Washington #6, High Bluff School

Closed 1952 and converted to a house.  From Marengo, proceed north on County V66 to County F15 and turn east.  Proceed about 3 miles to PP Ave and turn north.  The school is approximately 1/2 mile north, and on the west side of the road.  The original front door now has a porch enclosing it, while a new door has been made in the middle window position on the south side of the building.

The first photo showing the original school, is copied from Owen Jones' book, "One-Room School Houses: Iowa County, Iowa 1844 -1966."

Photographed 9/8/12

Washington #5

From Marengo, proceed north on County V66 to County F15 and turn east.  Proceed about one mile to NN Dr.  This drive looks like a private driveway, and actually will lead straight to the drive for this house just before it turns east.  The school/house is not visible from the highway during times with foliage, as it is behind trees.  A double garage at the beginning of the driveway is all that is seen from the highway when approaching from the west, but if approaching from the east, you can get a quick glimpse of the east half of the building.  The original school building is the western portion, which can be discerned.

Washington #2, Union School

Built ca. 1900, closed ca. 1952.  From Marengo, proceed north on County V66 to County F15 and turn east and go approximately 1/2 mile to MM Ave and turn north. Upon reaching 110th Street, turn east to N Ave and the school will be on the NE corner of that intersection.  Currently undergoing restoration.  The original middle front door has been closed and a new door is installed in a window location to the right of the original door.  One of the windows to the left of the original door has long ago been sealed.

This first photo is taken from west of the school on 110th St as you approach the school.

This photo is of the south side of the school.

The school's front, with lots of work left to do!

The north side of the building, with a new, smaller casement replacing the larger window.

Photographed 9/8/12

Washington #3, Camel Hump School

Built ca. 1921 replacing an earlier building. Closed in 1951.  From Marengo, proceed north on County V66.  The highway will turn west when merging with County F15, and then turn back north.  After it turns back north, turn west at the first intersection, which will be KK Ave.  Approximately 1/2 mile on KK Ave will take you to this school, on the SW side of the road.  It has been converted into a nice house.

Photographed 9/8/12

Washington #4, Baugh School

Closed in 1952.  From Marengo, proceed north on County V66; it will merge with county F15 as it turns west-bound.  When V66 splits north, proceed west on F15 for about 3/4 mile to KK Ave; the school is on the NE corner of the intersection.  Now a house, with a garage addition on the east side.  The first photo is of the west side.

Photographed 9/8/12

Harmony School

Built in 1910 and closed in 1951.  From Marengo, proceed west on State Hwy 212 to 2001 212th Blvd, which is the house converted from the school, sitting on the north side of the road, facing south.

Photographed 8/25/12

Union Star School

Built ca. 1890.  Originally located at the junction/turn of 130th St and J Ave.  Moved to .25 mile north of 138th St, on I Ave; address is 1352.  Now used as a garage.

This first photo is from Owen Jone's book, One-Room School Houses: Iowa County, Iowa 1844 - 1966. 

The following three photos were taken at its current location, on the north side of the owner's house.

Photographed 8/25/12

Honey Creek #3, Glenwood School

In section 19 of Marengo Township.  Built ca. 1890, closed 1958.  From Ladora, proceed north on CH V52/G Ave to State Hwy 212.  G Ave curves to the NW for a short distance, then bends NE, with a final curve to end at 212.  If the road had gone straight, the school would originally have sat at the NE corner.  Sometime after the school closed it was moved south across the road to a farm, where it is currently used as a machine shed.

The first photo was taken from west of the building, on State Hwy 212.

This second photo was taken from Highway 212.

This last photo was taken from G Ave.

Photographed 8/25/12

Honey Creek #4

Built in 1888 and closed in 1954.  From Ladora, proceed north on County Highway V52/G Ave. to 148th St, and turn west.  Proceed to E Ave, and the school will be on the NW corner, facing south.  Appears to be used as an office for a junk business.

