Johnson School, Dubuque County

This school is located on Old Highway Road (old US20) between Epworth and Centralia, 1.6 miles west of Y21.  It is at the SE corner of the junction with Dutch Lane Road.  There is a cemetery to the south of the building which appears to be much older than the school.  The inside has been trashed.  You can see that electricity had been brought in at some time, with one old fluorescent fixture remaining.

Looking in the front door towards the back.  Noticed the raised platform for the teacher; the blackboard would have been between the two windows.

This next photo is looking in the SE window towards the door.

Photographed 4/1/11

UPDATE 10/13/21: I learned that this school was torn down in 2015 and a memorial was built there with bricks from the building. When I get a chance I will drive up to the Dubuque area and photograph it, including close-ups of the main section with the stories, but for now I was given permission from a photographer to post this photo of the memorial.

Update 11/5/21: We took these photos on 10/30/21 but the sun was almost down by the time we got there so these shots aren’t as sharp as they should be—we will have to drive up there again during the day time!!!

Flannagen School, Dubuque

This school is on old US20 (Old Highway Road) at Cousins Road on the very west side of Dubuque.  It is on the north side of old US20.  The structure has been covered with a wooden material when converted to a house.  Just on the west side of the house is the old swing set.

Photos taken 1 April 2011

Humke School, Dubuque

The following information is from 

http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=HUMKE_SCHOOL

The vintage one-room rural school was formerly located in Centralia, Iowa. Land on which the school was built had been donated by Christopher Higley. The school was named for a local farmer, Charles Ferdinand Humke. The school was constructed by many people living in the area led by William Ferdinand Humke.

Between the fall of 1884 when the school bell first rang until the final class in 1966, the school was operated by thirty-one teachers. In its earliest days, the school lacked plumbing, electricity, telephone service and central heating. Candles were used for light. Students used an outhouse as a toilet. A potbellied stove was kept lit by the teacher as part of his or her duties.

Vacant in Center Township west of the city since school reorganization in 1960, the school was given to the DUBUQUE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY on April 5, 1968 in a letter from theDUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. In moving the 10-ton building on June 22, 1969, four feet of roof was removed to avoid an additional cost of $1,000 to lift utility wires out of the movers' path. The building, followed by members of the Humke family, was brought to the grounds of the HAM HOUSE.

Photos taken 1 April 2011

Vernon #8, Peosta

This school is on its original site, but I don't know when it was built.  Location:  From Peosta, go south on Y21/Sundown Rd to North Cascade Rd.  At this point Cascade Rd becomes part of Y21 southbound for a while before breaking to the SW, but right at this junction Cascade Rd heads NE.  Turn NE on North Cascade Rd and go .2 Mile (it is visible from the intersection) and it will be on the left side of the road with the front door facing east.  The building is in sad shape, with reinforcing beams placed vertically on the back wall; it sits on a hill and is beginning to lean forward.

There is a foundation here at the back which looks like it might have been a shed for an oil storage tank when the wood-burner was replaced.

I held the camera up to the windows to shoot the inside.

Photographed 1 April 2011

We have learned that this school was moved to its present location, but the person telling us didn't know where it was moved from.

Cascade #2, Oak Grove School

Built in 1895, apparently this was somewhere in Cascade originally, although maybe not this site.  This school is located 1 block south of business US151/1st Ave (old US151) on 2nd Ave in Cascade.  Turn south on Garfield street to 2nd, then turn west and it will be seen immediately on the north side of the street just west of the corner house.

Notice in this next shot both bell towers show the different types of bells used.

Photographed 1 April 2011