The book One Room School Houses, Iowa County, Iowa 1844-1966 by Owen R. Jones is a collection of photographs and memories from teachers and students of the rural schools of Iowa County, Iowa, mixed with copies of historic documents and maps. The book covers the basic history of education in the county and then takes a deeper dive into each township. It is a great resource for those who are researching ancestors in Iowa County.
“As the need arose, regular schoolhouses were built. The site of the new school could have been decided by accessibility to the majority of students being served or a donation of land…. A group of settlers would meet to cut the logs and split the shingles and then call more men to help with the ‘raising’…. These new schoolhouses served many purposes. The building housed prayer and church services, public meetings and elections and social functions.”
Owen R. Jones, One Room School Houses, Iowa County, Iowa 1844-1966 ([Iowa]? : 2012), p.6; OCLC #818672370.
The township sections of the book start with a map showing where each schoolhouse existed and when it opened and closed. In the detailed sections for each schoolhouse, readers will find some photographs of the building and students, sometimes even a teacher contract or report card, and memories from former teachers and staff. Each township concludes with a listing of 8th grade graduates by year (if there were records) and which school they attended.
Teachers were often any adult in the area that received some education.
“A 1923 Teaching Contract
Owen R. Jones, One Room School Houses, Iowa County, Iowa 1844-1966 ([Iowa]? : 2012), p.9; OCLC #818672370.
The teacher will receive $75 a month for 8 months. Miss ___ agrees:
1) Not to get married. This contract becomes null and void immediately if the teacher marries.
2) Not to keep company with men.
3) To be home between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am unless in attendance at a school function.
4) Not to loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
5) Not to leave town at any time without the permission of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
6) Not to smoke cigarettes. This contract becomes null and void immediately if the teacher is found smoking.
7) Not to drink beer, wine or whiskey. This contract becomes null and void immediately if the teacher is found drinking beer, wine, or whiskey.
8) Not to ride in a carriage or automobile with any man except her brother or father.
9) Not to dress in bright colors.
10) Not to dye her hair.
11) To wear at least two petticoats.
12) Not to wear dresses more than two inches above the ankles.
13) To keep the schoolroom clean: 1) to sweep the classroom floor at least once daily; b) to scrub the classroom floor at least once weekly with hot water and soap; c) to clean the blackboard at least once daily; d) to start the fire at 7 am so the room will be warm at 8 am when the children arrive.
14) Not to use face powder, mascara or paint the lips. “
Initially, the school year was three months long and was eventually extended to the nine month schedule we are familiar with today. However, if there was work to do at home, the children were allowed to stay home and work.
“Our one room school consisted of a pot-bellied stove, heated by coal. … The coal was carried in by the teacher and older children. On the cold winter mornings, we would keep our coats, overshoes and gloves on until the room had warmed. We had no electricity or indoor water. We took turns getting water from the outside pump for washing our hands and drinking. The furniture was a teacher’s desk, chair, reading table, a Victrola phonograph that ran by winding it by hand, chalkboards and 20 childrens’ desks…. Classes varied day by day and by grade but included spelling, arithmetic, penmanship, geography and history. In the summer when it was very hot we would have class outside under the trees. … Our restroom was an outhouse. In the winter we maneuvered to it through a deep path of snow (which the children shoveled) to find at times the door was frozen shut and maybe a mouse peering down from above the door. A catalog was our toilet paper.”
Owen R. Jones, One Room School Houses, Iowa County, Iowa 1844-1966 ([Iowa]? : 2012), p.121; OCLC #818672370.
If you have ancestors from Iowa County, Iowa – or even if you are just interested in what a typical school district would have been like – this book is a great resource for memories and photographs for the area. While out of print, you may be able to find a copy at a library near you.
Jones, Owen R. One Room School Houses, Iowa County, Iowa 1844-1966 ([Iowa]? : 2012); OCLC #818672370.
Similar books about one-room schoolhouses that you may also enjoy:
- Summit, NY One-Room Schoolhouses: also called Little Red or White, District, Rural or Common Schools by Karen McLaughlin Cuccinello.
- Visions and Voices: Montana’s One-Room Schoolhouses by Charlotte Caldwell.
- Reflections of a One Room Schoolhouse: My Life in the 1940s by Gary M. Hoffsommer.
- One-Room Schoolhouses of New Hampshire:: Primers, Penmanship & Potbelly Stoves by Bruce B. Heald PhD
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Melissa Grandt Genealogy 