About Us

Frank Allis School was first built in 1916. It has changed a lot in the past 40 years. The land had been given by Mrs. Frank W. Allis after her husband Frank died. The land prior to the school being built was a farm.

E.C Smith, (a writer using the pen name of E. Cadwallader Smith), played a leading role in getting the school built. He sold real estate and returned to Madison in 1913. That same year he bought a farm from Frank Main on Main Avenue. Frank Main's house was right across from where Lake Edge Church is today. Main Avenue used to be called Door Creek Road. After the school was built the street name was changed to Buckeye Road. It is still called Buckeye Road.

The Allis Farm was 400 acres. Frank Allis' Mansion is still around today, but now it is called San Domiano. The Allis family was a very wealthy family. Before the school was built there were no schools in the area, and parents would have to send their children at least a mile and a half away to school. Plus, there was very poor transportation. The closest school for the children to go to was called Nichols. Very few people owned cars back then, so people could not get around much.

There was a group of people interested in building a new school, including Lew Porter, August Beckman, Mrs. Effie Stringer Coffin, William Dennett, John Dempsey, and E. C. Smith. The first school meeting was held in the town hall on a cold night. Ninety-eight people were there. The first vote for the new school lost 50 to 48. So, that night Smith and his group went door to door and got the necessary signatures from the people in the territory. A new school district was made. The new School District, number 10, of Blooming Grove, was formed on October 16, 1915.

Mr. Smith approached Mrs. Frank Allis and said that if she gave them two acres of land where they could build a school, they would always call the school Frank Allis School, named so after her husband who had died the year before.

World War I had just started and finding materials to build the school was very difficult. While they were building the school the children from the new school district went to school in a makeshift building on the corner of Major A venue and Lake Edge. It was a brown bungalow. There were only fifteen students. Ray Tuttle was the first teacher. Teachers then earned between two and four dollars a week.

Finally, the new school was built on the present site on Buckeye Road and opened in 1917. It was designed by Lew Porter who was an architect who had been working on the State Capitol in Madison. The cost of the new building was $7,500 dollars. There were 46 students enrolled in the first year in the original 1-room school house. Mrs. Chynoweth was the first teacher.

This original building was torn down in 1956 to make a new unit on the west end.

Frank W. Allis was born on July 10, 1865. He was the son of Edward Phelps Allis and Margaret M. Watson. Frank's middle name was his mother's maiden name. In fact, at least 4 of his siblings had Watson as a middle name.

His father was a big industrialist; the founder of the Reliance Works and iron business. He also started the Allis Tractor Company which became Allis Chalmers, and built the first water system for the city of Milwaukee. His father had been born in New York, graduated from college in 1845 and then moved to Milwaukee, WI.

Frank's mother, Margaret M. Watson was also born in New York. She attended college ( colleges for women at that time were called seminaries). She was a prominent member of Milwaukee society and very involved in charitable work. She established and managed the Wis. Industrial School for Girls and the Wisconsin Training School for Nurses. A goal of hers was to educate vagrant children. After her husband died she worked in the business office daily. She owned a large collection of costly paintings, which were housed at the Allis home making it gallery-like.

Edward and Margaret had 12 children: William, Edward, Charles, Jere, Maud, Ernest, Mary, Frank, Louis, Margy, Margaret, and Gilbert. The family home was on Martin Street which was between the Milwaukee River and the Lake. It was a brick house surrounded by a large wooden porch on 3 sides. In 1930 Martin was changed to E. State Street and sometime between 1910 and 1926 the home was razed. Margaret Allis passed away in 1909.

Frank's three brothers, William, Louis, and Charles were very active in their father's business even after he died. Two of his brothers, Edward Jr, and Gilbert moved to France and his sister Mary lived in London, England.

His brother Edward had an intense interest in science and was editor of the Journal of Morphology. When he moved to France he devoted the rest of his life to the study of fish. He was honored by the French government,with the cross of the legion of Honor.

Frank had a desk at his father's company in the beginning but was reported to have very little interest in the business and did little work when he was there. After marrying he moved to Madison.

