One-Room, Country, & Historic Schools of Kansas

Schoolboys in Marion County, Kansas.

Schoolboys in Marion County, Kansas.

We cross the prairies, as of old
The Fathers crossed the sea,
To make the West, as they the East,
The homestead of the free.
“We come to plant the common schools
On distant prairie swells,
And give the Sabbaths of the Wild
The music of their bells.
— John Whittier

Students in Hoxie, Kansas.

Students in Hoxie, Kansas.

The first schools in Kansas were mission schools for Native Americans. When Kansas was organized as a Territory, and white settlers began to make their homes there, their children’s education became one of their first concerns. In the summer of 1855, the first Territorial Legislature passed a law establishing common schools, laying the foundation for our public school system.

In January 1855, when Lawrence, Kansas, was only six months old, a school was opened in the back of Dr. Charles Robinson’s office in the town. In the early years, due to the violence of Bleeding Kansas, most schools were subscription schools that were not publicly funded but paid for by tuition charged to each pupil who attended.

By 1859, when Territorial conditions had become more settled, the Legislature passed a set of school laws that served as the basis of education in Kansas. Afterward, a few school districts were established, and schoolhouses were built, with a minimum school term of three months.

Over the next century, white frame or native stone one-room schoolhouses dotted the Kansas landscape.

They were called names like Prairie Flower, Bazaar, Rocky Glen, and Good Intent. The children who attended ranged in age from five to 21 and endured the difficulties of frontier Kansas, including prairie fires, cattle drives, and dust storms, to get an eighth-grade education. They traveled to school on foot, on horseback, or in a wagon. Many students were foreigners who quickly learned to speak, read, spell, and write the English language.

Although the minimum term was three months, it was usually made a little longer for the benefit of the younger children. Generally, the older boys and girls went to school only during the winter when they could be spared from farm work. Students worked as far as possible each year, continuing where they left off in the following school session. Many continued until they were 18 to 21 years old or even older. At that time, no students graduated from country schools — students attended until they were ready to leave.

School teacher, 1943.

School teacher, 1943.

The school teacher, sometimes not much older than her students, also served as a nurse, janitor, musician, sports instructor, and more for less than $50 a month. Equipped with little more than a blackboard and a few textbooks, teachers passed on to their students knowledge of the “three Rs” — reading, writing, arithmetic, and cultural values.

These were often called “home schoolhouses,” meaning that the school was in the school district where they resided. It was not uncommon for the family who sold the land for the school to often live adjacent to the property and provide room and board for the teacher. Because the schoolhouse was usually located on one of the better roads, someone would often try to set up a country store near the school.

The nearby store was a dynamic addition to the activities centered around the school. Area residents would trade butter, cream, eggs, bacon, fresh-killed game, hides, and furs to the local store for credit. The store owner often ran a freight business, bringing mail-order goods from larger towns. He also brought back the area’s mail, newspapers, magazines, and gossip. These country stores often became the center of the economic community, drawing in other retail operations and services.

The schoolhouse was often the social and political center of the school district. The playground often had a baseball diamond where the locals played, and the school building served as a meeting center for various causes and events. These included a polling center, club meetings, and recreational events and celebrations such as harvest festivals, holiday celebrations, amateur theatricals, and musical recitals. Some schools also served church congregations.

School playground by Arthur Rothestein, 1942.

School playground by Arthur Rothstein, 1942.

By the turn of the century, the population shifted to the cities, and country schools began to lose students and tax support. By then, one-room schools could no longer compete with larger, better-equipped schools in the cities. Additionally, these rural schools had problems retaining teachers from year to year because of low pay and declining student enrollment. With better roads and automobiles, school consolidation led to the first wave of elimination of one-room schools, often after a bitter debate that pitted farmers against town citizens.

One-room schools struggled through the Great Depression. After World War II, many were eliminated as mobility became more common and mechanization increased farm size. This reduced the number of farms, and people began to migrate to the cities. Half of Kansas one-room schools were closed between 1945 and 1950.

In the following years, school districts consolidated, pooling their resources to provide more teachers, broader curricula, and opportunities for extracurricular activities. With the unification of school districts, one-room schools were abandoned.

In some cases, the schools were auctioned off and converted into homes. If the building were on farmland, farmers would often burn the structure to reclaim the land for farms or pastures. Other schoolhouses, however, wasted away over time and weather.

By 1966, the one-room country school had become a thing of the past.

However, various projects have been undertaken to preserve the memory of these one-room schools, many of which have been preserved by local landowners, community groups, and museums.

The first white school taught in Morris County, Kansas, was at Council Grove in 1857, with Miss Sarah Stevenson as the teacher. Mr. T.S. Huffaker, however, had been employed as early as 1850 to teach the Kanza Indians in the Mission building, and while thus employed, several white children attended his school.​

Name District County Years of Operation Location & Information
Selma ?? Anderson 1921-1964
Old Selma School in Anderson County, Kansas.

Selma

This one-story T-shaped building was erected with brown tile brick and stone in the Craftsman/Bungalow style. It has a deck-on-hip roof with watercourse sills and lintels, and a west façade portico entrance with a gable overhang. The school was closed and consolidated with the elementary school in Kincaid in 1964. Vacant today, it is located on Wabaunsee Road in the extinct town of Selma, Kansas.

Welda ?? Anderson 1926-1873
Old Welda School in Anderson County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Welda School

This one-story rectangular red brick building was designed in the commercial style with a gable red tile roof. After it closed in 1873, it was utilized as a flea market. Located at SW 1000 Road in Welda, Kansas, it appears to be abandoned today.

Willow Branch ?? Anderson 1900
Old Willow Branch School in Bush City, Kansas.

Old Willow Branch School

This one-story, rectangular wood-frame school was designed in the vernacular style, featuring four-inch clapboards, a gable roof, and a hip entrance extension on the West façade. Southeast of the school, there is an old outhouse located on Vermont Road in Bush City, Kansas.

Atchison County Schools Various Atchison 1871-Present The graded course of study pursued in public schools is in accord with the most advanced methods adopted in the East. A specific program of work is to be completed annually, and it is strictly followed by the teachers of the different grades. Besides the Superintendent of City Schools and Principal of the High School, 29 regular and two substitute teachers are employed to maintain public education in Atchison. The average daily attendance in May 1882 was 1,886 out of a total enrollment of 2,310.
Lake City Rural High School ?? Barber 1920-??
Lake City School in Barber County, Kansas.

Lake City School

This two-story, rectangular building, made of red brick, was built in a commercial style with Colonial Gothic influences. This vacant, deteriorating building is missing most of its glass, the roof is gone, and the structure is open to the elements. It is located at 14122 River Road in Lake City, Kansas.

Sun City Gymnasium ?? Barber 1951-??
Sun City Gymnasium in Barber County, Kansas.

Sun City Gymnasium

This large, rectangular building, designed in a commercial style with a corrugated metal gable roof, is used today as a community center and sports facility. The gymnasium has tongue-and-groove yellow pine walls, a full-size court with seating for 800, built-in team benches, and a scorer’s table. The original school building was torn down, and only the flagpole and playground equipment, other than the gymnasium, remain. It is located at the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Walnut Street in Sun City, Kansas.

Great Bend 50 Barton 1874-??
Several old buildings in the area have been rescued and moved to the Barton County Museum in Great Bend, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.

Several old buildings in the area have been rescued and moved to the Barton County Museum in Great Bend, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.

This one-story rectangular wood-frame school has a gable roof with a brick chimney and bell tower. This schoolhouse is at the Barton County Historical Society Museum & Village, 85 S. Highway 281, Great Bend, Kansas. It was moved to this site in 1958.

Hoisington 19 Barton 1940-Present
Hoisington, Kansas High School

Hoisington High School

Hosigington High School, located at 218 E 7th Street in Hoisington, Kansas, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2005. The three-story, blond brick building, with a stone central entrance, features a gymnasium on one end and an auditorium on the other. The Works Progress Administration built it from 1937 to 1940. Early additions included a wood shop on the rear of the gym, an art room, and locker rooms.

Olmitz NA Barton 1903-1976
St. Ann's Parochial School in Olmitz, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

St. Ann’s  School

St. Ann’s Parochial School began operating in grades one through eight in 1903, with the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood from Wichita providing the teaching staff throughout the school’s operation. Both the church and school burned in 1913 and were rebuilt. High school classes began in 1927 and ended with the graduating class of 1949. Until 1976, the school still provided schooling from grades one to eight. In 1976, due to a shortage of teaching sisters, St. Ann’s was informed that the Precious Blood Community would not be able to provide teaching sisters for the following year. After much soul-searching and many hours of considering alternative solutions, the parish ultimately decided to close its school.

Bourbon County Schools Various Bourbon 1866-1966 In 1882, the student population was 7,866, with 3,995 males and 3,871 females. The number of pupils enrolled was 2,921 males and 3,089 females. The number of different teachers employed during the year was 150. The average wages for males were $34.27, and for females, they were $30.86. There are 100 schoolhouses in the county- two brick, three stone, and ninety-five frame. In the district school libraries, there were 350 volumes. The value of school property in the county is estimated at $89,672, and the total value of all school property in the county is $100,000.
Brown County Schools Various Brown 1869-1965 In 1881, there were 4,067 students enrolled in schools in Brown County, Kansas, and 125 teachers.
Butler County Schools Various Butler 1871-1967
Lily Lake School near Augusta, Kansas courtesy of Google Maps.

Lily Lake School

The first school taught in this county was in charge of Miss Sarah Satchel. It was located in Chelsea, the oldest settlement in the county, and was opened in 1860. At this time, the school district embraced Butler and Cowley Counties, as well as parts of Chase and Greenwood Counties. The second school was taught in 1863 in Towanda in a log building, erected by the settlers. A school was also started in El Dorado Township at an early day, a subscription being raised by the citizens, and Miss Jane Wentworth taught the school.

Chase County Schools Various Chase 1884- The school population in 1882 was 2,140. The superintendent visited 73 schools in 1882. The county had 44 School Districts, three of which were joint with Lyon, one with Morris, and one with Marion County.
Chautauqua County Schools Various Chautauqua 1870-?? The 1880 census showed the county’s school population was 2,097, but just two years later it had more than doubled to 4,421. The number of teachers employed in 1880 was 54, and in 1882, 100. J.C. Ross was the first County Superintendent.
Cherokee County Schools Various Cherokee 1879-1970 In 1904, Cherokee County had 120 public schools outside of the cities. At that time, there were 14 schools in the cities. These were distributed uniformly over the county so that no community within its borders could be found without a schoolhouse. Several remain today. See HERE.
St. Francis ?? Cheyenne ??
Old St. Francis School in St. Francis, Kansas.

Old St. Francis School

This old school is a one-story wood-frame Vernacular-style T-shaped building with a gable roof. It is owned by the First Baptist Church and located at the intersection of Webster and Denison Streets in St. Francis, Kansas.

Union 1 Clark 1940
Englewood School in Clark County, Kansas.

Englewood School

This Art Deco-style building was erected in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration and Union School District No. 1. This rectangular-shaped red brick building with a limestone entry with a central gymnasium with a gable roof has its original multipaned steel windows, replacement doors, and concrete piers on the north and south sides of the building. There is a small brick addition on the south side. It is now utilized as a Community Center. It is located at 510 Hatfield Road in Englewood, Kansas.

Ashland ?? Clark 1837
Elementary school in Ashland, Kansas.

Ashland Grade School

Constructed in 1937 through the federal Public Works Administration, the Ashland Grade School was designed in the Classical Revival style. It reflects the evolution of traditional Progressive Era schools with its main formal entrance and provisional additions of an auditorium, music room, and library. Kindergarten is held in a commercial building located southeast of the school. It was nominated as part of the “Historic Public Schools of Kansas” multiple property listing to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2005. It is located at 210 W 7th Street in Ashland, Kansas.

Sitka ?? Clark 1920-??
Sitka School in Clark County, Kansas.

Sitka School

The old Sitka school is a one-story rectangular wood-frame building designed in the vernacular style with a hip roof. Once used as a cafe, it is now vacant on the west side of Highway 183 in Sitka, Kansas.

Clay County Schools Various Clay 1878-1966 By 1881, there were 84 schoolhouses with 145 teachers. At that time, there were 95 districts, or one for every 140 inhabitants. The first schoolhouse cost about $50; the last, that of Clay Center, cost $25,000. From a school population of about 24 when the first school was established, it increased in 16 years to about 5,000.
Clyde ?? Cloud 1924-??
Clyde School in Clyde, Kansas courtesy of Google Maps.

Clyde School

This two-and-a-half-story Collegiate Gothic Revival-style building was built between 1917 and 1924. Clyde School originated from plans of Wichita-based architect Lorentz Schmidt, who was widely known for his designs of public schools. The need for a new school building in Clyde resulted from a fire in 1916 that destroyed the previous building. Cost constraints and economic uncertainties brought about by the country’s entry into World War I led the town’s school board to take a cautious approach to the building project. As a result, the building was erected in two phases. The building was rehabilitated into apartments in 2010, using State and Federal tax credits. It was listed on the National Register in January 2009. It is located at 620 Broadway Street in Clyde, Kansas.

Morgan Chapel School 40 Cloud
Morgan Chapel School in Cloud County Vintage

Morgan Chapel School

Morgan Chapel School in Cloud County courtesy Google Maps.

Morgan Chapel School

This octagon-shaped Italianate-style building was clad initially in wood with a conical roof and a bell tower or cupola. The one-and-a-half-story is now covered in corrugated metal siding and is utilized as a grain bin. It is located at the Northeast corner of 230th Road (County Road 803) and Quail Road (County Road 362) near Ames, Kansas.

No. 59 School ?? Cloud 1910-??
This old school was erected on the prairies just south of Ames, Kansas in 1910. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.

No. 59 School

No. 59 School was erected just south of Ames, Kansas, in 1910.

Silver Arrow Grade School ?? Cloud 1880-??
Silver Arrow Grade School in Cloud County, Kansas.

Silver Arrow Grade School

This one-story, rectangular wood-frame building was designed in the vernacular style, featuring a pyramid roof and east- and south-facing entries. A flagpole and playground equipment stand to the southeast of the building, and an outhouse is located to the northwest. It was once used as a community center and a 4-H building, but is now vacant. It is located at 295 Milo Road in the Concordia vicinity.

Protection High School Comanche
Protection High School in Comanche County, Kansas.

Protection High School

Protection High School Gym i Comanche County, Kansas.

Protection High School Gym

This two-story red brick L-shaped building was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style with a truncated hip roof. Stone detailing accents the red brick, and it has its original clay tile roof. Projecting end wings intersect the gable and a one-story projecting hex bay on the front. It has three Gothic arches with recessed doors. The original 1970s gym on the Southeast is intact. It was connected to Grade School to the north in the mid-1980s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2005 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination. It is located at 400 S. Jefferson Street in Protection, Kansas.

Cowley County Schools Various Cowley 1880-1964
The 1890 high-school building, now Ireland Hall at Crowley community college in Arkansas City, Kansas. Photo by Carol Highsmith.

The 1890 high school.

In 1872, there were 77 organized districts and 16 schoolhouses, many of which were well-built and furnished. In 1875, there were 108 districts, with 58 schoolhouses; in 1880, 125 districts, with 108 schoolhouses; in 1890, 150 districts and 150 schoolhouses, having 175 rooms, with belongings, all valued at $126,450, employing 191 teachers, enrolling 6,590 scholars, expending for the support of schools, $70,000. This was exclusive to the two second-class cities. Today, there are five school districts in Cowley County.

Crawford County Schools Various Crawford ??
Brazilton School #118, courtesy of Google Maps.

Brazilton School #118.

In 1882, the county had 7,114 children of school age, with 5,546 enrolled. During the county’s early days, as in most of the country, most kids lived on farms, and attending school was not a significant priority for families.

