State, of New England parents, and a graduate of Troy Acad¬ emy in Vermont. He entered his lands in the town of Omro in 1848, where he lived until he moved into the village and commenced the manufacture of lumber. Mr. Webster died May 14, 1884.
The earliest occupation of the site of the village of Omro was by Charles Omro, Charles Carron, Jed Smalley and Cap¬ tain William Powell, all of whom at times before 1845 main¬ tained temporary or jacknife trading posts at this point for traffic with the Menominee Indians.    The site was occupied by