[Updated 2011]

On June 18, 1890 Frank Allis, at the age of 25, married Lillian Paige. The couple was listed in the Milwaukee Elite (1891-1892). Sometime in the next 9 years the couple moved to the Madison area and purchased land on the east shore of Lake Monona. At that time the land was in Blooming Grove.

The couple had built a large home on 1500 feet of shoreline. At the time, their home was the only year round dwelling on the lake shore beyond the Madison city limits. Their home had 14 rooms and 7 fireplaces that helped supplement the many stoves.

A ballroom was on the 3rd floor and a boathouse was nearby on the lake shore. Photos suggest that they were often in the company of prominent members of Madison society at the time .

Frank Allis was a gentleman farmer. In other words, he hired help to farm the land. His obituary in the Milwaukee Journal stated that he was a breeder of prize cattle. (His brother, Jere had spent some time on a stock farm in Minnesota owned by his father.)

Lillian operated a boarding house near their home which housed at times up to 12 farm workers. The 1900 census lists 7 farm laborers, plus a housekeeper and her daughter at the adjacent property whose relationship was given as servants. These people may have been some of the laborers that worked Frank's farm. These workers were from Wisconsin, Canada, Scotland, Illinois and Germany. The census also had Lillian's mother, Jennie Page, as living with the couple. There was also a servant living in the Allis residence. She was Nora McMarie, 31, who was born in Wisconsin to Irish immigrants. Another person living in their home was Fred Drake whose occupation was listed as bookkeeper.

Besides farming, Frank was actively promoting and selling tractors, at the time new mechanical marvels. One exhibit and demonstration, billed as the "biggest educational event ever staged for progressive farmers," attracted hundreds of farmers to the Allis' farm to watch these 'new' tractors plow 400 acres in less than 10 hours. One hundred and seventy-five tractors were on display. It was not stated but these new marvels, or tractors, were probably built in Milwaukee at one of the Allis family factories.

Frank became ill and had to sell his cattle. With his health failing Frank lived in retirement until he died on Monday, October 25th, 1915 at his home. They had a funeral service for him in Madison on Wednesday, October 27 at 10:30 and then his body was taken to Milwaukee where he was buried at 3:30 in Forest Home Cemetery. His body was put in the Allis mausoleum there.

For a while after Frank died, Lillian continued to live in the home on Lake Monona. Then census records show that she later moved to downtown Madison. She was issued a passport in 1917 but records don't say where she was going. On the passport Lillian is stated to be 50 years old; born on February 13' 1867 in Milwaukee. She was 5'6" tall with blue eyes and reddish-brown hair.

Lillian died in 1923 and is buried with Frank at Forest Home Cemetery in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Thanks to William Barr we had sports at Frank Allis School. William Barr lived with Lissie Blackbourn the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Barr wanted to start sports to keep kids out of mischief and to help them to do better work in school. When he first came to Allis there was no gym. Since there was no gym they had to play all their games on the road but that didn't prevent them from winning 28 games in one season. Through the years Frank Allis has had great sports teams. In 1957-1958, 1958-1959 and 1959-1960 they were basketball league champs. In football they were co-champs in 1958 and champs in 1959-1960 and softball champs in 1944. After each season they would have sports banquets to celebrate their hard work.

Through the years we've had wrestling, softball, football, basketball, baseball, track and volleyball. Basketball, track and volleyball could be played by girls. In 1970 there were no sports except basketball and lately there's been some basketball. Frank Allis School had a long, successful history of sports.

While studying the history of sports, we came across many team pictures and trophies. We came across cases of trophies and old photos while looking through the basement . It would be nice if all the trophies could be on display. We enjoyed looking at the photos of the funny uniforms they had over the years. Sports uniforms have really changed over the years. Most of the changes were made to protect the players from injuries.

We also found some interesting rules for the basketball team when we were looking through old newspaper articles and papers. Some were: 1) No boy shall be allowed to participate if his schoolwork is not satisfactory. The teacher shall be the judge, and 2) Home teams will be responsible for good referees.

As the years went by the older grades, 6, 7 and 8th, left Frank Allis to go to separate middle schools. School sports declined. The only team sport left at Frank Allis now is basketball and this is through enrichment. If students want to play sports they join private sports teams outside of the school. Many kids are on track, t-ball, football and soccer teams outside of school. We wish there were more school sponsored sports teams!