Dickinson County Schools Various Dickinson 1855-1967 In the early 1880s, the county’s educational interests aligned with the general progress and advancement of other county interests. The schoolhouses were all in good condition, and the sites were fenced. The school interiors were well-seated and well-supplied with maps, charts, globes, dictionaries, and other school apparatus. In 1882, there were 112 school districts in the county and 114 schoolhouses, of which three were constructed of brick, eight of stone, and 103 of wood. The school population of the county in 1882, between the ages of 5 and 21, was 5,503, divided by sex into 2,833 males and 2,670 females.
Doniphan County Schools Various Doniphan 1873-1968 For the year ending June 30, 1892: School population between 5 and 21 years, 4,716; number of different students enrolled, 3,537; average daily attendance, 2,108; number of districts organized, 69; number of clerks reporting, 68; number of teachers, male 41, female 46, total 87.
Douglas County Schools Various Douglas 1866-1966 At one time, Douglas County had 84 organized districts. With a few exceptions, most were one-room buildings that served as community centers, church meeting places, and classrooms. The county also boasted a shorthand institute, a business college, three high schools, an academy, and three universities. Today, numerous old and historic schools continue to stand in Douglas County. See them HERE.
Elk County Schools Various Elk 1873-1964 In 1882, the County Superintendent’s report stated that 4,150 school-age children were in the county. Of these, 2,025 were male, and 2,125 were female. There were 75 schoolhouses in the county, and four districts had no schoolhouses.
Blue Hill ?? Ellis ??
Blue Hill School in Ellis County, Kansas.

Blue Hill School

At the intersection of Severin Road & 370th Ave in Ellis County.

Washington Grade School ?? Ellis 1926-2016
Old Washington Grade School in Hays, Kansas.

Old Washington Grade School

The brick school is situated on a 2.8-acre site and consists of four main sections: the original building (built in 1926), two historic additions (built in 1931 and 1951), and one non-historic addition (built in 1994). The original portion of Washington Grade School is a two-story I-form building that houses most of the school’s classroom facilities. Like other city-graded schools constructed during the Progressive Era, this portion of Washington Grade School is a rectangular, brick, Commercial-style building with modest Tudor Revival references and a symmetrical primary facade (southeast). A brick gymnasium was added to the center of the northwestern portion of the building in 1931. The gymnasium exhibits simpler exterior detailing than the 1926 school. In 1951, a two-story brick addition was also joined to the northwest elevation, affording two extra classrooms and a basement with a kitchen and cafeteria space. The 1994 addition, located on the west side of the school, is a one-story brick building housing office space and two classrooms. The addition’s exterior demonstrates modest stylistic references to detailing found on the 1926 building. The school retains a high degree of historic integrity. The facility is an excellent example of a city-graded school property type constructed during the Progressive Era. Built during a period of rising student enrollment, the construction of Washington Grade School helped alleviate the growing needs of the Hays School District in the 1920s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 2021 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas. The nominated property contains one contributing building and three non-contributing resources: a metal storage shed, a gazebo, and a sculpted memorial. After the school closed, it was sold. The buyer received federal and state tax credits for the remodeling project, which had to follow strict guidelines due to the building’s historic status.StonePost Lofts apartments opened in 2022, and all 18 apartments were leased on the first day they became available. It is located at 305 Main Street in Hays, Kansas.

Plymouth ?? Ellis 1874-1936
Plymouth School on the Fort Hays University campus.

Plymouth School

German settlers built this schoolhouse in Russell County in the 1870s. It was moved to the Fort Hays State University campus in the fall of 1977.

Rural District U-1 ?? Ellis 1939
Rural District U-1 School in Ellis County, Kansas.

Rural District U-1 School

This one-story T-shaped stone building was designed in the vernacular style with a hip roof and lower cross gables. Serving as a private residence today, it is located at 1204 Antonino Road in the former town of Antonino, Ellis County, Kansas.

St. Catherine Parochial School NA Ellis 1902
Catherine Parochial School in Ellis County, Kansas.

Catherine Parochial School

This two-story, rectangular native limestone building, designed in the Italianate style, has a hip roof with steep gable dormers in the center of each façade. The school was built by the church but was leased to USD 489 for a public elementary school until 2000. The church now uses it for parish activities. It is located at 2131 St. Anthony Street in Catherine, Kansas.

Ellsworth County Schools Various Ellsworth 1912-1998
Old Highschool in Ellsworth, County, Kansas.

Old High School in Ellsworth County.

In 1882, the number of schoolchildren enrolled was nearly 100 fewer than in 1881. This indicated a decrease in population, which was attributed to the fact that parties coming into the county were eager to establish extensive ranches and buy out the settlers who had moved away. These transactions chiefly took place in the eastern portion of the county, and in 1881, two school districts, in which there were about 50 school children, were, in this manner, completely wiped out. The school population of the county in 1882, between the ages of five and twenty-one years, was 2,971, with 1,546 males and 1,425 females.

Garden City High School ?? Finney 1910-??
Old Garden City High School

Old Garden City High School

This T-shaped, three-story brick building was built in the Late 19th and 20th Century Classical Revival style, featuring a flat roof and parapet. It was named Sabine Hall in 1925 for Dr. Andrew Sabine, an active community leader and strong supporter of schools; its construction was made possible in no small part through his support. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 1996. It now serves as the Sabine Hall apartments. It is located at 201 Buffalo Jones Avenue in Garden City, Kansas.

Garden City ?? Finney 1880?
Old Garden City School courtesy Google Maps.

Old Garden City School

This rectangular one-story rectangular building has a gable roof. Serving as a dwelling today, it is located at 308 S. 7th Street in Garden City, Kansas.

Bloom Rural High School ?? Ford 1936-??
Bloom School Auditorium in Bloom, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Bloom School Auditorium

Bloom School Site with auditorium in background in Bloom, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Bloom School Site

The Bloom Rural High School Auditorium was built by the Works Progress Administration from 1935 to 1936 at a cost of about $10,897. Deteriorating badly, it is located at 200 East Street in the ghost town of Bloom, Kansas.

Saint Mary of the Plains – Hennessy Hall NA Ford 1952-??
Hennessy Hall in Dodge City, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Hennessy Hall

Hennessy Hall, built in 1952, was the original structure on the new Saint Mary of the Plains campus in Dodge City, Kansas. The campus was relocated when it was rebuilt after the original 1888 buildings (formerly Soule College) were destroyed by a tornado in 1942. Designed by St. Louis architects Maguolo & Quick, the four-story brick building is stylistically representative of the era. It is modern in design, with simple stone and aluminum detailing, and is simplistic in form, as well as spartan in its general lack of ornamentation. The campanile beside the chapel extends 130 feet in the air and can be seen from miles away. With its physical location in the center of campus and its impressive size, Hennessy Hall is the focal point of the college. The building towers above the plains, establishing a dominant presence on campus and in the community. St. Mary of the Plains College was a four-year liberal arts college in Dodge City, Kansas, that closed in 1992. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2004. Today, much of the old campus is utilized by Newman University. Several organizations, including the university, utilize Hennessy Hall. It is located at 240 San Jose Drive in Dodge City, Kansas.

Franklin County Schools Various Franklin 1868-1961 In 1882, there were 90 school districts in Franklin CountyKansas, and 89 schoolhouses. According to the 1881 census, there were 6,025 children between the ages of five and twenty-one. Of these, 4,543 were enrolled, and 2,934 were in average daily attendance.
Junction City High School 1903 Geary 1904-
Geary County Historical Museum in Junction City, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Geary County Historical Museum

Located at 319 W. 6th Street, the old Junction City High School was built in 1903-1904 in the Romanesque Revival style. The three-story limestone school opened its doors for the first time on September 12, 1904, with 192 students enrolled. The last high school class to graduate from the building was in 1929, comprising 61 members. The building was then used for the seventh grade. In the 1950s, it was converted to a sixth-grade building with five classes. A kindergarten class was also held in the basement. For many years, the building housed the superintendent’s office, the administrative office, and the board of education meeting room. The building was donated to the Geary County Historical Society in 1982 as a permanent home for the museum. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1981.

Kansas Falls 17 Geary 1869-1953
Kansas Falls School in Geary County, Kansas.

Kansas Falls School

This rural school district was organized on May 14, 1869, at the home of William S. Shane. It was named for the old town of Kansas Falls, which lasted only three years, with its post office closing in 1860. The school closed in July 1953 when the district was disorganized, and the students were divided between Acker and Brookside schools. It is on the Smoky Hill River, approximately seven miles southwest of Junction City, near Seven Springs.

 

Kickapoo 29 Geary 1881-??
Kickapoo School in Geary County, Kansas.

Kickapoo School

This vernacular-style, native stone, rectangular building features a metal gable roof and a brick chimney. The windows are boarded up. The interior is intact with its original wood floor, tin ceiling, plaster walls with wood wainscoting, and a chalkboard. It is located at 1511 Kickapoo School Road near Junction City, Kansas.

Rubin 16 Geary 1893
Rubin School in Geary County, Kansas.

Rubin School

This one-story, rectangular school was built in the commercial style with a gable roof, made of native stone. It has a hip front porch addition. There is a garage/carriage house west of the school. It is located on Lyon Creek Road near Junction City, Kansas.

Spring Valley 21 Geary 1873-1958
Spring Valley School, Junction City, Kansas courtesy Geary County Historical Society.

Spring Valley School

The schoolhouse was built in 1873 on an acre of land donated by the Bailey family.  It was named for the springs just south and north of the school. Later, the school added electricity, and a coal furnace replaced the old coal and wood stove in the center of the room. A gas furnace was in place when the school closed. Before the school closed in 1958, it was the last open country school in Geary County that lacked running water and indoor toilets. Afterward, it was used for community meetings. The working 1930s-era water pump and pony barn are still on the grounds. It is located at Highway 18 and Spring Valley Road, Junction City.

 Abin’s ?? Gove
Antelope Ridge 52 Gove
Coin ?? Gove
East Lone Star ?? Gove
Gove Rural High School 1 Gove 1921-1969
Gove Rural High School

Gove Rural High School

In April 1920, residents voted to approve a bond of $30,000 to build a new high school in Gove City. At that time, only 25 students were enrolled. In June 1920, the lots were purchased, and work began in November. Construction was completed in May 1921, and the first school term began in the fall of 1921 and continued into the spring of 1922. In 1965, District 1 became part of the Unified District No. 292 in Wheatland, consolidating with Park and Grainfield. They continued to hold school in the Gove Rural High School building until 1968, when a new school was built in Wheatland. From 1915 until 1968, there were 469 graduates from the Gove Rural High School. The largest class to graduate was in 1940, with 18 Seniors. The largest enrollment was over 80. The Gove County Historical Association purchased the old school in 1970, and it is now the Gove County Historical Museum. The second floor of the two-story, red-brick building has six rooms. The basement level is the gymnasium with a hanging balcony, both of which have their original hardwood floors and stage. The middle level has one large room. It is located at 505 Washington Street in Gove, Kansas.

Park Grade School ?? Gove 1930-1990
Old Park Grade School in Park, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Park Grade School

The old Park Grade School is a one-story rectangular building built in the Commercial style with a flat roof. The interior is intact with plaster walls and ceilings, original doors, trim, and chalkboards. The original High School is located one block west. When it was consolidated in the late 1960s, this building closed, and grade school moved to the High School building. This grade school closed in 1990. It is located on the northeast corner of Main and 3rd Street in Park, Kansas.

Cracker Box ?? Graham 1920
Crackerbox School in Nicodemus, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Crackerbox School

This school was relocated from Pioneer Township to Nicodemus in the 1920s. Part of the Nicodemus Historic District, the Cracker Box School is located on the north side of Washington Avenue, between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

Fairview School 1 Graham 1913-??
Fairview School in Nicodemus, Kansas by Dave Alexander.

Fairview School

Nicodemus was the first community in Graham County, Kansas, to establish a school district and school. The existing school building was constructed in 1918 after a fire destroyed its predecessor. The one-and-a-half-story wood-frame school is square in plan with a wood-shingle-hipped roof. A porch on the east elevation marks the main entry to the building. The school property also contains a one-story gabled-roofed shed. A large playground and open space surround the structures. It is located on Washington Street in Nicodemus, Kansas.

Morland High School 280 Graham 1950-2002
Old Morgan High School in Graham County, Kansas.

Old Morgan High School

The old Morland High School is a one-story, L-shaped building in the Modern/Modern Movement style. USD 280 Morland and USD 281 Hill City consolidated into USD 281 Hill City in 2002. It is located on East Main Street in Morland, Kansas.

North Star 45 Graham 1900
North Star School in Graham County, Kansas.

North Star School

This wood-frame, one-story, rectangular Vernacular-style building has a gable roof and cement board siding. An outhouse stands on the property. It is located 12 miles north of Highway 24 on 200 Avenue near Hill City, Kansas.

South Star ?? Graham  1900
South Star School in Graham County,, Kansas.

South Star School

South Star Schoolhouse is a one-story, rectangular, wood-frame building built in the commercial style, featuring a gable metal roof and a brick chimney. There is an outhouse southeast of the school and a merry-go-round to the southwest. Vacant today, it sits on the southeast corner of Y Road and 200 Avenue near Hill City.

Hickok ?? Grant 1935-??
Old school building near Hickok, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Hickok Old School

An old school building near Hickok, Kansas. This Vernacular-style red brick building also features two brick outhouses and a wooden frame garage to the south of the old school. This building is now used as a residence. It is located at 5457 E US-160 Highway.

Ulysses 1 Grant 1910-??
An old school at the Adobe Museum in Ulysses, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Ulysses Old School

This old school is located at the Historic Adobe Museum Complex, 300 W. Oklahoma Avenue (US-160 Highway) in Ulysses, Kansas. It was moved here from another location.

Greenwood County Schools Various Greenwood 1880-1970
Southern Kansas Academy in Eureka, Kansas by L.H. Everts Co, 1887.

Southern Kansas Academy in Eureka.

In 1882, Greenwood County had 90 school districts with 2,987 enrolled students taught by 97 teachers. At that time, the value of all school property was $77,000.00, with annual expenditures of $42,490.82.

Coolidge Hamilton 1947-1969
Old school in Coolidge, Kansas.

Coolidge

This L-shaped brick school closed in 1969. It now serves as a Community Hall for town meetings and bingo nights. Grain is now stored in the auditorium. It is on the north side of Santa Fe Street at the intersection with Walnut Street.

Keystone 62J Harper 1884-1955
Keystone School near Attica, Kansas.

Keystone School

The Vernacular-style, L-shaped wood-frame building has an old Outhouse on the property. It serves as a community building today. It is located at 1226 Northwest 150th Road near Attica, Kansas.

Lincoln Junior High Auditorium Harper 1951-??
Old Lincoln Junior High Auditorium in Anthony, Kansas.

Lincoln Junior High Auditorium

This one-story, rectangular building was built in the Streamline/Art Moderne style and is now unused. It is located on North Pennsylvania Avenue in Anthony, Kansas.

Silver Creek ?? Harper
Harvey County Schools Various Harvey 1910-1999
Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, courtesy Wikipedia.

Bethel College

In 1882, the county had 67 organized districts and 4,140 people of school age. There were 3,209 students enrolled, and 82 teachers were employed, with an average salary of $36.59 for males and $31.09 for females. In addition to the public schools, there were many private schools under the auspices of the Mennonites and other denominations, where German and English languages were taught.

Soldier Grade School ?? Jackson 1935-1973
Soldier Grade School in Jackson County, Kansas.

Soldier Grade School

This one-story, red brick, T-shaped building was designed in the Colonial Revival style, featuring a hip roof with intersecting gables. It has a gabled central entry door with sidelights and a fanlight transom. The This Works Project Administration building replaced a former frame school on the same site that had burned down. The grade school kids walked up the street to eat at the high school. When the school closed in 1973, it was converted to a residence. It has a garage. It is located at 209 Francis Street in Soldier, Kansas.

Soldier High School Gymnasium ?? Jackson 1920-1968
Soldier High School Gymnasium in Jackson County, Kansas.

Soldier High School Gymnasium

This one-story, rectangular T-shaped brick gymnasium was designed in a commercial style, featuring a gable roof with a parapet. The deteriorated building has many openings boarded up, its roof open and exposed to the elements, and the site overgrown with vegetation. The gym originally stood beside the high school that closed in 1968 and was torn down a couple of years later. The gymnasium was sold. It is located on Highway 62 on the north edge of Soldier, Kansas.

Stach ?? Jackson 1940 Delia
Whiting ?? Jackson 1940-??
Old Whiting School in Jackson County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Whiting School

This one-story, T-shaped brick building was designed in a commercial style with a flat roof and a parapet. The building features a gymnasium and auditorium with a high degree of integrity. The original school has been altered and expanded to the east, and a gable roof was installed. Stucco was also applied to the exterior brick walls. It now serves as the Whiting Community Center.
It is located at 608 5th Street in Whiting, Kansas.

