Many familiar last names including Diller, Hilty,
Bucher, Burry, Badetscher, Steiner, Geiger and others
Take a close look at these students at the Elm Center country school taken in the 1916-17 school year. This school was in Riley Township and students eventually attended Pandora High School, if they chose to advance.
As you read the names you’ll understand this school consisted of all Swiss immigrant families. The chances were good that they learned English in school and spoke a dialect at home.
The country schools in the Swiss Settlement each had the name of a tree, thus this one was Elm Center.
Front from left, Ralph Diller, Monroe Hilty, Melvin Bucher, Ben Burry, Leonard Badertscher, Vilas Burry.
Second row from left, Arvilla Baumgartner, Lela Diller, Selina Steiner, Lillian Steiner, Marcella Diller, Lucille Niswander (holding a doll).
Top from left, Mary Steiner, Almela (spelling?) Baumgartner, Myron Steiner, Millen Geiger (teacher), Zella Basinger, Melvina Burry and Mardell Niswander.