The Wildcat Loop

The Wildcat loop began, we think after 1996, by Mr. Jim Stevens. It is a half mile cross-country run. It's an all school event and the whole school watches it. Only third, fourth and fifth graders get to participate. The participants get a blue ribbon and the winner at each grade level gets a T-shirt. So far the records are girls - Stella Oruruo 3.01, and boys - Mekhi Johnson 2.47. The wildcat loop was named by a student. Mr. Stevens was a cross-country track coach at LaFollette. He wanted kids to enjoy running like he did.

Allis & Athletics through the Years

This song was sung at many basketball and football games that school teams competed in in the early years. The song is a general school fight song originally titled "Central Will Shine", from The Golden Book of Favorite Songs, Copyright 1915.

It was the official school song until 1997.

This School is Your School

This school is your school, this school is my school
From kindergarten to Lafollette High School
From the drinking fountains, to the LMC
This school was made for you and me.

After some reading in the library
I went outside to the Allis prairie
From the baseball diamond, to the red equipment
This school was made for you and me.

This school is your school, this school is my school
From kindergarten to Lafollette High School
From the drinking fountains, to the LMC
This school was made for you and me.

Along with writing and math and science
We learn respect, and self-reliance
From the helpful teachers, to the caring parents
This school was made for you and me.

This school is your school, this school is my school
From kindergarten to LaFollette High School
From the drinking fountains, to the LMC
This school was made for you and me.

Written in 1997 by Julie Fitzpatrick

School Colors

Blue and Gold

Frank Allis is one of the largest elementary schools in Madison. Did you know that Frank Allis School was once a small brown cottage on the corner of Major Ave. and Lake Edge Blvd? Did you also know that there were eight additions after the first Allis School building was built?

In 1915 when the school was in the brown cottage it had 10-15 students enrolled. That building is still standing today. Its address is 4014 Major Ave. Two acres of land were given to the city in 1916. Mrs. Frank Allis gave the land to build a school in memory of her late husband, Frank Allis. Mrs. Allis said the school had to be called Frank Allis School. A one room school house was built on the two acres of land, in 1917, at a cost of $7,500. The one room school house had 46 students.

During a six-year period, three additions were added to make five more classrooms. The first room, added in 1923 cost $410,000. Two more rooms were built in 1925 at a cost of $22,000. In 1929 two barracks were put up behind the current building for $5,000.

In 1930 four acres of land were bought from the Quaker Oats Company. The cost was $4,000. It was a good thing the land was purchased then, because the school enrollment had reached 225 students. In 1935, an additional 1 1/2 acres were bought from the Quaker Oats Company.

In 1936 a fine new brick building with eight classrooms was built to the east of the existing school. It cost $457,000. School enrollment had reached 350 students. The brick building is the center of the school today. The current classroom numbers are as follows: 112, 124, 210, 212, 213 and the library. In the original building, the library was divided into three parts.

Things were getting crowded and a quonset hut with two classrooms was brought in and put on what is now the blacktop playground just west of the gymnasium. Electricity and heat got to the hut through a tunnel under the playground. The tunnels entrance was from the old boiler room.

In 1948, the first addition was added which included a gym and a kindergarten. The cost of the west addition was $160,000. The classroom numbers are now.

In 1952 an east addition with 7 new classrooms and a cafeteria were built. The cost of the east addition was $147,000. The classroom numbers were 105, 106, 108, 206, 207, 208, 209. In 1955, the stucco building was torn down to make room for the west wing which was completed in 1956. The classroom numbers in this wing were 125, 127, 128, 131, 132, 320, 221, 224, 225. In 1956, Frank Allis was still part of Blooming Grove.

The final wing of Frank Allis Elementary school was added in 1960. The cost of the east wing was approximately $400,000. The total cost of all the additions from 1948 to 1960 was $982.000. The classroom numbers are presently 100, 102, I 03, 104, 200, 201, 204. When this addition was completed the quonset hut was torn down. The tunnel still exists but is not used for anything but storage sometimes.