Wichewah ?? Jackson Pottawatomi Indian Reservation is approximately six miles from Mayetta.
Bolton 49 Jefferson 4.5 miles southeast of Valley Falls on the Ferguson Road
Buck Creek 43 Jefferson 1878-1952
Buck Creek School in Jefferson County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Buck Creek School

This school is a one-story native limestone structure with a gable roof. The school’s interior space consists of a central entry foyer flanked by two coatrooms, leading into the primary classroom. Students of all ages attended. In 1883, 55 students, aged 5 to 18, attended classes. The length of the school year fluctuated between seven and nine months. Between 1873 and 1907, a teacher earned between $30 and $50 a month. In 1952, the teacher’s salary was $225 per month. After 75 years as a center of education, public meetings, and social gatherings, consolidation led to its closure in 1952. It was then sold to the Valley Ridge Homemakers Extension Unit in 1954 for a meeting hall. It is located at 15490 13th Street, Perry, Kansas, off US-24, two miles east of Williamstown.

Excelsior 12 Jefferson North of Valley Falls
Nortonville ?? Jefferson 1937
Old school in Nortonville, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Nortonville High School

This old high school was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1937. Today, it is privately owned and appears to be used as a residence.

Sunnyside ?? Jefferson 1880-1954
Sunnyside School in Jefferson County, Kansas, courtesy Kansas Historical Society.

Sunnyside School.

Sunnyside School is located on a one-acre rural parcel in Sarcoxie Township, southern Jefferson County. It is a one-and-a-half-story wood-frame, rectangular building with wood clapboard siding. The building has four rooms: two entry vestibules, a central closet/workspace, and a classroom. It once had two outhouses, one for boys and one for girls. Only one outhouse remains today. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the school is located at 1121 Republic Road near Perry.

Wellman  71 Jefferson 1887
Wellman School at  Old Jefferson Town in Oskaloosa, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Wellman School

Wellman School Interior at  Old Jefferson Town in Oskaloosa, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Wellman School Interior

The school was built in about 1887 on the homestead of Harrison W. Wellman in southeastern Jefferson County. In 1970, the Wellman Schoolhouse was relocated from Sarcoxie Township in the southeast part of the county to its current location at the southeast corner of the Old Jefferson Town Museum.

The one-story, rectangular, wood-frame building was designed in the Vernacular style with a gable roof and a bell tower over the west façade. It is located at the Old Jefferson Town at 703 Walnut Street in Oskaloosa, Kansas.

Williamstown ?? Jefferson
Old Elementary School in Williamstown, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Williamstown Elementary

The Williamstown Elementary School closed in 2007 due to financial constraints.

Burr Oak ?? Jewell 1900-1967
Burr Oak School in Jewell County, Kansas.

Burr Oak School

In April 1899, Burr Oak residents voted to build a new school building. Architect J. C. Holland of Topeka designed the schoolhouse, which J. W. Berry built for $7,000. The school opened its doors for classes on January 2, 1900. It served as both the high school and grade school until 1916, when a new high school was built. It continued serving grade school students until 1967. The two-story limestone structure with a full basement shares the block with an auxiliary building to the south that once housed the school lunchroom. Each of the building’s six classrooms has a large cloakroom with the original hooks that once held the students’ coats. Slate blackboards adorn all the walls of the classrooms. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2005. It is located at 776 Kansas Street in Burr Oak.

Rose Hill School 50 Jewell 1878-??
Rosehill School in Jewell County, Kansas, courtesy waymarking.com

Rosehill School

This brick one-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1878. Before that time, the school was taught in a log cabin. The school’s highest enrollment was 77 pupils in 1890. It is located in Lovewell State Park today, Webber, Kansas. Historic limestone school hosts summer church service. Five miles east, nine miles north, and four miles east of Mankato, Kansas, on Webber Road.

Johnson County Schools Various Johnson 1839-1965
Walnut Grove School in Olathe, Kansas courtesy Facebook.

Walnut Grove School in Olathe.

The first school in Johnson County, Kansas, was the Shawnee Mission school, and the few white children who were there attended the Indian school, with the exception of those who received private instruction. The first schools for white children, as provided by the territorial laws, were established in Johnson County in 1857.

Columbia ?? Kearny 1893-??
Columbia School in Lakin, Kansas.

Columbia School

The Columbia Schoolhouse originally stood north of Lakin, Kansas. It is now part of the Kearny County Museum Complex at 111 S. Buffalo Street.

Pyle  ?? Kiowa This school was located near Haviland, Kansas. Etna Maurice Pyle, Sr., and his wife, Susan Lavina Stanley Pyle, were among the founders of Haviland, Kansas. Susan Pyle was the first teacher. The original school building was moved to a nearby farm where it stands today.
Angola 56 Labette
Old school in Angola, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old School in Angola, Kansas.

The Angola School District was organized in the central part of Canada Township on July 13, 1878.

Globe School ?? Labette 1904-??
Globe School in Labette County, Kansas.

Globe School

The old Globe School is a red brick rectangular building located at 17036 Gove Road, about two miles north of Mound Valley, Kansas.

Labette County ?? Labette ??
Old Labette County School in the Parsons vicinity.

Old Labette County School

This one-story, rectangular stone building with a gable-front roof was designed in the vernacular style. It has outbuildings on the property. It is located at 1899 26000 Road in the Parsons vicinity.

Noble  89 Labette Elm Grove Township
Snow Hill ?? Labette Nine miles east of Coffeyville
Unknown School ?? Lane
Christian Ridge  ?? Lane On Vermont/Ellis Road, northwest of Lane.
Leavenworth County Schools Various Leavenworth ?? The history of the Leavenworth County schools began with the organization of the school board on July 3, 1858, with Nelson McCracken as president.
Lincoln County Schools Various Lincoln 1870-1996 The first thought of Lincoln County pioneers was for their children’s education, and the first school was taught in a dugout in Martin Hendrickson’s dooryard by a young man named Marion Ivy in  1870. David G. Bacon taught the second school in a dugout nearby. In 1870, Mrs. Skinner taught the first public school in District No. 2 at Monroe.
Austin 50 Linn Near Mantey, south of Mound City
Excelsior ?? Linn Northeast Linn County
Oxford 99 Linn 1882-?? Mantey, Kansas. A few people still live in the area, and the old town features a historic business building and the 1882 Oxford No. 99 school. The old town is approximately 6.5 miles south of Mound City, located on Highway 7.
Middle Creek ?? Linn
District #9 9 Linn 1868-1959
No. 9 School in Mound City, Kansas.

No. 9 School

This school in Mound City was relocated in 1976 from the Kossuth Community. It was built of lumber hauled by a wagon team from Westport, Missouri. The original site also had a horse barn, coal shed, two outdoor toilets, and a dug well. The one-room, one-teacher schoolhouse served as many as 70 students at one time and as few as 9. It is in the Mound City Historical Park at 702 W. Main Street (State Highway 52), west of 7th Street.

Oak Grove ?? Linn
Parker High School ?? Linn ??
Old Parker High School in Parker, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Parker High School

The old Parker High School is a two-story, red-brick, T-shaped building designed in the Commercial style with a flat roof. It is located at 229 West Woodward Street in Parker, Kansas.

Prescott Elementary ?? Linn 1883-1972
Old Prescott Elementary in Linn County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Prescott Elementary

The old Prescott Elementary School, which opened in 1883, is a two-story brick structure. It has two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs. The Prescott School served ten grades until the new high school was built to the west of it in 1924. In 1972, consolidation took the high school students to Mound City, and the elementary pupils moved into the old high school. It is located at the intersection of West 3rd Street and Main Street in Prescott, Kansas. It serves as a library today. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Prescott Rural High School ?? Linn 1924-??
Old Prescott High School in Linn County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Prescott High School

Architect Ray Gamble, who served as Kansas’ state architect from 1917 to 1923, designed the Prescott Rural High School in the commercial style with popular Mission and Spanish Revival architectural details. The school had 35 students in grades 1 through 6. Built in 1924, the one-story rectangular brick building includes a two-story gymnasium and two mid-20th-century additions. The stone accents and the Mission-shaped parapet at the building’s entrance are key character-defining features. It became an elementary school in 1973. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2008 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination. It currently serves as the city hall of Prescott. It is located at 202 W. 4th Street in Prescott, Kansas.

Trading Post ?? Linn 1886-??
Trading Post School in Linn County, Kansas.

Trading Post School

This one-story rectangular wood-frame building was built in the vernacular style with a gable roof. Today, it is a museum on N. 4th Street in the ghost town of Trading Post, Kansas.

 

Union 72 Linn Mound City/Pleasanton
Gill 33 Logan 1888-1960
Gill School in Logan County, Kansas, courtesy Kansas State Historical Society.

Gill School

The Gill School was built in 1888 by early settlers of the area. It was one of the first one-room schoolhouses in Logan County since it was built just a year after its establishment. It was built on land donated by George Gill, who lived in the Fort Wallace post-hospital structure after the fort’s decommissioning. The school was built of Niobrara limestone, believed to be locally quarried. The school served students from Wallace and Logan County. The interior of the one-room schoolhouse reflects the style and layout of traditional one-room country schools. Except for the entry bay, the school consists of just one room. After serving the surrounding community for 71 years, it closed in 1960. It was listed on the Kansas Register of Historic Places in 2021. It is located at 1601 Plains Rd.

Russell Springs ?? Logan ??-1960s
The school in Russell Springs, Kansas is closed today by Kathy Alexander.

Russell Springs School

At the end of the 1960s, the Russell Springs consolidated school closed through school consolidation. Today, students attend the USD 275 Triplains school in Winona.

Allen ?? Lyon 1918-??
Old school in Allen, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Allen School

This two-and-a-half-story stone school with Neoclassical influences was built in 1918. A streamlined addition was erected in 1946. The building now serves the North Lyon County Youth Association and Community Building. It is located on East 7th Street.

Americus ?? Lyon 1941-Present
Americus Old High School

Americus Old High School

Located at Broadway and 6th Street in Americus, Kansas, the Works Progress Administration built this two-story Art Deco-style high school in 1941. It now serves as an Elementary School.

Dobbs ?? Lyon 1873-1951
Dobbs School originated in Marion County. It was later moved to Emporia, Kansas. Photo by Kathy Alexander.

Dobbs School

This one-room, limestone schoolhouse was originally located about 50 miles west of Emporia in Marion County. When it was built in 1873, it was known as Dobbs School. The school was donated as a gift to Emporia State University by Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Kruse of Marion in 1969 to serve as a museum and memorial to pioneer Kansas education. To move the structure, the school was completely dismantled and restored stone by stone at its new location. It is located at 12 West 18th Avenue in Emporia, Kansas.

Cottonwood 26 Lyon 1882-??
Cottonwood School in Lyon County, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Cottonwood School

Take Highway 50 west of Emporia for five miles. On the north side of the highway is a simple, white, wood-framed building with a small steeple.

Hartford Collegiate Institute NA Lyon 1863-1875
Hartford Collegiate Institute in Hartford, Kansas.

Hartford Collegiate Institute

The Hartford Collegiate Institute in Hartford, Kansas, was established in 1861 as a branch of Baker University in Baldwin to prepare students “for entrance into the Methodist university.” Its location was chosen by the Methodist Episcopal Conference in 1860, and a group called the Neosho Valley Educational Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church first met on December 11, 1861, to make plans for the school. Local citizens agreed to donate funds and land. By the spring of 1862, the institute had received contributions of cash, materials, and labor totaling $1,530. The Board of Trustees appointed an executive committee in August 1862 to prescribe courses of study, set tuition costs, and determine the opening date. Classes corresponding to the upper two grades of high school and the first year and a half of college were desired. Solomon Lewis was the first teacher in the new building, with several others added as attendance increased. The structure was completed in the fall of 1863, and the first classes were held on October 14 of that year.

In 1866, Asa D. Chambers leased the institute building for ten years and opened it as a first-class academy in 1867. By 1870, there were 120 pupils, although the school had operated under extreme hardship from 1865 to 1868. The institute had to close in 1875 because of insufficient funds, but the public school district used the lower floor until 1877. Methodist church services were held in the building for approximately 20 years until 1887. The local high school met in the building from 1903 to 1912. Since then, it has periodically been used as a civic and social center for the community. It is the oldest building in Hartford and the oldest school building in Lyon County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 1972.  It is located at 315 College Boulevard in Hartford, Kansas.

College of Emporia – Kenyon Hall NA Lyon 1916
Kenyon Hall in Emporia, Kansas.

Kenyon Hall

Kenyon Hall has been a stately landmark in Emporia since it was completed in 1929. This building sits at the center of the old Emporia College campus, where, in the city’s early days, one could see both the Neosho and Cottonwood Rivers from this knoll known as College Hill. The three-story red brick building was built in the Tudor Gothic style between 1916 and 1929. It is the largest and second-oldest building on the former Emporia College campus.

When a fire in December 1915 destroyed the former administration building known as Stuart Hall, many people thought it would be the demise of the College of Emporia. However, the college immediately started collecting funds and made plans to build a new structure. It was estimated that the building would cost $100,000 and be equipped like no other college building. The building was to have a basement (garden level) and three stories. It was to be about the same size and appearance as the Stuart Hall building, which Kenyon Hall was replacing in the same location. Kenyon Hall was the administration building for Emporia State University, where official college events were held. The chapel was a place of worship that was part of everyday life for all students at this Christian college.

The building is a concrete and masonry structure with a total gross area of approximately 64,000 square feet. The north end of the building initially served the Conservatory of Music. It housed the theatrical offices, rehearsal rooms, and dressing rooms. The northern and middle sections are the oldest parts of the building, constructed in 1916-17. The middle section of the building is an auditorium space, previously known as the Memorial Chapel. That auditorium reportedly seated approximately 1,200 people and had a vaulted ceiling originally lit by four chandeliers. On both the east and west sides of the auditorium are beautiful, golden stained-glass windows that certainly would have served the chapel well. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 2004. Kenyon Heights, an apartment complex for seniors, opened in 2013 in the old administration building. It is located at 1300 C of E Drive in Emporia, Kansas.

Plymouth Lyon 1882-??
Plymouth School in Lyon Couty, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Plymouth School

Plymouth was an unincorporated community in Lyon County, Kansas. It is technically also an extinct town. The schoolhouse was built in 1882. This one-story rectangular wood-frame building was designed in the vernacular style with a gable-front roof. It is unknown when it closed, but the white clapboard school still stands today, complete with its old belfry, a broken sidewalk, and playground equipment. It is located at 457 W. U.S. 50 Highway, seven miles west of Emporia.

Marion County Schools Various Marion 1873-1992
Union School in Burns, Kansas courtesy State Kansas Historical Society.

Union School

In 1882, Marion County had 80 schools, of which there was one joint district with Chase County, one with Dickinson County, and one with Harvey County. At that time, it had four teachers in Grade 1, 62 in Grade 2, and 35 in Grade 3. The number of children of school age was 4,359; the number of male teachers was 42; the number of female teachers was 54; the average age of teachers was 22. The average monthly pay for male teachers was $36.73, and for females, it was $32.43. The bonded indebtedness for schoolhouses was about $35,000. Hillsboro employed two teachers: Florence and Peabody, four each; Marion Center, five; the other districts, one each. There were 97 rooms used for school purposes.

Marshall County Schools Various Marshall 1870-1997
Bethany Academy NA McPherson 1885-??
Old Bethany Academy building in Lindsborg, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Bethany Academy

This building was the first classroom on the Bethany College campus. When Old Main was built, it became the home of the Art Department until the Department moved to the 1904 Swedish Pavilion. The Academy building was used for storage until it was moved to Heritage Square at the Old Mill Museum Complex in the 1970s. It is located on the Mill Street Heritage Square at the northeast corner of Main Street and Mill Street in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Range 15 McPherson 1906
Range School Museum in Marquette, Kansas.

Range School

This one-room schoolhouse was moved to Marquette from its location nine miles northwest of Marquette. The wood-frame building has been beautifully restored and is operated as a museum by the Marquette Historical Society. It is located at 206 N. Washington Street.