Photographed 8/25/12

Honey Creek #7

From Victor, proceed north on SR21 to one mile north of 160th Ave, and the school will be on the west side of the road, now converted into a house.  Since the school was closed, the hill the highway is on has been cut down, so the house looks to be sitting higher on a hill than in the old photographs.

The first photograph is from Owen Jones' book, One-Room School Houses: Iowa County, Iowa 1844 - 1966.  The school faces east, at the road.

The next photo is taken from street level, looking at the front of the school.

This next photo is taken from street level, looking at the NE corner.

This last photo is looking at the south side of the house.

Photographed 8/25/12

Nagle School

This brick school is located at 1220 NW 78th Ave. on the south side of Ankeny.  The easiest way to locate it is to start at the intersection of Oralabor and Irvingdale Drive.  Cross Oralabor southbound to the first left turn, which is 78th, and acts as a frontage road for Oralabor.  The school will be about 100’ east of the intersection, on the south side.  It is used as an office by Warren Transport.

Photographed 8/13/12

Pleasant Corners School

No information found about where Pleasant Corners school was moved from, or the date it was built.  It is located NW of the downtown Des Moines, area at 1350 E. Washington Ave.  This is at the NW corner of Washington and E. 14th St.  There is a brick building at this corner which used to be Whittier School, which faces Washington St.  Apparently at one time Pleasant Corners was moved here as an addition to the school on its north side.  By 1998 the building was used as the Boys & Girls Club of Central Iowa, but appeared to be vacant at the time of our photo.  I was told by the neighbor on the north side of the school that the Pleasant Corners building is to be made into an art gallery.

Photographed 8/13/12

Benton #?, Lower Stone School

Built in the 1880s, this school’s roof was destroyed by a fire in the 1940s.  At some point in time the school was used as an art gallery, but is now used for storage.  Proceed north out of Shellsburg on County W26 4.7 miles to 59th St, and then proceed .9 mile east to the school on the south side of the road.

Photographed 8/4/12

Hazleton Township #?

SW corner of the township, 1552 Grant Ave, about 1/2 mile north of 160th Street.  Converted to home, but now derelict.

Photographed 8/3/12

Pleasant #7, Paulson School

The owner of this school contacted me after finding this blog.  This school has been converted into a real nice house.  It is 1.9 miles south of Sattre, at 2972 River Road, with Decorah post office.  It's about 12 miles northeast of Decorah.

Photographed 8/1/12

Pleasant Township #8, Sattre School

From Sattre, proceed west 1/2 mile on Sattre Ridge Rd, and this school is on the south side back in the brush.  Derelict.

Photographed 8/1/12

Pleasant Township #1, Bigler School

Built 1930. On the NW corner of Big Canoe Rd. and River Rd.  Address is 1152 Big Canoe Rd.  Converted to home in 1947.

Photographed 8/1/12

Burr Oak School

Burr Oak School.  At 2351 360th St. in Burr Oak, this 2-room school is on its original location, now converted to a house. The current owner, who converted the school to his home, had a collection of photos and articles framed, which he brought out for us to see.  I photographed it, but apparently I was too quick to not let the autofocus finish, because the photo isn’t sharp enough to read the data I was hoping to have.

The original structure at this site was a 1-room wooden building.  That one was torn down when they needed more room and circa 1870 built a 2-room brick structure, which can be seen in the first photo under the newspaper article on the right side of the photo frame.

The school’s bricks were soft and crumbly, so sometime circa 1910 it was razed and replaced by this wooden structure, which has undergone a variety of uses since it closed.  The bottom right photo in the frame is dated 1945, and at that time it was already in pretty sad shape and had not been used as a school for several years.

Photographed 8/1/12
The following photograph was taken 10/12/13

Canoe Township #?, Pot Hollow School

This school was originally located north of Decorah; from US52 turn west on Meadowlark Rd, and then turn south on wagon road to the first curve.  It was moved to Burr Oak in 1960, to be next to the Burr Oak School.  The school was built in 1915 and restored in 1994.  It was used as an artist’s studio when first moved.  It is in the town of Burr Oak, at 2353 360th St.

Photographed 8/1/12