Frank Allis left the town of Blooming Grove and became part of the city of Madison in 1962.

The school today looks a lot like it did in 1960 after the last addition. However, in March of 1998 it was discovered that lead was in the paint around all the windows. The District thought that it was unsafe for kids to breath the air that blew in these windows. They nailed all the windows shut until they were replaced during the 1998-99 school year. It got hot in the rooms that spring and fall.

Also during the 1998 school year, wiring for an expanded computer network and more electrical outlets were put on poles in each room. The wiring was hidden under a suspended ceiling in the hallways.

In the summer of 2007 all the teachers had to pack up because more work was done. New lights and ceilings were put in most of the rooms. Now the lights automatically go off when no one is in the room. The two old boilers were cut up and taken out with a crane through a hole in the playground by the back door. It was pulled up through an old coal chute that was no longer used and had been covered with blacktop. A new beating system that uses hot water was put it. Air conditioning was also put in the office and Library Media Center (LMC). A sound system and an emergency warning system was installed. This all came to a grand total of 1.8 million dollars.

Along with building upgrades came a renumbering of the rooms. All rooms are numbered now even the closets and bathrooms. On second floor the numbering now starts at the east end so room 201 is now 225. A great investment for a great school.

Our Burr Oak tree had been with the school for a very long time. It was over 250 years old. The oak tree was about 80 feet tall. The students at Frank Allis loved our Oak tree and we still do.

In 1986 our wonderful tree was to be cut down. Asphalt was choking our tree's roots and dead branches were falling. But the school principal named Mr. Pease put a stop to that. Workers removed the blacktop around the Oak and cut off the tree's dead branches. Then they put a fence around it. This would help keep the tree healthy.

Our Burr Oak

On Oct. 2007 the Allis Oak was cut down. It was cut down because the gypsy Moths killed it. All the students and staff at the school got a piece of the Allis Oak.

The pieces were about coaster size, 4 inch in diameter. The art teacher, Mr. Hurst used wood from the tree to make a table about 2 feet in diameter with bowling pins as legs. The table is in the Library Media Center (LMC) He also made a clock with wood from the tree. The clock is currently by the school office.

New Red Oak

Two fifth grade students started a Penny drive to help buy a new tree. The two 5th grade students were Angelica and Salma from Mrs. Hendrickson's class. They put penny jars in each classroom. Students at Frank Allis and Nuestro Mundo gave money to buy the new tree.

On June 6, 2008 Frank Allis School got a new oak. The tree was brought in by Trees on Wheels in June, just the day before school let out for the year. It was planted in the front west side of our school. The tree cost $600 for it and for it to be planted.

The new red oak was grown in a farm near McFarland. Both schools were in attendance for the planting at 8:45 in the morning Cheers for the new tree were lead by Angelica, Salma and Mrs. Bell, a 5th grade teacher.

Mr. Ray C. Tuttle was the first teacher at Frank Allis Elementary School. The year was 1917.

By 1925, Frank Allis had four teachers and it's first principal. Her name was Hattie Nelson. She was principal for 16 years. During her principalship 4 additions were made to the original schoolhouse. Hattie Nelson retired in the 1940-41 school year.

Walter E. Barr came to Frank allis as a teacher and became the next principal in 1941 when Hatti retired. He was principal of Allis longer than anyone else, 25 years. While he was principal 3 more additions were added to the newer building, and the older original building was torn down. Mr. Barr retired in the 1965-66 school year

Lawrence G Erickson served as Frank Allis principal for 6 years after Mr. Barr retired. He ran the school up until 1971 when he went back to school to work on a PH.D. Merle Sweet replaced him.

Merl Sweet was acting principal at Frank Allis for only one year, the 1971-72 school year.

Allen Pease came to rank Allis in 1972. He served as principal for 17 years. While he was at Allis a natural prairie was developed on the northeast corner of the property. Outside, he also had an exercise course put in and a trail in the Oak Savannah. He started and supported a very active Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Many seniors worked in classrooms with students and ate lunch with staff every Thursday. Also, during this time there were big boundary changes. The kids attending Allis from the Milwaukee Street area were sent to Kennedy School and kids from the area south of the Beltline and east of Park Street began being bused to Allis. This was to support desegregation changes.