Roxbury ?? McPherson 1915
Roxbury School in McPherson County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Roxbury School

The old Roxbury School is a two-story rectangular brick building built in the vernacular style with a hip roof with gable front ends. Vacant today, it stands on 27th Avenue in Roxbury, Kansas.

West Kentuck 69 McPherson 1910
West Kentuck School in Lindsborg, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

West Kentuck School

West Kentuck School Interior in Lindsborg, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

West Kentuck School Interior

This rectangular, one-story wood-frame building was designed in the National Folk style, featuring a gable-front roof, a classic bell cupola, and an entry vestibule. It stands on East Mill Street at the Mill Museum in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Beaver Creek 68 Miami Middle Creek Township
Cedarvale 17 Miami 1905-1949
Cedar Vale School, near Louisburg, Kansas.

Cedar Vale School

Cedarvale School was annexed to School District #38, known as Louisburg Grade School, in June 1949. The wood-frame school has been converted to a residence. It is hidden behind trees at 27865 New Lancaster Road, Louisburg, Kansas.

Clark Valley, Pleasant Valley 10 Miami 37936 Pleasant Valley Road, Mound Township, Lane
East Washington 24 Miami Garnett, Sugar Creek Township
Fairview 9 Miami East of Lane, Osawatomie Township
Mission 33 Miami ??-1951
Mission School in Miami County, Kansas.

Mission School

William Willhoite was the initial owner (c. 1864) of the land upon which the Mission School sits. He was a practicing doctor at the nearby Miami Mission. He served in the State Legislature in the 1880s and was coroner of Miami County. He also served on the local school board for Mission School, which sat at the edge of his farm. There is no known build date for the school, but it was closed to public use in 1951. This wood-framed rectangular Vernacular-style building with a Gable-Front roof is located at 36410 Oak Grove Road in Fontana, Kansas.

Green Valley 13 Miami Osawatomie Township
Highland 85 Miami Mound Township
Indianapolis 7 Miami Land for the Indianapolis school was donated by Elisha and Mary Brenson in 1865.
Moore 83 Miami Three miles west of Louisburg, Wea Township
George A. York School ?? Miami 1921-??
George A. York School in Ossawatomie, Kansas.

George A. York School

The two-story red brick building is located on Activity Drive in Osawatomie near the state hospital. Several government offices are located on the first floor today.

Louisburg High School Miami 1926-??
Old Louisburg High School in Maimi County, Kansas.

Old Louisburg High School

The two-story red brick old Louisburg High School erected a new east addition in the 1930s and a south addition in 1960. The Commercial Style building now houses the Louisburg Plaza Office Center. It is located at 5 South Peoria Street in Louisburg, Kansas.

Pleasant Ridge 67 Miami Marysville Township
Rock Creek Miami 1910-1966
Rock Creek School in Miami County, Kansas courtesy Lawrence Journal World.

Rock Creek School

The Rock Creek School, built in 1910, replaced an earlier schoolhouse. Students attended classes there until 1966. From Kansas Highway 33 in Wellsville, turn east onto Stafford Road, which then becomes 231st Street.

Vickers 49 Miami 1869-1966 The school is on 319th Street, southeast of Paola. It serves as an Airbnb today. A fire damaged it on May 13, 2022, but it appears salvageable.
Wagstaff 98 Miami 1887-?? The district was established in 1886, and the school was built in 1887. It is located in the extinct town of Wagstaff at the intersection of  West 255th Street and Ridgeview in Northeastern Miami County, Kansas
Willow Branch 55 Miami E. B. Prindle land, Valley Township
District #3 3 Mitchell 1883-1961
Mitchell #3 School near Beloit, Kansas courtesy Kansas Geological Survey.

Mitchell #3 School

This building was constructed as a school in 1883. It also served as the No. 3 Sunday School and Church around 1889. Services were discontinued in about 1927. The school was no longer held in the facility after 1961, and the district disbanded in 1964. The school building was constructed by S.P. Swenson, a Swedish stone mason who arrived in Solomon Valley in 1868. A. Fred Lutz also assisted in the construction. This one-story limestone rectangular structure was built in the Italianate style with a Gable-Front roof. Carved wood trim and fancy-cut stone adorn the building. It is located on Asherville Road, about 2.5 miles east of Beloit, Kansas.

Gilbert School 72 Mitchell 1900-??
Gilbert School in Mitchell County, Kansas.

Gilbert School

This T-shaped, native stone schoolhouse, with its intersecting gable roof, sits in a field today. This old school is 3.25 miles east of Beloit on Highway 9.

Honey Creek 21 Mitchell 1942-1961
Little Red Schoolhouse in Beloit, Kansas.

Honey Creek School

The Little Red Schoolhouse was built in 1942 after a tornado destroyed an early stone school. Honey Creek School was initially located just southwest of Beloit and served approximately 30 students in grades 1 through 8. The one-room school was closed in 1961. In 1970, the school building was moved to its present site in a small community park at the corner of Hwy 24 and Hersey Ave. in Beloit, Kansas.  2044 US Hwy 24 Beloit, Kansas.

Hunter Rural High School ?? Mitchell 1915-??
Old Hunter Rural High School in Hunter, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Hunter Rural High School

This three-story commercial/neoclassical rectangular school, a native stone building, is in ruins today. It is located on 4th Street in Hunter, Kansas.

Hyde ?? Mitchell
Round Top ?? Mitchell 1924-1969
Round Top School in Mitchell County, Kansas.

Round Top School

This rectangular, one-story limestone building with a gable roof was designed in the vernacular style, featuring a full basement. Joe W. Ludwig donated the land for the school. After moving to the new building, the first classes were held on October 6, 1924, with  Florence Zimmer teaching. An enclosed wood-framed porch addition was added later, protecting the entrance from adverse weather. In 1969, the school was the last one-room schoolhouse in Mitchell County. The last teacher was Galen Long. In 1971, the school building was returned to the owners’ father. The roof was torn off by a tornado in 1992, and two outhouses were demolished. The deteriorating building is located on 270 Road southwest of Beloit.

State Industrial School for Girls Beloit Mitchell 1888-2008
Girls Reform School in Beloit, Kansas, courtesy Kansas Historical Society.

Girls Reform School in Beloit, Kansas, courtesy of the Kansas Historical Society.

Beloit, Kansas, was home to the girls’ reformatory, one of the longest-operating in the country.

Tipton Elementary ?? Mitchell 1910
Old Tipton Elementary School in Mitchell County, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Old Tipton Elementary School

This one-and-a-half-story, rectangular, gray brick building was designed in the Prairie style, featuring a low-hipped roof and a single front entry with a large, elevated porch. Square brick columns support the porch roof with concrete steps leading up to the entrance. It served as the only secular school in a German community that maintained a separate Catholic school. The school served the non-Catholic residents in the community. It was initially constructed and operated by the Tipton School Board. Today it serves as a residence. It is located at 604 Gambrinus Street in Tipton, Kansas.

Montgomery County Schools Various Montgomery
Maple Grove School.

Maple Grove School.

The citizens of Montgomery County, Kansas, paid early and close attention to the matter of youth education and the establishment and maintenance of good schools. As early as 1872, there were already 87 organized school districts, nearly all of which were supplied with amply furnished and comfortable school buildings. The amount of bonds issued by the various districts for this purpose aggregated $120,000. From this favorable start, still further growth was made, so that, in 1878, a period of six years, there were 102 organized school districts in the county, and 100 school buildings, of which four were log, ninety frame, four brick, and two stone.

Morris County Schools Various Morris 1876-1965
Kaw Methodist Mission in Council Grove, Kansas.

Kaw Methodist Mission

The first white school taught in Morris CountyKansas, was at Council Grove in 1857, with Miss Sarah Stevenson as the teacher. Mr. T.S. Huffaker, however, had been employed as early as 1850 to teach the Kanza Indians in the Mission building, and while thus employed, several white children attended his school.

Richfield Grade School ?? Morton 1940-
Richfield Grade School in Morton County, Kansas.

Richfield Grade School

The old Richfield Grade School is a one-story, blonde brick, L-shaped building designed in the Modern Movement style. At the entrance on the east end, there is a brick pylon or bell tower; a metal awning extends over it. A gymnasium with a gable roof is on the southwest corner. The interior has brick wainscoting, concrete block walls, and acoustic tile ceilings. Now used as the Richfield Township Community Center, it is located on 7th Street in Richfield, Kansas.

Nemaha County Schools Various Nemaha The first school was taught in a small building in the Granada Township of Nemaha CountyKansas, in 1856. In 1880, the county had a school population of 4,473, with 86 organized districts and 90 schoolhouses. The schools employed 133 teachers. The total valuation of the school property at this time was $57,904. By the early 1890s, there were 115 districts and 12 joint districts.
Brewster 64 Neosho 1872-1963
Brewster School in Thayer, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Brewster School

This well-kept school building is in Thayer, Kansas.

Lone Elm ?? Neosho 1867-1951
Lone Elm school in St. Paul, Kansas.

Lone Elm School

This one-room school is on the grounds of the Osage Mission-Neosho County Museum in St. Paul, Kansas.

Murray Hill Elementary Neosho 1951-2009.
Murray Hill Elementary School in Chanute, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Murray Hill Elementary School.

The first school was built on this site in 1887, and when it burned in December 1901, the city built a larger school on the same site. The first Murray Hill School was completed in November 1902. The population growth in the 1910s and again in the 1950s pushed the community to reassess local educational needs. This one-and-a-half-story concrete school was built in 1951. The simple form of the Modern Movement, characterized by minimal architectural ornament and a strong horizontal emphasis, was often used in the design of post-World War II elementary schools. The Murray Hill School retains many simple, Modern Movement architectural features and a historic interior configuration. In 2008, the Unified School District built a new consolidated Chanute Elementary School on the city’s outskirts and closed the three elementary schools at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in August 2011 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination. It is located at 400 W. 3rd Street in Chanute, Kansas.

Oak Grove 20 Neosho 1877-1960
Oak Grove School in Neosho County, Kansas, courtesy Kansas Historical Society.

Oak Grove School

The Oak Grove School District 20 was founded in 1867-1868. The single-story sandstone Oak Grove School was built in 1877. A front porch was added to the east side in 1913, and a stone coal room was added to the building’s west side in 1937. The site also contains a 1895 flagpole, a cistern, and the remains of two outhouses. The Oak Grove School was closed in 1960 due to rural district consolidation. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. It is located in Lincoln Township, at 20505 20th Road, in the St. Paul area.

Pleasant Ridge ?? Neosho 1935-??
Old Pleasant Ridge School in Neosho County, Kansas.

Old Pleasant Ridge School

This one-story rectangular building has a low-pitched hipped roof and an emphasis on horizontal lines. The original building had a brick entryway on the south side, and brick continues to serve as the main body of the house. It was built in 1935 as a rural public school and was later used as a Methodist Church. The church was damaged, and the south side was rebuilt with wood in 1952. In the late 1990s, the roof was re-shingled, and the siding was replaced with vinyl siding. The house contains original brick, window systems, ceiling, tall interior walls, and wooden steps up where teachers used to sit and teach. It is a residence today. It is located at 17770 Trego Road in the Erie vicinity.

Stark  ?? Neosho 1929-1986
Stark School/Grant Community Center, courtesy Google Maps.

Stark School

Stark High School was founded in 1929. The last graduating class was the class of 1967. It then became a grade school until 1986. Now called Grant Community Center, numerous organizations and groups in the surrounding Neosho County area use it.

Beeler Grade School ?? Ness 1938-1972
Old Grade School in Beeler, Kansas.

Beeler Grade School

This red brick grade school closed in 1972. The Methodist Church purchased it and used it for services. It is on the north side of Broadway Street.

Beeler High School ?? Ness ??-1972
Beeler, Kansas Old High School

Beeler High School

This red brick and stone building has a central entry, a gabled parapet, and a stone gothic arched entrance. There is a garage bay in the rear. The school closed in 1972 and is used as the township’s community center/meeting hall. It is on the South side of Broadway Street.

Ness City Ness 1882
Ness City Old School in Ness City, Kansas.

Ness City Old School

This rectangular, one-story stone building was built in the Vernacular Italianate style with a Gable-Front roof. It was reportedly the first school in Ness City. In 1969, a concrete block was added to the rear. Today, the Ness County Historical Society owns it and operates it as a museum. It is located at the intersection of K-96 Highway and Sycamore Street.

Hillman 6 Norton 1866
Hillman School at Prairie Dog State Park in Norton County, Kansas.

Hillman School

Located in Crystal Township. A family named Hillmon was active in establishing the school. The original structure was a combination of log and dugout. It was located in the northwest part of Norton County, overlooking the Sappa Valley, 1 1/2 miles south of the Kansas-Nebraska State Line. In 1886, the current building was erected just one-half mile south of the original structure. The schoolhouse also served as a community center, used for church services, funerals, weddings, and various other school activities. In 1967, the one-room school was accepted by the Norton City Council from the Hillmon-Devizes Community. The building was moved to its present location at the Prairie Dog State Park in September 1969. The park is four miles West of Norton on Highway 36.

Arvonia ?? Osage 1872-1949
Arvonia School in Osage County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Arvonia School

Arvonia is a ghost town located near the junction of South Arvonia Road and West 325th Street about four miles north of Lebo, immediately southwest of Melvern Lake in the southwest corner of Osage County. Arvonia Schoolhouse is significant for its association with the Welsh mining community of Arvonia. The building was built in 1871 as a two-story building. There is also an old church nearby.

 

Highland ?? Osage ??
Highland School in Melvern, Kansas.

Highland School

This school is said to have been moved to Melvern from another location. It is located on Walnut Street, just south of Hollman Street.

Hobbstown 88 Osage 1924-1959
Hobbs School is two miles east of Osage City, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Hobbs School

District 88 was established in Osage County in 1877, and the first school was built c.1878. The existing brick school was constructed in 1924, replacing the former frame school on the same site. The schoolhouse served District 88 for 35 years, ceasing operation in 1959. The Craftsman/Bungalow-style one-story brick schoolhouse has a metal roof. The one-room schoolhouse has a small stage with paired bi-fold doors on the north side of the wall. Coat closets frame the corner entry vestibule, and a third closet is in the northwest corner. The original double-hung wood windows are in place, covered on the exterior for protection from vandals. Interior finishes include plaster walls, pressed-tin ceilings, and wood floors and trim. The original interior includes a slate chalkboard with a chalk tray, paneled wood doors with operable transoms, and some school desks. The building is two miles east of Osage City at the intersection of K-31 and Urish Road.

Junction Schoolhouse 26 Osage 1879-1950
Junction School in Osage County, Kansas.

Junction School.

The Vernacular-style stone building still has its original bell and hipped pyramidal bell tower. After the school closed, it wasn’t used until it was bought in 1999 for recreational purposes. The western shore of Valley Brook Arm of Lake Pomona is about 200 yards east of the former school. It is located at North Sail-Away Drive in the Michigan Valley vicinity, one mile south of 205th Street and Paulen Road in the southwest corner of North Sail-Away Estates. It is now a personal residence.

Lickskillet ?? Osage 1905
Lickskillet School in Osage County, Kansas.

Lickskillet School

This vernacular Queen Anne-style school features a simple, symmetrical gable front atop a stone foundation. It has wood clapboard siding, a hip-roof portico, and four simple classical-inspired columns. The interior retains a chalkboard. The origin of the nickname “Lickskillet” is unknown, although local lore suggests it may be related to a dog that licked a skillet clean. It is located on East 125th Street near Overbrook, Kansas.

Melvern Osage 1872
Old Melvern School in Osage County, Kansas.

Old Melvern School

This rectangular two-story stone building was erected in the Vernacular style in 1870-1872. It was placed on the Kansas State Register of Historic Places in August 1986. It serves as a private home today. It is located at 106 E. Beck Street in Melvern, Kansas.

Rapp 50 Osage 1929-1962
Rapp School in Osage County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Rapp School

The first school at the site was a one-story wooden building, finished in 1871, built at a cost of approximately $175. Fifty-seven years later, in 1929, the present brick building was built. The beautiful brick building and playground are adjacent to Rapp Cemetery, where many early family names can be found. During its early years, the schoolhouse, located five miles west of Osage City on Highway 56, was an integral part of the Rapp village, which was located along the Missouri Pacific Railroad, a couple of miles east and south of the schoolhouse. The rural Rapp community consisted of about a dozen homes, a railroad crossing, a produce station, a general store, a lumberyard, a blacksmith shop, and a stockyard. Only four of the former homes remain. The community and the schoolhouse were named after C.J. Rapp, who owned a lot of land there. Classes at Rapp School District No. 50 commenced in 1871, though the first teacher was hired in 1872. The last year classes were held in the schoolhouse was in 1962.

