county superintendent, and the first teacher’s certificate issued by him in Atchison county was to D. W. Rippy, who died in Severance, Kan., in 1914, the richest man in Doniphan county. Mr. Rippy taught the first school in the Second district, organized near the Waggener farm, southwest of Atchison. Mrs. Blair had her teaching certificate when she arrived in Atchison, as one was issued to her by Dr. Plattenburg in Fulton county, Illinois, before she came to Atchison. Her school opened in Atchison the first Monday in November, 1858, and she had charge of the primary and intermediate departments. Dr. Plattenburg received a salary of $100.00 a month and Mrs. Blair a salary of $45.00, which was increased to $50.00 by Dr. Plattenburg giving her $5.00 of his own salary. Mrs. Blair had sixty-five pupils. Mrs. Blair says that the first spelling match in Atchison county took place in W. D. Rippy’s school. She participated in the spelling match, and was spelled down on the word “Poisonous.” Mr. Plattenburg served in the capacity of principal and superintendent of schools until May, 1861, when the schools were closed for lack of funds. Because of the Civil war very little progress in education was made, and the records of the county superintendent’s office for that period are not available. The earliest record in the office of the county superintendent concerning the schools of Atchison county is found in an old record book of July 7, 1863, as follows: “Through the kindness of the present board of County Commissioners, E. Leighton, B. Wallack and C. G. Foster, this book was furnished for the records of the public schools of Atchison county. It is hoped that every superintendent, into whose possession this book may fall, will perform every duty devolving upon him officially, and make every effort to advance the cause of education. “ORLANDO SAWYER, “Superintendent of Public Instruction, “Atchison County.” [Illustration: Old High School Building, Atchison, Kan. ] In spite of the fact that the records of County Superintendent Sawyer, who held his office from 1863 to 1867, are somewhat incomplete, they contain much interesting information.