Linda Sweeney, replaced Mr. Pease at the beginning of the 1989-90 school year. While she was principal all classrooms received computers and a school-wide discipline plan was put into place. Super star shuts and pencil awards were given each week to the students who earned them. She was principal for 8 years. She moved to Lake View School after the 1996-97 school year.

Mark Lichte, a grade level principal from La Follette replaced Ms. Sweeney in the fall of 1997. While Mr. Lichte was at Allis, the school was wired to handle all the new technology. Electrical and data wires were strung. also, during this time lead paint was discovered on the windows and considered dangerous. All windows were nailed shut until they were replaced during the 1998-99 school year. Mr. Lichte left Allis to be a superintendent in a district near Milwaukee.

Adam Silver came to our school in the fall of 1999 from New York. During that year Allis had an ESL (English as a Second Language program) for the first time. After one year Mr. Silver left to work downtown at the Doyle building.

Chris Hodge left La Follette where she was a grade level principal to become Frank Allis' 10th principal. During Ms. Hodge's years at Allis the school became a Professional Learning Communition and Nuestro Mundo, a Spanish language charter school was created and housed at Frank Allis. Ms. Hodge retired at the end of 2006-2007 school year.

Joy Larson came to Frank Allis after having been principal of Marquette Elementary School. While she was principal the school celebrated its 90th birthday. The Allis Oak was taken down and a new Red Oak was planted. After only one year Mrs. Larson left to become principal in Portage. She was only the school's 11th principal.

Julie became our 12th principal. She had been a principal with MMSD since 1996. Before coming to Frank Allis she had been principal of Emerson and Van Hise Elementary. Julie has lived in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Ms. Frentz left Frank Allis in 2012 to become a 3rd grade teacher at Mendota; she had always wanted to be a classroom teacher she said before she retires.

Sue Abplanalp became our 13th principal. Before coming to Frank Allis, she was principal For 10 years at two elementary schools. She is known for "Turning Around" schools as she wrote her dissertation on the topic and has authored two publications on the subject. She also worked at the Doyle Administration building for 12 years, most recently as Assistant Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Schools.

Our Principal Timeline

1925 to 1941
Hatti Nelson

1941 to 1966
Walter Barr

1966 to 1971
Lawrence Erickson

1971 to 1972
Merl Sweet

1972 to 1989
Allen Pease

1989 to 1999
Linda Sweeney

1999 to 2000
Adam Silver

2000 to 2007
Chris Hodge

2007 to 2008
Joy Larson

2008 to 2013
Julie Frentz

2013 to Present
Sue Abplanalp

The 80th Anniversary Celebration
Frank Allis Elementary School
December 12, 1997

The students and staff of Frank Allis School in Madison celebrate eight decades of progress in education. From its beginnings in 1917 as a one-room school house for 46 students, to its position today as one of Madison's largest elementary schools, Frank Allis School is proud testimony to accomplishments and achievements in education.

Many thousands of students have received a substantial portion of their education at Frank Allis School. Today, some of those students occupy positions in business, education, science, health care and public service throughout Wisconsin and the nation.

And while the school celebrates its 80th birthday, the important people throughout its history are the ones who have brought it to life: the students who learned here, the teachers and staff who worked here, the PTA which worked tirelessly through the years, parents who supported the school. and-more recently-Retired Senior Volunteers.

The 90th Anniversary Celebration
Frank Allis Elementary School
December 14, 2007

The students and staff at Frank Allis School recognized and honored the school on its 90th birthday. In its early days, the school was a true one-room school house. At one time, Allis was one of the largest schools in the district with more than 1,000 students in attendance. Students and staff recognized the school with a short assembly on Friday, December 14th at 2:15.

Principal Joy Larson emceed an assembly at which students presented a play let on how Allis School received its land, and sang the 'Old' School Song. A powerpoint, put together by Connie Greene, Reach Teacher, was narrated by Mary Hendrickson, 5th grade teacher and school historian, and by Nan Brien, former Frank Allis parent and Madison School Board President. Many former teachers and students were in attendance.