This one-and-a-half-story, rectangular red brick building was designed in the vernacular style, featuring a hip roof and a basement. The building has a red brick exterior and a full basement. The two-story bell tower has the bell intact. The old Rapp Schoolhouse in Osage County, Kansas, is one of the few, if not the only, one-room eight-grade schoolhouses in the state still with its original desks and textbooks.

Schuyler Grade School ?? Osage 1902-2001
Schuyler Grade School in Burlingame, Kansas.

Schuyler Grade School

Constructed on the site of the former Osage County courthouse, the school was named in honor of one of Burlingame’s important figures, Philip Church Schuyler (pronounced “Skyler.) The Schuyler School plan is a representative example of a rectangular, two-story, two-room plan that became popular during this period of history. The two-and-a-half-story red brick school has a stone foundation, watercourse, and trim around the entrance. Built in the Richardsonian Romanesque or Romanesque Revival style, it features Romanesque arches at the second-story windows and on the dormers. A 1955 addition on West is a one-story blonde brick with stone sills. The T-shaped building has a hip roof. It served as a school until 2001 and was converted into a museum in 2002. It is located at 117S. Dacotah Street in Burlingame, Kansas.

Superior 2 Osage 1894-1950
Superior School south of Burlingame, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Superior School

The Superior School site was deeded to School District No. 2 on August 1, 1868, by D.B. Burdick, the first sheriff of Osage County. By 1894, the first school was in poor condition, and a new school was built. The school closed in the spring of 1950. It is located two miles south of Burlingame on U.S. Highway 56 at the northwest corner of the intersection with 189th Street.

Vassar ?? Osage 1912-1978
The old Vassar School in Osage County now serves as a community center, by Kathy Alexander.

Vassar School

The Vassar Schoolhouse was built in 1912 and closed in 1978 after it was consolidated with the Lyndon School District. In 1979, the “little red schoolhouse” became the Vassar Community Center.

District 28 28 Osborne Kill Creek Township
Iowa ?? Osborne Twin Creek Township, southeast of Osborne
Ada ?? Ottawa 1940
Old Ada School by Kathy Alexander.

Ada School

Located on Beucler Avenue, this is a blond brick building with tan brick detailing. It has a gymnasium, vaulted roof, and stone detailing on the west end. It is vacant and deteriorating today.

County Line ?? Ottawa 1920-??
County Line School near Tescott, Kansas.

County Line School

This one-and-a-half-story brick schoolhouse has round windows in gable ends on the south and west sides, arched brick lintels and stone sills, and a wood shingle roof. The T-shaped school is located in a wheat field. It is 1/2 mile north of K-18 on Linchell Road in the Tescott vicinity.

Roy 46 Ottawa 1920-1963
Roy School near Tescott, Kansas.

Roy School

This one-and-a-half-story, T-shaped red brick schoolhouse, built in the vernacular style, features a stone water table and sills, as well as a hip roof with an intersecting gable and lower cross gables. District No. 46 disbanded in 1963. The old Roy Schoolhouse is half a mile east of 70th Road on Evergreen Road, near Tescott.

Tescott ‘Standard School’ ?? Ottawa 1920-??
Tescott Standard School in Ottawa County, Kansas.

Tescott Standard School

This one-and-a-half-story, T-shaped stucco building was designed in the vernacular style, featuring a shelter-gable roof supported by wood posts. The interior has a pressed tin ceiling, plaster walls, and carpet. There is a playground/park on the south end of the site. This two-room school served grades 1-4. Later, it became a Legion Hall, then owned by a private citizen, before becoming a museum. It is located on North Minnesota Avenue in Tescott, Kansas.

Tripp School ?? Ottawa 1910-??
Tripp School in Ottawa County, Kansas.

Tripp School

The old Tripp Schoolhouse is a one-story, T-shaped wood-frame building designed in the vernacular style, featuring a cross-gable roof. It has a gable addition on the south side and a hip entry porch with an arched opening on the Southeast corner. Fields and pastures surround this deteriorating building, and the site is overgrown with trees and brush. It is located one and a half miles south of Hwy 18 on N 60TH Road in the Tescott vicinity.

Cross Roads ?? Phillips Southwest of Logan
Prairie View ?? Phillips 1922-??
Prairie Grove School in Phillips County, Kansas.

Prairie Grove School

The old Prairie View School is a brick two-story T-shaped commercial-style building with a flat roof and a one-story brick rear addition. After the building was sold, it was converted to a residence. It is located at 314 Mayberry Lane in Prairie View, Kansas.

Hoff 42 Phillips 1899-1946
Hoff School in Phillips County, Kansas, courtesy Kansas State Historical Society.

Hoff School

Hoff School is located northeast of Kirwin in rural Phillips County. The one-room, wood-frame schoolhouse was built by local carpenter Fred Agard in 1899 when the county’s population peaked at just over 14,000 residents. The building served area students until consolidation closed it in 1946. It is on the Kansas State Register of Historic Places.

Speed ?? Phillips
Stuttgart ?? Phillips 1950-??
Stuttgart School in Phillips County, Kansas.

Stuttgart School

This one-story L-shaped brick building with a flat roof was designed in the Modern/Modern Movement. It is located on East Main Street in Stuttgart, Kansas, and is vacant today.

Pottawatomie County Schools Various Pottawatomie 1870-1992 In 1882, the children of school age were – males, 2,927; females, 2,765; total, 5,692. There were 98 school buildings and 106 schoolrooms. There are 98 school districts. Four joint districts are with Nemaha, three with Jackson, and three with Riley. The estimated value of the school property 1as $80,735. There were $8,505 of schoolhouse bonds issued during the year, and its bonded indebtedness was $17,455. About 80% of the schoolchildren were enrolled during the year, while the average daily attendance was only 55% of the enrollment.
Sawyer ?? Pratt 1920-??
Sawyer School in Pratt County, Kansas

Sawyer School

This one-and-a-half-story red brick building was designed in the commercial style with a flat roof and a parapet. It is located on Broadway Street at the T-intersection with Smith Street.

 

Rawlins County School ?? Rawlins 1906-??
Rawlins County School

Rawlins County School

This rectangular, wooden, one-story, side-gabled schoolhouse has a corrugated metal sheet roof. The building is deteriorating, unpainted, and vacant. It is located on County Road 29 in the Achilles vicinity.

?? 113 Reno Walnut Township
Dodge 11 Reno T.24.S. R.38.W.
Plevna Gymnasium Reno 1939-??
Plevna Gym/Auditorium in Reno County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Plevna Gym-Auditorium

This two-story, red-brick, rectangular gymnasium/auditorium features a one-story, stone hexagonal central entrance and a flat roof. It is located at 306 S. Main Street in Plevna, Kansas.

 

Reno ?? Reno Reno
Roosevelt Reno 1920-2001
Old Roosevelt School in Hutchison, Kansas.

Roosevelt School

Roosevelt School is a three-story brick building with a projecting center bay and a stone surround at the arched central entry. The rectangular building was designed in the Gothic Revival style, with a flat roof and parapet. Two one-story brick additions are located on the rear and north end. When the school closed in 2001, the building was purchased and used as a church. It is located at 1615 N. Adams Street in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Salt City Business College Reno 1916-1979
Old Salt City Business College in Hutchison, Kansas.

Salt City Business College

Through consolidations and mergers, the Salt City Business College can trace its beginnings back to 1879, when Hutchinson was poised to become a regional center of commerce. With the town’s easy access to rail and its role as a business center, it was natural to locate a business college downtown. At first, the school was located on the top floor of the building at the southwest corner of A and Main. In 1910, J.D. Conard and Oscar S. Johnston bought the school, which had only 68 students. Under their leadership, a period of rapid growth began, and by March 1912, nearly 600 students were enrolled. This led to the construction of a building specifically for the college’s use. The building was initially designed by W.F. Hulse & Company, but the firm was dismissed, and Conard and Johnston claimed to have completed most of the planning. The school closed in December 1979, its centennial year.

This two-story brick building was designed in the Late 19th & 20th Century Classical Revival style and features a rectangular stone surround with the words “Salt City Business College” carved in the lintel. There are two shallow, projecting bays on each end. In the second story, three bays are separated by engaged classical stone Corinthian columns between the two end bays. These bays also feature a stone balustrade, separating the first from the second story. At either end of the front parapet are stone tablets. The ground-level storefronts have display windows with stone paneled kickplates or garage doors. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2004 as part of the Hutchinson Downtown Core South Historic District. It is located at 100 E. Avenue A in Hutchinson, Kansas.

South Hutchinson ?? Reno Hutchinson
Agenda ?? Republic 1915-1966
Agenda, Kansas Rural High School in 2004.

Agenda Rural High School

Agenda, Kansas Rural High School, 2023, courtesy Google Maps.

Agenda Rural High School

A portion of the Agenda Rural High School at 401 Main Street still stands. The Block building wing with glass block windows has been removed. The gym with a gable roof on the south end is intact.

Belleville High School Republic
Old Belleville High School in Belleville, Kansas, courtesy Wikipedia.

Belleville High School

Belleville High School, later Republic County Middle School, was constructed in 1931 in Belleville, Kansas. Built in the Collegiate Gothic style, the red brick building features a limestone foundation and detailed work, multiple gable roofs, and gabled dormers. The building served as Belleville’s high school until 1962, then as the city’s junior high and middle schools. At the end of the 2012-2013 school year, the school closed, and the property was sold to a private developer, who declared his intention to convert it into an apartment complex, dubbed Buffalo Apartments. The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 2013. It is located at 915 W. 18th Street.

Norway ?? Republic
An old school gymnasium in Norway, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

A school gymnasium in Norway.

An old school gymnasium in Norway has been converted into a community center.

Park Hill ?? Republic The old Park Hill Schoolhouse is a one-story, rectangular, wood-frame structure built in the Vernacular style with a gable-front roof. The schoolhouse was moved to this museum site and is on display as an example of a one-room schoolhouse. There is an outhouse North of the school. The schoolhouse is one of several buildings on the Museum site, including a Museum, a log house, and a church. It is located at 605 28th Street in Belleville, Kansas.
Union Valley 39 Republic UnionTownship southeast 1/4 Section 22
Wayne 03 Republic Grant Township
Mitchell Union ?? Rice 1926-??
Union School in Mitchell, Kansas.

Union School

This two-story, red brick, rectangular building with a one-story projecting entry bay was built in the Commercial-Collegiate style. Located on Church Street in Mitchell, Kansas, the old school is vacant today. It still has playground equipment.

Raymond Gymnasium ?? Rice 1959-??
Raymond Gymnasium in Rice County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Raymond Gymnasium

This one-and-a-half-story, brick, rectangular gymnasium was designed in the Streamline Moderne style. It has a gable with a parapet roof. It is currently used as a community gathering space. It is located at 707 N. Main Street in Raymond, Kansas.

Raymond High School ?? Rice 1924-2002
Raymond High School in Rice County, Kansas.

Raymond High School

This school was in 2002. The two school buildings were sold to separate individuals. The gym was sold to the city and continues to be utilized as a gym and a gathering center. This one-story brick T-shaped school was designed in the Colonial Revival style with a hip roof. It has a one-and-a-half-story central entry bay with large white wooden columns, a gabled entrance, and a hexagonal cupola with a dome roof. It serves as a residence today. It is located on 8th Street in Raymond, Kansas.

Raymond High School Cafeteria ?? Rice 1900-2002
Raymond High School Cafeteria in Rice County, Kansas.

Raymond High School Cafeteria

This one-story wood-frame T-shaped building with wood siding was designed in the vernacular style with a hip roof, a gable center entry bay, a small side gabled entry addition on the west, and a small shed addition on the east. It is one of four buildings on the block. In addition to the cafeteria, the high school, a brick gymnasium, and a block garage were also on the block. It is located at 106 W. 7th Road in Raymond, Kansas.

Sterling College – Cooper Hall NA Rice 1887-Present
Cooper Hall at Sterling College, in Sterling, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Cooper Hall

Cooper Hall was the original building on the Sterling College campus in Sterling, Kansas. The College was known as Cooper College until 1920. Cooper Hall is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the American Presbyterian/Reformed Historic Sites Registry. It is located on North Broadway Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1974.

Stone Corral Rice 1880-1940s
Stone Corral School in Rice County, Kansas.

Stone Corral School

This one-story school was built from some of the stone used to construct the stone corral at Camp Grierson/Station Little Arkansas, about one mile Northeast of this site. Built in the vernacular style, it has a gable-front roof with Italianate details in the stonework above the front entry. The East facade has a centered door with a round transom. Almost destroyed in a grass fire in the Spring of 2018, it is now in ruins. It is located on Avenue Q Road near Windom, Kansas.

Carnahan Creek ?? Riley  Is still there.
College Hill 7 Riley 1895
College Hill School in Manhattan, Kansas.

College Hill School

Located at 2600 Kimball Avenue in Manhattan, Kansas, College Hill School was built in 1894 as a one-room rural school. The stone school included one classroom and four anterooms, including a boys’ cloakroom, a girls’ cloakroom, a library, and a bell room. For many years, the school provided instruction for grades 1-8 and provided high school credit for 2-3 years. In 1964, the College
The Hill School District was annexed into the Manhattan School District, and the school was used for kindergarten through grade 3. In later years, the College Hill building was used for overflow from Marlatt Elementary until a new elementary school was built in 1985. Today, the building serves as a preschool.

Deep Creek ?? Riley 1892-??
Deep Creek School in Riley County, Kansas.

Deep Creek School

This limestone schoolhouse was built in 1892. Two other schoolhouses preceded this one. Today, the building serves as a community meeting place. It is located at 3125 Deep Creek Road at Pillsbury Crossing, five miles southeast of  Manhattan.

Douglas School 32 Riley 1904-1962
Douglas School in Riley County, Kansas.

Douglas School

This was the first school in Manhattan for African Americans, and it functioned in this capacity from its inception in 1904 to its closing in 1962. The building is now known as the Douglass Center Annex, offering community space for tutoring and mentoring programs, meetings, and public services. It is on the south side of Yuma Street, facing north towards the Douglass Community Center. The building is constructed of limestone and features an irregular hipped roof. The main entrance is a set of glass double doors accessible by concrete steps with guardrails. On the west side of the building, facing 9th Street, are tall windows that compose most of the walls on that side, as well as a raised access door with a stairway leading up to it. Plenty of windows on the east side of the building face out towards the playground and the nearby Douglass Park. A small limestone chimney rises above the roof, shingled at a high angle. It is located at 901 S. Yuma Street in Manhattan, Kansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2023.

Eureka Valley Riley 1865-1947
Eureka Valley School in the vicinity of Manhattan, Kansas.

Eureka Valley School

The gable-front limestone one-room school has an outhouse and a cemetery on the property. It is located on Eureka Drive in the vicinity of Manhattan.

Kansas State University – Anderson Hall NA Riley 1979-Present Anderson Hall at Kansas State University in Manhattan is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It was constructed in 1879 in the High Victorian Gothic Style. The building’s name honors John Alexander Anderson, who served as the school’s second president from 1873 to 1879. Originally known as the Practical Agriculture Building, Anderson Hall housed a canteen, barbershop, and chapel until the 1920s. In 1965, installing an electrically operated 98-bell carillon in the Anderson Hall Tower allowed chimes to play each hour. In 1993, lightning struck the tower, causing $1.2 million in damage. It is located at the intersection of Vattier Street and Mid-Campus Drive. It currently serves as the university’s administrative office. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 1980.
Middle Seven Mile 32 Riley Seven Mile Township
Pleasant Hill ?? Riley ??-1965. This was the last one-room school in Riley County.
Rocky Ford 70 Riley 1903-1938
Rocky Ford School in Riley County, Kansas courtesy Kansas Historical Society.

