ABSTRACT
While the rise of modern structures proceeded as planned, new starts proved harder for those without insurance or deep pockets, and these unrecoverable losses could have unforeseen consequences. For high school student Barbara Egger (Barbe), the fire ultimately changed her life’s path. The couple apparently intended to provide temporary shelter for a displaced girl in exchange for household help, but Barbe soon became a part of the John Brown Lennon family. Like Barbe’s father, many native-born Americans feared the myriad effects of the changing times. Whether students planned only to complete their required eighth grade education or, like Barbe, intended to move on to high school, Bloomington’s nine public grade schools offered a solid foundation. And in 1896, Barbe made her second major move when she left Odell and relocated to Bloomington, where she entered seventh grade at Jefferson grade school. Barbe proved worthy of her chosen curriculum, which included Latin, German, Botany, Physics, Chemistry, Geometry, History, Rhetoric, and English.
