Looking Back...

Pleasant Prairie Academy

written by Donna Smith

 

     German Valley's Ben Miller Park is a spot that has become very familiar to area residents. Some, however, may not be aware that for many years the picturesque location served as the campus of the Pleasant Prairie Academy, which provided one of the most interesting chapters in the Village's history.

     German Valley was founded on strong religious principles. Its educational leaders saw early on the

need for an institution to provide training for young men to serve as ministers in East Fresian Reformed Churches. The Rev. Albert F. Beyer suggested that a Classis (governing body) of these churches be formed and that it establish its own institute of

learning.

     The site, originally an eight acre tract, was donated by the Silver Creek Reformed Church. A six-year curriculum was designed, and the cornerstone of the Pleasant Prairie College was laid in 1893. Its main building was dedicated on September 13, 1894. The motto, Soli Deo Gloria, or “To God Alone the Glory” was placed above the entrance door. The building's first floor housed classrooms, and the second and third floors provided dormitory space for students and teachers.

     Later, the college curriculum was eliminated and the school became a. classical academy, thus earning the name, Pleasant Prairie Academy. College preparatory work was emphasized. Students were sought who planned to go to the ministry, teaching, or some other form of leadership. Pre-ministerial students came from Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

     A house mother lived in the basement apartment and cooked for the boarding students. Mrs. L. Van Asterloo served as house mother for 23 years. She was affectionately called Tante by the dormitory boys who considered her family when she was Hausmutter.

     Barns were erected to house horses and buggies during the day while students attended classes. A gymnasium was built in 1923, and in 1939, a library containing 3,000 volumes was added.

     A great emphasis was placed on language. Four years of English and German were required and Latin and Greek were also offered. Another requirement was four years of Bible study.

     The school was eventually taken over by Silver Creek Reformed Church which established it as a private four year high school. The school stayed small, but was characterized by its family-like atmosphere and its emphasis on Christian education.

     In the 1950's, state requirements for high schools became more rigid, and the Church was unable to meet the school's financial obligations. The doors of the school closed permanently in 1958. A portion of the land was sold and its buildings sold and razed.

     In the late 1960's, the land was purchased by the German American State Bank and donated to the village for the development of a park. While the academy is gone, its memory lives in the hearts of its former students. Photos and other items relating to the school may be seen at the German Valley Historical Museum.

Shoot Bank Robber at German Valley

Bank President Fights Gun Duel with Three Yeggmen

from the Rockford Register-Republic

May 21, 1931

with additional research from Donna Smith

 

     For a few hectic moments early this morning, the village of German Valley was in a state of siege, and as the roar of rifle fire died away, three bungling yeggmen had retreated in disorder, leaving behind a crimson trail of blood.

     As the dawn tinted the eastern horizon, the villagers for the second time in seven months viewed the ruins of their bank, the interior of the structure having been  literally torn to pieces by a tremendous blast of nitroglycerin.

     The first blast which sent sections of the steel vault up through the ceiling awoke Mr. Borchers [Charlie F. Borchers—the bank's president], who leaped from his bed, threw a coat over his night garment, reached for his shotgun, and rushed to the firing line.

     There were only three shells in his gun. He fired one into the front of the bank where the plate glass window had been and from a vantage point behind a nearby tree, trained his sight on one of the cracksmen who had emerged from the rear of the bank, spraying No. 5 birdshot in his general direction.

     While Borchers was firing his two remaining shells, the roughly clad figure returned the fire with a .32 automatic rifle. Fifteen bullets whizzed by the tree behind which Borchers had taken refuge.

     Meanwhile, H.W. Reck, who operated the confectionery across the street, realizing Borchers was somewhere in the darkness, fired twice in the air and as the banker returned to his house to replenish his supply of ammunition he heard one of the robbers inside the bank cry out: "They're on to us. Let's go."

     They did make their escape. Two of them emerged from the bank and went west to join a waiting companion, while the third, apparently badly wounded, staggered out across a field.

     It seems Mr. Borchers wasn't the only one there that day who knew how to handle a gun. The Yegg who engaged in a duel with Borchers demonstrated his marksmanship when, Louis Fosha residing next door to the bank, switched on a lawn light, which he promptly shot out.

     The bank vault had to be entirely replaced at a cost of $3,500. The estimated damage of the interior of the bank was $800 but was covered by insurance.

 

Donna Smith's additional research...

     Lola Borchers said that they picked up the robber's trail when they discovered blood in the grass along the road west of town, but he was not found. She added that everyone was so proud that the safe inside the vault withstood the dynamite.

     But the Yeggs left destruction behind. The burglars had jimmied the front entrance and once inside drilled holes in the vault and applied the explosive. Every window in the bank was shattered, plaster was ripped from the walls and ceiling, and much of the furniture was demolished.