Rocky Ford School

This one-room limestone schoolhouse was built in 1903 and rebuilt in 1927 after a fire destroyed it. An outhouse was built in 1904, a well was first excavated in 1909, and a merry-go-round was installed in 1929. These contributing elements remain associated with the property. The school building served students in grades 1 through 8 in District 70 until it was consolidated with District 1 in 1938. In 1987, the school district gave the school to the Riley County Historical Society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. It is located at 1969 Barnes Road, north of Manhattan, Kansas

Winkler 25 Riley ??-1954 The school closed in 1954 due to declining enrollment.
Stockton Academy Dormitory ?? Rooks 1888-??
Stockton Academy Dormitory in Rooks County, Kansas.

Stockton Academy Dormitory

The house was built near the Congregational Academy in 1888 by Charles C. and Nannie Dail. Reportedly, this house was used to house some of the faculty at the Academy, which closed in 1896. The house was sold in 1905 and remodeled. It was reportedly used as a temporary hospital during a smallpox epidemic in the early 1900s. This one-and-a-half-story house with Gothic influences has a cross-gable roof with two brick chimneys. The stucco was added sometime after 1900. The west door has a transom, and the small portico has turned post supports. Covered with siding today, it serves as a residence. It is located at 604 N. 7th Street in Stockton, Kansas.

Zurich ?? Rooks 1930-??
Zurich School in Rooks County, Kansas.

Zurich School

This one-and-a-half-story brick building was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style with a side-gable roof. The front entry faces Highway 18 with a central recessed door surrounded by decorative moldings under a central, low gable featuring decorative stone details. On the north side of the original building is a square block wing or addition, possibly a gym. A mid-20th-century addition to the west is a single-story building with wide bay windows and a flat roof. Playground equipment is in the front, on the east side of the south lawn. A square garage building is to the northeast. It is located at 108 N. Webb in Zurich, Kansas.

Alexander 6 Rush 1916-1966
Old school in Alexander, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Alexander School

When it opened, this building served K-12. The main section was built in 1916. A gymnasium, which still has hardwood flooring, a scoreboard, and basketball goals, was built in 1930. The last graduating class, he said, was in 1966. The district combined with La Crosse and other rural schools in the area. The school stayed open as an elementary school until the early 1980s. The school still stands at 200 School Street in Alexander, Kansas.

Pleasant Point Rush 1907-1959
Pleasant Point School in Rush County, Kansas.

Pleasant Point School

The old Pleasant Point School was originally located 6.5 miles south of Nekoma, Kansas. It was moved to the museum campus in La Crosse in 2015. This one-story rectangular wood-frame building was designed in the commercial style with a gable roof. The entry vestibule and coal room were added at a later date. This one-room school contains most of the original furnishings. It is located at 202 West 1st Street in La Crosse, Kansas.

Lone Star 64 Rush 1879-1947
Lone Star School in Rush County, Kansas courtesy Kansas State Historical Society.

Lone Star School

Built in 1879, the Lone Star School building is located west of Bison in rural Rush County. With help from the community, contractor Henry Mertz and carpenter Henry Rogers built the dual-purpose building for school activities during the week and church services on Sundays. This limestone building served grades one through eight. A wood-frame vestibule was added to the front of the building in the early 20th century. In 1947, the school was consolidated with the Bison School District 61. The property is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Pleasant Point 24 Rush 1907-1957
Pleasant Point School in La Crosse, Kansas.

Pleasant Point School

In 2015, this school moved from its rural Union Township location 6.5 miles south of Nekoma to Grass Park in La Crosse.

St. Joseph NA Rush 1905
St. Joseph Parochial School in Liebenthal, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

St. Joseph Parochial School

St. Joseph Church in Liebenthal established its first school in 1890. Following the dedication of the present church building in May 1905, the original church was converted to a school operated by the Dominican Sisters. On June 4, 1917, the parish dedicated a three-story school built from native stone on the original church site. The building contained three classrooms and restrooms on the main floor, a gymnasium and stage on the upper floor, a large hall and kitchen in the basement, and a wing to house the Sisters. By 1941, the church schoolhouse had lost its nuns. After the parochial school closed, the school district used the building until 1968.

Timken 12 Rush
Old school in Timkin, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Timken, School

The Otis-Bison USD 403 school district now serves the community.

Bunker Hill Gymnasium/Auditorium Russell 1930
The old Bunker Hill School in Russell County, Kansas appears to be used for storage today. Photo by Kathy Alexander.

Bunker Hill School

The two-story T-shaped stone building at 257 Warren Street appears to be used for storage today.

Paradise Rural High School Russell 1930-1970
Old Paradise High School in Paradise, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Paradise High School

Old High School Auditorium in Paradise, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Paradise Auditorium

The old Paradise Rural High School is a two-story rectangular red brick building that was built in the Commercial style with a flat roof. It closed in 1970. Across the street is the old auditorium. The city continues to use the auditorium, while the school is used for storage. It is located at 241 Main Street in Paradise, Kansas.

Prairie Dell 45 Russell 1918
Prairie Dell School in Russell County, Kansas.

Prairie Dell School

This vernacular-style one-room stone school with a flared-hipped hip roof sits within an open field. The school is square in plan with a front elevation and has a partial-width entrance porch covered by a front gable roofline, supported by square posts constructed of small, square limestone blocks. All of the window and entrance openings are boarded. An exterior brick chimney is located on the north elevation. It is located at 5441 193rd Street in the Luray vicinity.

Superior 61 Russell 1883
Superior School in Russell County, Kansas.

Superior School

This one-story rectangular stone school, built in the vernacular style with a gable roof, stands in ruins today. It is located at 20080 K-18 Highway near Lucas, Kansas.

Bavaria High Scool Saline 1926-1969
Bavaria, Kansas old school by Kathy Alexander.

Bavaria School

The two-and-a-half-story Bavaria High School, built in the Collegiate Gothic style in 1926, is located at 129 Main Street in Bavaria, Kansas.

Brookville Grade School ?? Saline 1880-??
The old Brookville School in Brookville, Kansas is a private residence today. Photo by Kathy Alexander.

Brookville School

The Brookville Grade School is at the west end of the once-thriving, albeit small, town of Brookville. The two-and-a-half-story brown sandstone structure was built in 1879-1880, with one significant addition to the back of the school in 1914. It was used continuously as a school for over 100 years. Located at 215 W. Anderson, it now serves as a private residence.

Gypsum ?? Saline
Old school in Gypsum, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Gypsum School

The old Gypsum school sits in the city park between E. 2nd and 3rd Streets.

Kansas Wesleyan University – Pioneer Hall NA Saline 1930
Pioneer Hall at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Pioneer Hall

Kansas Wesleyan University opened its doors for classes on September 15, 1886, with 63 college students and 11 faculty members. The original administration building stood prominently as the only campus building for 17 years, followed by a period of physical expansion that included the construction of a women’s dormitory, a new science hall, and a gymnasium, as well as gifts of two houses near campus used as residence halls. During this time, additional land was acquired, doubling the size of the campus. This allowed for the creation of an athletic field, landscaping, and general improvements to the campus. Pioneer Hall became the eighth campus building, constructed from 1923 to 1930.

Pioneer Hall is the main administration and educational building in the heart of the Kansas Wesleyan University campus in south Salina. Administrative offices and classrooms are located along the north spine and in the end wings, with Sams Chapel, a two-story, 1,500-seat auditorium, situated in the center of the building on the south side. The T-shaped three-story building was built in the Late Gothic Revival style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2023. It is on the Kansas Wesleyan University Campus at 100 East Claflin Avenue, Salina, Kansas.

Lincoln Junior High School ?? Saline 1917
Old Lincoln School in Salina, Kansas.

Lincoln School

The Roosevelt-Lincoln Junior High School property comprises two historic buildings separated by a restored green space. Architect William T. Schmitt designed the Lincoln School in the Prairie style, which was constructed between 1915 and 1917. It was enlarged in 1925. The three-story brick building at 220 South 7th Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2006 as part of the multiple property submission of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas. Today, it is an apartment building.

Lowell School Saline 1916-2002
Old Lowell School in Sallina, Kansas.

Old Lowell School

The old Lowell School is a two-story rectangular red brick building built in the Late 19th & 20th Century Classical Revival style. In 2015. At its opening in 1916, Lowell School served 1st-3rd Grades. The three-bay, symmetrical front facade features a finely detailed center bay, framed by massive brick pilasters that extend above the parapet. The pilasters are flanked by fluted Corinthian columns, which frame the entry bay. The two-story south addition was constructed in 1963 and connected to the original school by an enclosed two-level corridor at its south entrance. Although the School Board considered closing the school in the 1970s, Lowell continued to serve south-central Salina until 2002. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 2020 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas. Located at 1009 South Highland Avenue in Salina, Kansas, it now serves as the Salina Christian Academy.

Marymount College – Administration Building Saline
Old Administration Building at Marymount College in Salina, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Old Administration Building at Marymount College

Marymount College was a four-year liberal arts college in Salina, Kansas, opened in 1922 as a women’s college. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas, established this building as the Nazareth Academy for girls. Marymount closed in June 1989, a year with an enrollment of 653 students.

This three-story, blond brick, Collegiate Gothic-style building has a flat roof, but the chapel features a pitched roof with red tile shingles. There are stained glass windows in the chapel. The main entrance on the west is located in a large stone archway. Smooth-cut native stone block and pointed arches lintels. There is a castle-like appearance along the roofline. Six turret-like towers are in the center of the building. The property now serves as the Marymount Properties Condominium at 2035 East Iron Avenue in Salina, Kansas.

Paul Laurence Dunbar ?? Saline 1922-1955
Paul Laurence Dunbar School in Salina, Kansas.

Paul Laurence Dunbar School

The old Paul Laurence Dunbar School was a segregated school. In 1920, Salina had surpassed 15,000 residents, making it a “first-class” city, which authorized the city to maintain separate schools for white and African American children under the General Statutes of Kansas. The school board held a special election in 1921, and the bond to fund the first segregated school in Salina passed by only 463 votes (1495 for, 1032 against).

The school was erected in 1922 in the northeast part of town, in an area once known as “The Bottoms,” a hub of the black community. It was a school from kindergarten through 8th grade. In establishing the Paul Laurence Dunbar School, the Salina Board of Education followed a national trend of operating public schools for blacks and whites. Before that time, schools in Salina were integrated.

The two-and-a-half-story brick building with a flat roof was designed in the early to mid-20th-century style. It had a complete “building plant,” seven classrooms, an auditorium, a gymnasium, a kindergarten, and faculty offices. The school was named in honor of African American author and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. It employed six African American teachers (four female and two male) and a principal. Robert C. Caldwell, a teacher and principal at the school, went on to serve three terms as Salina’s first African American mayor and was subsequently elected to the Kansas state legislature. The original enrollment for Dunbar School was 72 students. Enrollment increased to 80 in 1923-1924.

The Dunbar School was considered a Community Center, with many organizations and entities holding events, including a Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troop, a Parent-Teacher Organization, community church programs, and a YWCA.

Soon after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling that stated “separate but equal” education violated the 14th Constitutional Amendment, Dunbar and similar schools in Kansas and 20 other states became integrated. Dunbar closed in 1955 due to declining enrollment. The St. Francis Academy purchased the building in 1958. In 2023, the building was sold to CKF Addiction Treatment, Inc.

It is located at 509 East Elm Street in Salina, Kansas.

Smolan High School 4 Saline 1926-1987
Smolan, Kansas old High School by Kathy Alexander.

Smolan High School

Classes were in session at Smolan High School from 1926 to 1950. The last graduating class had three students. Elementary and junior high classes were then held there until the school closed in 1987. In 1996, the school was occupied by the Hickory Tree BBQ Restaurant. However, it is gone today. The school, located at S 3rd Street in Smolan, Kansas, is hidden by dense trees.

Theodore Roosevelt Junior High Saline 1925
Old Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in Salina, Kansas.

Theodore Roosevelt Junior High

This old three-story H-shaped brick structure comprises two historic school buildings separated by a restored green space. Charles W. Shaver designed the Roosevelt School in the Gothic Revival style with a flat roof and parapet. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2006 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas. Now serving as Pioneer Presidents’ Place, a senior housing facility located at 210 W. Mulberry Street in Salina, Kansas.

State Park ?? Scott 1920-??
State Park School in Scott County, Kansas.

State Park School

This one-story rectangular building with a gable front was designed in the vernacular style. The front entrance faces south and has an attached entryway. A brick chimney is in the front of the building, and a flag pole still stands just to the Northeast. Vacant today, State Park School is on K-95 Highway in the Pence vicinity.

Derby 6 Sedgwick 1923-1985
Derby old Public School in Derby, Kansas.

Derby Public School

Derby Public School was constructed in 1923. It served grades 1-12 until 1956, when a new high school was built. This building was converted into an elementary school and continued to operate until 1985. The two-story, Collegiate Gothic-style brick building features its original doors, set in stone. The building now serves as the Derby Historical Society & Museum at 716 E Market Street. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 2014.

Friends University – University Hall NA Sedgwick 1888-Present
University Hall at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, courtesy Wikipedia.

University Hall

University Hall of Friends University was erected as the main building of Garfield University from 1886 to 1888. Garfield University opened in September 1887. Before its first year ended, Garfield enrolled about 500 students, and for the second year, it enrolled 1,070. At the time, it occupied the largest single building used for educational purposes west of the Mississippi River. After graduating its first and only senior class, Garfield University closed its doors in 1890 due to financial difficulties. The school was reorganized and opened again in March 1892 as Garfield Central Memorial University. It closed for good on November 18, 1893. On September 21, 1898, it reopened as Friends University, and the building was renamed Davis Administration Building for James Davis, who purchased the property. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 1971. It is located at 2000 West University Avenue in Wichita, Kansas.

Kellogg Elementary ?? Sedgwick 1941
Old Kellogg Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas.

Kellogg Elementary School

The first Kellogg School, a Richardsonian Romanesque-style building, was completed in 1890. It was not until the 1910s and 1920s that the neighborhood surrounding Kellogg School was fully developed, with small bungalows and cottages surrounding it. By 1935, overflowing classrooms necessitated temporary buildings northeast of the main building. The school district hired local architects Overend and Boucher to design the new Kellogg School, and Dondlinger and Sons Construction Company was awarded the contract with a successful bid of $113,980. Construction of the Art Moderne school was completed just in time for the opening day of school on September 8, 1941. The two-story, blond brick, rectangular school building was built in the Streamlined/Art Moderne style. The school was closed in 1996. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2011. It was purchased for conversion to apartments. It is located at 1220 East Kellogg Drive, Wichita, Kansas.

Martinson School Sedgwick ??
Old Martinson School Apartments in Wichita, Kansas.

Old Martinson School

Old Martinson School Apartments interior in Wichita, Kansas.

Old Martinson School Interior

The old two-story brick Martinson School, located at 249 North Athenian in the Delano District of Wichita, Kansas, now serves as apartments.

McCormick School Sedgwick 1890-??
Old McCormick School in Wichita, Kansas.

Old McCormick School

This two-and-a-half-story, rectangular stone building was built in the Romanesque Revival style and features twin two-story polygonal towers linked by an archway flanking the main entrance, a central bell tower, and large windows. In 1930, an addition was made to the building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 1978. Owned by the Wichita School District, the building is mostly vacant, but some portions are used as a museum, while various non-profit organizations and the school district use others. The old McCormick School is at 855 South Martinson Street in Wichita, Kansas.

Meridian ?? Sedgwick 1910-??
Old Meridian School at the Cowtown Museum in Wichita, Kansas by Dave Alexander.

Old Meridian School

Old Meridian School at the Cowtown Museum in Wichita, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Meridan School Interior

This one-room school was moved several times to serve as an additional classroom when extra space was needed. The school remained at the Meridian School at 301 S. Meridian for 12-14 years prior to being moved to the Old Cowtown Museum. The school board donated the structure and its contents to the Old Cowtown Museum in 1962. The school was donated, complete with its contents. The Vernacular-style rectangular wood-frame school has an operating bell tower complete with a historic school bell from Wichita’s school system. The front entrance of the school has a sheltered porch with an awning on the sides. The awning roof and sides are board and batten construction. It is located at 1865 Museum Boulevard at the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita, Kansas.

Peck ?? Sedgwick 1890
Peck Schol in 1887.

Peck Schol in 1887.

Old Peck School courtesy Google Maps.

Old Peck School

This one-story wood-frame L-shaped building was designed in the Vernacular with a Cross-gable roof. The Belltower on the East end is no longer present. It serves as a residence today. It is located at 11953 South Meridian Street and West 119th Street, just north of the Sumner County Line.

Richmond 64 Sedgwick 1875-1942
Richmond School in Clearwater, Kansas.

Richmond School

The Richmond Hill School is a one-story, wood-frame building built in 1875. The last term at Richmond Hill School was a single semester in 1941-42. The school district was reorganized in 1946 and unified with the Clearwater district in 1947. The school was initially located at the northwest corner of 95th Street South and Tyler Road in the Ohio Township. It was saved from demolition by area residents, and in June 2008, it was relocated to the City Park adjacent to the Historical Museum in nearby Clearwater. It is thought to be the oldest surviving one-room schoolhouse in Sedgwick County. It was listed on the Kansas State Register of Historic Places in 2010. It is located at 149 North 4th Street in Clearwater.

Sunnyside Elementary Sedgwick 1917-1996
Old Sunnyside Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas.

Old Sunnyside Elementary School

In 1912, Wichita boasted 20 public school buildings, but by 1916, there were not enough buildings to accommodate the city’s growing population. Among the neighborhoods needing an elementary school was the Sunnyside Addition, which stretches from Kellogg on the north to Gilbert on the south and from Hillside on the east to Dixon on the west. The school district hired local architect Lorentz Schmidt and the firm Vandenburg and Pauley to construct the building. Construction was completed in early 1917, and additions were made in 1920 and 1923. The growing neighborhood was impacted by the expansion of Kellogg Avenue in 1955. As traffic increased, it became no longer possible for pedestrians to cross Kellogg safely. In 1977, the highway was expanded to six lanes, and safety dictated that a pedestrian walkway be constructed to allow students and others to cross Kellogg near the Sunnyside School. Despite strong opposition from the neighborhood, Sunnyside School closed in 1996. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2011 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination. This one-and-a-half-story U-shaped commercial-style building has a flat roof with a parapet. It is located at 2003 East Kellogg Avenue in Wichita.

Wichita High School ?? Sedgwick 1911-??
Old Wichita Highschool

Old Wichita High School

The old Webster School was razed to clear the site for the new Wichita High School at 3rd and Emporia. A new High School was built in 1928, and this building became part of the Technical College. This three-story, rectangular brick building was built in the Collegiate Gothic style, featuring a flat roof and parapet. It features a brick exterior with stone quoins at the building’s corners. Two slightly projecting crenelated towers flank the central entrance. Above the entrance, on the corbels beneath the second-story windows, are sculpted figures representing educational themes. The old school features stone detailing and has five bays, with stone quoining on the end and center entry bays, a Gothic-arched entry, and a raised half-story above grade. There is a one-story concrete boiler room and shop on the south and a one-story brick garage with a gable roof in the rear. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for architectural significance as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas in October 2009. It now serves as Flats 324 Apartments and 324 N. Emporia Avenue in Wichita, Kansas.

Wright ?? Sedgwick
Liberal High School ?? Seward ??
Old Liberal High School in Seward County, Kansas.

Liberal High School

This three-story red brick Collegiate Gothic-style building is boarded up and abandoned today. It is located at 115-17 W 6th Street in Liberal, Kansas.

Riverside Seward 1890
Riverside School in Liberal, Kansas.

Riverside School

Riverside School is a one-story, rectangular, wood-frame building with a gable roof, designed in the vernacular style. It is located at 567 Cedar Street in Liberal, Kansas. The old school was moved to the Coronado Museum and several other buildings.

Shawnee County Schools Various Shawnee 1855-Present The county superintendent’s office records furnish little information about the schools before 1865. The reports from that date to 1880 are more complete, and those from 1880 to 1892 are full and in excellent order.
Edson ?? Sherman 1931-1960s
Edson School in Sherman County, Kansas.

Edson School

This T-shaped two-story brick and stone school has a large brick gym addition on the east side. The school was closed in the 1960s, and the building was sold to a private individual. It is located on 64 Road, one-half mile south of Highway 24 on the southeast edge of Edson, Kansas.

Grant Junior High School ?? Sherman 1926-2015
Grant Junior High in in Goodland, Kansas.

Grant Junior High

Grant School was built in 1926 to relieve overcrowding at other public schools in Goodland. It served the community as an elementary school from 1926 to 1969 and then as a junior high school until 2015. The opening of Grant School coincided with the addition of Kindergarten to the district’s curriculum, resulting in the district’s first purpose-built Kindergarten classroom. The central square bell tower has a pyramidal roof. The school exhibits the Late Gothic Revival style and is a two-story red brick building. It was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the “Historic Public Schools of Kansas” multiple property nomination for its local significance in education and architecture. It was placed on the register in July 2015. It is located at 520 West 12th Street in Goodland, Kansas.

Hillside 06 Sherman About ten miles north of Ruleton
Ruleton ?? Sherman 1928-??
Ruleton School in Sherman County, Kansas courtesy Wikipedia.

Ruleton School

This two-story brick school was built in the vernacular style with a flat roof and parapet. It was built after a bond vote to raise $22,500 was passed by a vote of 44 to 26 on March 17, 1928. In 1941, a tornado hit the school, and the auditorium-gymnasium in the center of the school was extensively damaged. It was rebuilt in the same style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in August 2003. It was deemed historically significant for its usage as a school and as a community center. It is located at 6450 Ruleton Avenue in the extinct town of Ruleton, Kansas.

Silver Ridge 50 Smith 1905
Silver Ridge School in Smith Center, Kansas.

Silver Ridge School

The Silver Ridge School was built in the vernacular style in about 1905 in rural Cedar, Kansas. In about 1963, the school was moved from its original location to the elementary school grounds in Smith Center. It was used for special education, art, and other classes. Once the new school was built in Smith Center, the one-room schoolhouse was no longer needed. In 1973, it was auctioned off and purchased by a local individual who was planning to use it for a shop. A few years later, it was moved to the backyard at 120 East Francis Street. Recent reports indicate that the owner plans to move the building to a lot at the southeast corner of Francis and Monroe Street and restore the one-room schoolhouse. It is located on West Francis Street in Smith Center, Kansas.

Livingston ?? Stafford South of St. John
Radium ?? Stafford 1930-??
Radium School in Stafford County, Kansas.

Radium School

This one-story rectangular brick school was built in the commercial style with a flat roof. It has a large auditorium/gymnasium with a gable roof with a parapet on gable ends. This deteriorating building appears to serve as a residence today. It is located at 1479 SW 80th Avenue in Radium, Kansas.

Zenith Stafford 1950-??
Zenith School in Stafford County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Zenith School

This one-story rectangular brick building was designed in the Modern/Modern Movement style with a flat roof and stone surround at the central entry with a glass block transom and sidelights. The interior has terrazzo corridors, glazed tile wainscoting, plaster walls, and acoustic tile ceilings. It is located at 103 Sherman Street in Zenith, Kansas.

Belleview 68 Sumner 1894-1956
Belleview School, Sumner County, Kansas, courtesy Country School Museum.

Belleview School.

The one-room Belleview School was built in 1894. It served rural students in Sumner County until it closed in 1956. A bell tower once graced the gable, but it was removed sometime after the 1950s. After Belleview School closed in 1956, the building was used as a polling place until 1998. It then sat vacant for nearly 15 years before the township sold it to the current owners, who relocated it to their nearby farm in 2009. It is listed on the State Register of Historic Places. It is part of the Country School Museum at 1172 S. Springdale Rd, 1/8 mile east of Springdale Rd on 120th S. Rd near Caldwell.

Mt. Pleasant 193 Sumner ??
Mt. Pleasant School, Sumner County, Kansas.

Mt. Pleasant School

This old brick school is in Section 20 of Morris Township at the northeast corner of KS-44 and Blackstone Road in Southwest Sumner County.

Queen’s School 94 Sumner 1885
Old Queen's School in Portland, Kansas.

Old Queen’s School

The one-story, rectangular wood-frame building, with a gable-front roof, was designed in the vernacular style. It is located at 1400 S. Hydraulic Road in Portland, Kansas.

Spring Creek 36 Sumner 1904-1947
Spring Creek School in Sumner County, Kansas, courtesy Country School Museum.

Spring Creek School

Spring Creek School was built in 1904 at its original location south of Corbin, Kansas. It closed in 1947 and was used as the Spring Creek Community Club for many years. It then fell victim to vandalism and was moved to its present location in 2016. The building was restored and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is part of the Country School Museum at 1172 S Springdale Rd, 1/8 mile east of Springdale Rd on 120th S Rd near Caldwell.

Stony Point 50 Sumner ??
Old Stony Point School in Drury, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.

Stony Point School

The old Stony Point school and some of its playground equipment still stand in Drury, Kansas.

Colby 315 Thomas 1935-Present
Colby, Kansas Grade School

Colby Grade School

The school is located at 710 W 3rd Street in Colby, Kansas. The Works Project Administration constructed it as a high school in 1935. It currently serves as a grade school. In December 2003, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nicol 15 Thomas ?? The one-room Nicol School building symbolizes many of the 94 one-room rural schools that once dotted the landscape in Thomas County. School consolidation in the 1930s closed many of the country schools in the county. This school now sits at the Prairie Museum in Colby, Kansas.
Sod School 60 Thomas The use of sod to build homes and schools was common on the Kansas prairie due to the lack of wood and other natural resources. There are no original sod schools still standing in Thomas County; however, one has been recreated at Prairie Museum in Colby, Kansas.

Sod school in Thomas County, Kansas, late 1800s.

Sod school

Recreated sod school in Thomas County, Kansas.

Recreated sod school

Pleasant Valley 4 Trego
Trego County ?? Trego 1920
Old chool in Trego County, Kansas.

Old chool in Trego County

This one-story T-shaped wood-frame building was designed in the vernacular style with a hip roof, thin board siding, and a brick chimney. It is vacant and located on Y Road in the Collyer vicinity.

Wilcox 29 Trego 1886
Wilcox School in Trego County, Kansas.

Wilcox School

The old Wilcox School is a one-story rectangular stone building designed in the commercial style with a gable-front roof. The Niobrara limestone was quarried from the banks of the Smoky Hill River. Two unique entry gables are progressively smaller than the main block. It has two front entrances, with three windows on each adjacent side, and a chimney at the rear. In May 2006, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was nominated for its association with early local education and as one of the few remaining historic rural schools in Trego County as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination. In 2011, the building was awarded a Heritage Trust Fund Grant and began rehabilitation. It now serves as the High Plains Gravel Grinders Motorcycle Clubhouse. It is located on K-283 Highway, 15 miles south of Wakeeney, Kansas.

Wilcox 29 Trego 1886-1947
Wilcox School in Trego County, Kansas.

Wilcox School

Wilcox School is one of the last remaining rural schoolhouses in Trego County. Its native limestone was quarried along the Smoky Hill River in 1886. The school was named for William Wilcox, the first settler and postmaster of Wilcox Township. The school served grades 1-8. It also served as a church from 1890 to the 1940s. The building remained active for 60 years as a school and community center. After the school closed in 1947, the building became the clubhouse of the Hi-Plains Gravel Grinders Motorcycle Club.  This site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006. It is located on Highway 283, 15 miles south of WaKeeney.

Cottonwood 71 Wabaunsee 1885-??
Old Cottonwood School in Wabaunsee County, Kansas.

Cottonwood School

Now called the Cottonwood Community Club, this old Native American stone school’s interior still features its original wooden ceiling, chalkboard, and light fixtures. The Cottonwood School is located near the far north edge of Wabaunsee Township. It is located on the southwest corner of K-99 and Wells Creek Road, one and a half miles south of Wamego. 39966 K-99 Highway.

Eskridge Grade School Wabaunsee 1921
Eskridge Grade School in Wabaunsee County, Kansas.

Eskridge Grade School

The old Eskridge Grade School is a rectangular two-story brick and stone building. The interior is intact, with plaster walls, ceilings, concrete floors, original doors, trim, and a gymnasium. It was built as a grade school in 1921 when the junior high moved to the old high school building next door. This building later closed when the junior high consolidated, and the elementary school moved to the old High School next door. It is located at 508 E. 2nd Street.

Halifax 14 Wabaunsee Halifax Schoolhouse, Wabaunsee, Kansas
Hinerville 15 Wabaunsee 1898-??
Hinerville School in Alma, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Hinerville School

Located at 28001 Hinerville Road, in Alma, Kansas.  The first school was organized at Hinerville in 1869, and this school was built in 1898. Today, the building serves as an Airbnb.

Paxico Wabaunsee 1922-Present
The old Paxico Rural High School now serves as a Junior High School., courtesy Wikipedia.

Paxico

The old Paxico Rural High School, built in 1922, is an early example of a high school from the school consolidation movement in Kansas. To counter the school attendance problems the town had faced recently, school officials enticed the local Catholic population with parochial school design elements, including a morning chapel and separate entrances for boys and girls, to draw in the needed students. The building remained a high school until 1974, when, in a district move, the school was closed with the intention of busing students to nearby Alma. The sudden closure of the school led to a civil rights suit and a subsequent appeal to reopen the school. Afterward, the school was converted into a junior high school and currently retains that status. It is located at 112 Elm Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2022.

Mogge 83 Wabaunsee The Mogge School is located in northwest Mill Creek Township.
Rockton 28 Wabaunsee ??
Rockton School in Wabaunsee County, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Rockton School

This rectangular vernacular-style one-story stone school is located on Nehring Branch Road in the Hessdale vicinity. It has a wood-frame entry with a bell and a gable-front roof. The property also has an outhouse.

 

Schoolhouse #18 18 Wabaunsee 1880
Schoolhouse #18 in Wabaunsee County, Kansas.

Schoolhouse #18

This one-story, wood-frame, one-room school was designed in the vernacular style with a front-gabled roof. H.H. Meseke owned the property containing the building in its early years. He and his wife, Caroline, are identified as German immigrants in available census records, and they lived in the area as early as 1860, suggesting that the school may have been associated with the local German community. A single-hinged wood panel entry door with a dormer skylight punctuates the primary facade. A concrete and metal wheelchair ramp has replaced the original stairs and railing. It serves as a meeting house for the Spring Creek Community Club today. It is located on West Spring Creek Road near Volland, Kansas.

Snokomo 32 Wabaunsee 1890-1941
Snokomo Schoolhouse in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, courtesy Kansas Genealogy.

Snokomo Schoolhouse

The Snokomo one-room schoolhouse served students of all ages until compulsory education laws restricted attendance to grades 1 through 8 in the early 1900s. The length of the Snokomo School year fluctuated in the 19th and early 20th centuries, averaging about seven months a year. The school served from 1890 until 1941, when consolidation led to its closure. Afterward, the Snokomo Silent Worker Club purchased and utilized the building as a clubhouse. The school is located eight miles south of Paxico on Snokomo Road.

Volland 26 Wabaunsee 1906-1957
Volland School, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.

Volland School

The Volland School was built in 1906 after its predecessor was destroyed by fire. It closed its doors in 1957 and remained vacant until it was purchased by a local family and restored. The Volland School is located on old K10 Road, south of Alma and north of Alta Vista, just southwest of the ghost town of Volland.

Wabaunsee 1 Wabaunsee 1888-1948
Wabaunsee Grammar School in Wabaunsee, Kansas courtesy Kansas Historical Society.

Wabaunsee Grammar School

Built in 1888, this frame building, measuring 26′ x 40′, served grades 1-8. The original entrance featured a vestibule and two cloakrooms, each providing access to the main schoolroom. The grammar school building had no plumbing when it served as an educational facility, and only received electricity in 1946. This integrated school district had over 20 African-American students enrolled in 1893. The school served until 1948, when a new brick schoolhouse was erected. The building was eventually converted into a one-bedroom, single-family residence and remains so today. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It is located at 31794 Center Street in Wabaunsee.

Wabaunsee County ?? Wabaunsee 1890-??
Wabaunsee County School near Alma, Kansas.

Wabaunsee County School

This one-story, rectangular stone school was designed in the vernacular style, featuring a gable-front metal roof and a bell tower over the front entrance. Wooden entry to the south may have been added later, and the metal on the bell tower is more recent. The vacant building is oriented north-south, facing Nehring Branch Road. It is located at 24043 Nehring Branch Road near Alma, Kansas.

Wilmington ?? Wabaunsee 1870-1950
The old Wilmington School in Wabaunsee County, Kansas courtesy National Park Service.

Wilmington School

Wilmington was organized in 1858, and the stone school was built in 1870. The businesses moved there when the Manhattan, Burlingame & Alma Railway was built through Harveyville four miles north. The Stone School and the Church of Christ were built in 1870. The population in 1910 was 69. The school closed in 1950 but still stands. The church also still stands, serving a tiny area population. It is 25 miles southeast of Alma, the county seat, and six miles west of Burlingame in Osage County.

Wallace High ?? Wallace 1924-1990s
Old Wallace High School in Wallace, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Wallace High School

This two-story rectangular brick building with stone detailing was designed in the commercial style with a flat roof and parapet. After closing in the 1990s, it was sold and converted into a residence. A one-story brick building stands south of the old school. It is located at 1610 N Main Street in Wallace, Kansas.

Bismark 111 Washington ??
Bismark School District 11 in Washington County, Kansas.

Bismark School District 11

This old limestone school is two miles west of Hanover, Kansas.

Brantford 1 Washington 1880-??
Brantford School in Washington County, Kansas.

Brantford School

This old one-room schoolhouse was established in 1880. The one-and-a-half-story wood-frame building is located at 131 10th Road in the vicinity of Clyde, Kansas, in Washington County. It now serves as the Brantford Community Center.

Cedar Green 99 Washington ??

Cedar Green School in Washington County, Kansas by Josh Ribble.

Cedar Green School

Eagle 3 Washington 1897-??
Eagle School District 3 in Washington County, Kansas by Josh Ribble.

Eagle School District 3.

Eagle School District 3 in Washington County, Kansas, early 1900s.

Eagle School, 1900s.

Emmons 2 Washington 1878-1861
Emmons School in Washington, Kansas.

Emmons School.

Emmons Schoolhouse was the center of the community and was used as a voting place, meeting hall, and church services. It was one of the last one-room schools to close in the county. The schoolhouse was about three-quarters of a mile west on the north side of the road from the town of Emmons. The school was moved to Washington by the Washington County Historical Society. It is now located on the square’s southeast corner, close to the Museum.

Lowe Center 115 Washington 1884-1953
Lowe Center School in Washington County, Kansas courtesy Kansas Historical Society.

Lowe Center School

The Lowe Center School was built in 1884 in response to a growing rural population in Washington County in the early 1880s. School attendance records note between 20 and 35 students enrolled in the early 20th century. The school served rural residents of this area until it closed in 1963. The wood-frame has clapboard siding and a gable roof with a bell tower. There are two outhouses behind the school. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. It is located at the southwest corner of Indian Road and 27th Road near Morrowville.

Mahaska Rural High School 3 Washington 1927-1974
Old Mahaska Rural High School in Washington County, Kansas.

Old Mahaska Rural High School

The Mahaska Rural High School remained viable as an independent four-year high school until about 1955 when the dwindling population closed some of the local rural elementary schools and caused their students to be bused to Mahaska. Some elementary classes were blended into the school in the 1955-1956 academic year. The last high school class graduated in 1966, and the building was converted into a middle school by the creation of Unified School District 221, which included students from nearby Haddam and Morrowville. This change lasted only a year when elementary classes, including a Kindergarten class, were added. The middle school classes were discontinued in 1972, and the remaining grade school classes continued to use the building until 1974. The building was converted into a library and community center in 1975, but closed in 1989 and remained vacant until 2008. Today, the two-story, brick-veneered, Collegiate Gothic-style building is a multi-dwelling facility called Mahaska Lofts. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2007 for its architectural significance, reflecting the planning principles of Kansas’s public schools during the Progressive Era, as defined in the “Historic Public Schools of Kansas” multiple property submission. It is located at School Street and Henry Street in Mahaska, Kansas.

MacArthur ?? Washington Near Haddam
Maple 75 Washington

Maple School, District 75 in Washington County, Kansas by Josh Ribble.

Maple School, District #75.

Sunflower 114 Washington 1886-1960
Sunflower School District #114 in Washington County, Kansas.

Sunflower School District #114

This school is seven miles northwest of Hanover

Union 68 Washington ??
Union School, District #68. in Washington County, Kansas.

Union School, District #68.

This school building in Washington County is located on 2nd Road near Bremen, Kansas. Go west from Marysville on Highway 36 to Bremans Corner, and turn north towards Breman for 1/2 mile.

Sunflower ?? Washington
District #3 3 Wilson 1921-??
District #3 School near Fredonia, Kansas.

District #3

This Neoclassical one-and-a-half-story brick building is about two miles west of Fredonia on Finley Road. It serves as a residence today.

Grandvalley 59 Wilson 1871-1911
Grandvalley School in Wilson County, Kansas.

Grandvalley School

This vernacular-style red brick building is in significant deterioration. It is located on Gove Road near Fredonia, about 2.5 miles north of US 400 Highway. The parcel address is 5765 Finney Road.

New Albany ?? Wilson 1947-??
The old New Albany School now functions as City Hall.

Old New Albany School

This rectangular one-story brick school, with a gable roof, was built in the early to mid-20th-century minimal Commercial style. Located at 502 Main Street in New Albany, Kansas, it now functions as New Albany City Hall.

Carlisle 09 Woodson
Finney 49 Woodson
Kalaida ?? Woodson East of Yates Center
Maple Grove 37 Woodson
Owl Creek ?? Woodson Owl Creek Township
Parallel 65 Woodson
Pleasant Valley ?? Woodson 1881-1952
Pleasant Valley School in Woodson County, Kansas courtesy https://elevation.maplogs.com/

Pleasant Valley School

Pleasant Valley School, made of native sandstone, was built in 1881 on the outskirts of Yates Center. It was also used for social events. After it closed in 1952, the 4-H Club used it for many years. It is located along U.S. Highway 75 in southern Woodson County, south of Yates Center.

Liberty Township ?? Woodson It is located along U.S. Highway 75 in Liberty Township, in northern Woodson County, north of Yates Center.
Star 23 Woodson
Star School in Woodson County, Kansas.

Star School

The Star Schoolhouse is a one-room stone building seven miles northwest of Piedmont, Kansas.

West Buffalo 28 Woodson Buffalo
Woodson County ?? Woodson 1881-??
Old Woodson County School near Yates Center.

Woodson County School

This one-story rectangular stone building was designed in the vernacular style with a gable front roof and an interior ridge chimney. It was built of rough-cut, coursed ashlar sandstone with a later gable-front addition of coursed, rusticated concrete blocks. There is a recessed entry door in the west or front gable. After the school closed, it was utilized as a 4-H clubhouse and meeting room. Its function today is unknown. It is located at 403 U.S. 75 Highway.

Bonner Springs Wyandotte 1960
Old Bonner Springs School in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

Old Bonner Springs School

This one-story T-shaped brick school has a flat roof and was designed in the Modern/Modern Movement style. The old school does not appear to be in current use. It is located at 115 N 134th Street, just north of Bonner Springs, Kansas.

Franklin Elementary ?? Wyandotte 1898
Franklin Elementary School in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

Franklin Elementary

The two-and-a-half-story stone building is built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2013. The school closed in May of 1972 and sat vacant for several years before it was sold in 1978 to the Franklin Center, Inc., which operated the building as a community building until recently. It is currently boarded up and awaiting rehabilitation. It is located at 1403 Metropolitan Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.

Horace Mann Wyandotte 1909-1968
Old Horace Mann School in Kansas City, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Horace Mann

Kansas City, Kansas School District architect William W. Rose designed this three-story red brick building in a restrained Classical Revival style. The symmetrical masonry building featured classrooms around a central stair tower and specialized manual training and assembly rooms. Elements of the Classical Revival style include engaged pilasters, multi-light windows, a rusticated stone base, and classical cornice elements. Joseph Radotinsky designed a 1939 addition to the east end of the building, which blended well with the original building’s massing and materials. The building functioned as an elementary school until 1939, when it was converted for use by Kansas City Junior College. The college occupied the building until 1968. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2012. At some point, it was remodeled for multiple dwelling purposes and became known as Horace Mann Lofts in 2022. It is located at 824 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City, Kansas High School Gymnasium and Laboratory ?? Wyandotte 1923
Kansas City, Kansas High School Gymnasium & Laboratory

KCK High School Gym & Laboratory

The three-story freestanding building has brick cladding and a deck on the hip roof with a dentillated stone cornice. A two-story wing that is one bay wide projects from the south side of the primary elevation. Paired glazed wood doors with divided-light wood transom fill the first-story opening. A three-bay wide entrance projects slightly from the center of the primary elevation. Stone columns support the pedimented first-story entrance. The rectangular building was designed in the Italian Renaissance style. This building was individually listed in the National Register in January 2012 and retains its integrity as a contributing resource to a potential Downtown Kansas City Historic District, which is significant for its civic and community development. The building is at 1017 N 9th Street, Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City University – St. Augustine Hall NA Wyandotte 1896
St. Augustine Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

St. Augustine Hall

St. Augustine Hall was initially built as Mather Hall of Kansas City University in 1896 for $30,000. Dr. Samuel Fielding Mather, a descendant of the famous theologian Cotton Mather, desired to see a college established in Kansas City and gave tracts of land to the Methodist Protestant Church on the condition that they erect suitable college buildings. Another of the early promoters and backers of Kansas City University was H.J. Heinz, the pickle millionaire. In 1913, Campbell College of Holton, Kansas, under the control of the United Brethren in Christ Church, merged with Kansas City University. The two religious denominations jointly operated the school until 1926, when the Methodists withdrew and the United Brethren bought out their interest. The school’s final years were difficult. In 1930, the United Brethren Board of Education decided to withdraw all support for the school. In 1932, the mortgage against the school was foreclosed, and the property was sold to the Augustinian Order of the Catholic Church. Mather Hall then became St. Augustine Hall. This three-story T-shaped red brick building was built in the Romanesque Revival style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 1971. It is located at 3301 Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas.

Louisa M. Alcott Elementary School Wyandotte 1900
The old Louisa M. Alcott Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas.

Louisa M. Alcott Elementary School

The old two-and-a-half-story, red-brick Louisa M. Alcott Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas, was built in the Commercial style. The vacant building is located at 180 South 18TH Street.

Lowell Elementary School Wyandotte 1898-1980
Old Lowell Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas.

Old Lowell Elementary School

The old Lowell Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas, is in the Riverview Neighborhood. It was named in honor of poet James Russell Lowell. The blonde brick two-and-a-half-story was built in the Classical Revival style. The school’s original eight classrooms were built in 1898, but William Rose designed an addition in 1905 that unified the front elevation. He also consulted on a 1922 addition to the building. Students in grades one through seven attended Lowell Elementary School until 1980, when it was used as a warehouse. The building was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance in January 2008. Serving as an apartment building today, it is located at 1040 Orville Avenue.

Major Hudson Elementary School Wyandotte 1924-1983
Old Major Hudson Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas.

Old Major Hudson Elementary

This Neoclassical-style three-story brick building was constructed as part of a significant expansion of public school buildings from 1919 to 1924. Located in the newly annexed Rosedale district of Kansas City, Kansas, Major Hudson Elementary School was the site of a national segregation controversy. In September 1924, four Mexican schoolchildren were denied admission by a group of Anglo parents in what contemporary media described as a “near race riot.” Over the next 18 months, at the persistent urging of Mexican diplomats, the U.S. State Department intervened and eventually succeeded in requiring the Kansas City, Kansas, School District to educate the Mexican students. While classes for Mexican students had been formed in the basements of the other two schools, Mexican students were denied admission to Major Hudson altogether. Instead, the school district appointed a teacher to instruct Mexican pupils at the old Melville School, which Major Hudson had replaced.

As part of the larger controversy over the creation of segregated Mexican schools in the “separate but equal” era following the Supreme Court’s 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, Major Hudson stands out in that – unlike Emerson Elementary in Argentine and John J. Ingalls in Armourdale – Mexican students were never educated in the new building. Mexican-American students were integrated into Major Hudson, which operated continuously as an elementary school until it was closed due to declining attendance in 1983. The building was sold in 1985 to a private developer, who converted the building into Wyandotte County’s first residential condominium development.

The architectural design reflects floor plans, style, and detail consistent with other elementary schools in Kansas City, Kansas, and the school district was designed by Rose and Peterson and constructed during this period. The rectangular plan, with a central corridor, extends across the middle of each floor. A four-classroom, single-story modern addition was built in 1966 and attached to the northeast elevation. The addition is connected to the original 1924 structure via a breezeway that encloses the original exterior doors and staircase on the northeast elevation.

The late 1980s condominium conversion removed the cast concrete fire stairs and enclosed the cast concrete balconies on the northeast and southwest elevations with stucco panels. Some classrooms were combined or divided into multiple living spaces. Parts of the grounds, which are spread over 2.8 acres, were converted into covered parking, private patios, and common areas, and the northeast and southeast sections of the property remain heavily wooded. Now serving as Major Hudson Condominiums at 600 Shawnee Road, Kansas City, Kansas.

Northeast Junior High School ?? Wyandotte 1923-?? Northeast Junior High School is a four-story masonry structure constructed in 1923 as the first intermediate school to serve Kansas City’s African American population. Rose and Peterson Architects designed the building with the same floor plan as Northwest Junior High, built in 1922 to serve the area’s white students. These twin schools were indicative of Kansas City’s citywide educational segregation that extended from the first grade through junior college.

The four-story brick building was designed in the Commercial-Italian Renaissance style. In October 2008, it was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its educational history and architectural significance. It was constructed during the Progressive Era in a commercial style with Beaux-Arts stylistic influences. This building is part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas. It now serves as Northeast Junior High Place Apartments at 400 Troop Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary ?? Wyandotte 1930-??
Old Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Old Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School

This one-and-a-half-story T-shaped brick building with a flat roof was designed in the Prairie style. It is located at 1303 N. 36th Street in Kansas City, Kansas, but its current use is unknown.

 

Vernon Wyandotte 1936-??
Old Vernon School in Kansas City, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Vernon School

This one-story rectangular brick building, designed in the Art Deco style with a flat roof and parapet, was located in the old town of Quindaro, which was annexed to Kansas City, Kansas. Today, it serves as a Senior Citizens Community Center at 2700 Sewell Avenue.

 

Whittier Wyandotte 1922
Whittaker School in Kansas City, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Whittaker School

Whittier School’s construction helped alleviate the district’s overcrowding, specifically within the neighborhood surrounding the school. It replaced the first Whittier School, which had become a junior high school. When complete, the Whittier School served as a dedicated elementary school for neighborhood students in kindergarten through fifth grade. One feature of the new Whittier School was a dedicated kindergarten room. It was reportedly the first school in Kansas City designed to include a kindergarten room in the original plans for the building.

This three-story, rectangular brick building was designed in the Late 19th- and 20th-century Classical Revival style, featuring a flat roof behind a parapet. A quarry-faced stone water table and dressed stone belt course clad the first-story walls. Bands of dressed stone rest at the top of the second and third-story window openings. Narrow three-story wings extend for one bay from the center of the east and west walls. The wings are a few feet shorter than the main building and are clad with identical elements. Each wing has an entrance in the north and south walls. Terra cotta coping caps the parapets, and a projecting terra cotta cornice with an egg-and-dart motif decorates the top of each wall. Engaged pilasters define most bays. Alterations to the school’s interior have been relatively minimal. The second and third-floor corridors, along with the classrooms, all retain their historic configuration. Nearly all historic finishes have been removed from the school’s interior, including wood floors, chair rails, millwork, and chalkboards. The building represents the educational trends of the Progressive Era and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2023. Vacant today, it stands at 290 S 10th Street in Kansas City, Kansas.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated April 2025.

Also See:

Education in Kansas

Historic Sites

Kansas Destinations

Kansas Ghost Towns

Sources:

Columbian History of Education in Kansas, Compiled by Kansas Educators,  Kansas State Historical Society, 1893.
Douglas County, Kansas Rural and One-Room Schools
Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
Historic Public Schools of Kansas
Kansapedia
Kansas Geneology
Kansas GenWeb Project
Kansas Historic Resources Inventory
Kansas One Room Country Schools and Churches
Kansas One-Room Schoolhouses
Kansas One Room Schools
Kansas One Room Schoolhouse Project
Kansas Patriot
Wikipedia