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 the mission schools for the Indians. When Kansas was organized as a Territory, and the white settlers began to make their homes here, their children’s education became one of their first interests. In the summer of 1855, the first Territorial Legislature passed a law providing for establishing common schools, thus laying the foundation for our public school system.

In Lawrence, Kansas, when the town was only six months old, a school was opened in the back of Dr. Charles Robinson’s office in January 1855. In the early years, due to the violence of Bleeding Kansas, most schools were subscription schools that were not publically funded but were 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 organized, and schoolhouses were built, with the minimum school term designated at 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 English.

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, there were no graduating from country schools — students attended until they were ready to quit.

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 usually tried 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 freighting 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 that time, one-room schools could not hope to compete against 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 one-room schools were eliminated as mobility became more common and mechanization increased farm size. It 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 curriculums, 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 was on farmland, farmers would often burn the structure to revert the land to farms or pastures. Other schoolhouses wasted away over time and weather.

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

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

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 with stone in the Craftsman/Bungalow style. It has a deck-on-hip roof with water course sills and lintels, with 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 with four-inch clapboards, a gable roof, and a hip entrance extension on the West façade. There is an old outhouse southeast of the school. It is located on Vermont Road in Bush City, Kansas.

Atchison County Schools Various Atchison 1871-Present The graded course of study pursued in the public schools is in accord with the most advanced methods adopted in the East, with a certain program of work to be accomplished annually being strictly carried out 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/colonial Gothic style. This vacant, deteriorating building has most of its glass missing, 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 the commercial style with a corrugated gable metal roof is used as a Community Center/Sports Facility today. 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 remain, other than the gymnasium. 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, Kansas 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 entry, has a gymnasium on one end and an auditorium on the other. It was built from 1937 to 1940 by the Works Progress Administration. 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 grades one through eight in 1903, with the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood from Wichita providing the teaching staff throughout the operation of St. Ann’s school. 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 succumbed to the closing of its school.

Bourbon County Schools Various Bourbon 1866-1966 In 1882, the student population was 7,866 – males, 3,995; females, 3,871. 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 of males were $34.27, and females 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, the number of students enrolled in school in Brown County, Kansas, was 4,067, with 125 teachers.
Butler County Schools Various Butler 1871-1967
Chase County Schools Various Chase 1884- The school population in 1882 was 2,140. The number of school visitations by the superintendent in 1882 was 73. There were 44 School Districts in the county, three of which were joint with Lyon, one with Morris, and one with Marion County.
Chautauqua County ?? Chautauqua 1900
Chautauga County Old School near Cedarvale, Kansas.

Chautauga County Old School

This one-story L-shaped brick building was designed in the vernacular style with a hip roof with lower cross gables. The vacant deteriorated building is located on 5 Road in the Cedar Vale vicinity.

Chautauqua County 50? Chautauqua ??
Old Chautauqua County School in the Peru vicinity.

Chautauqua County School

This one-story rectangular stone school was designed in the vernacular style with a gable metal roof. Serving as a residence today, it is located at 899 26 Road in the vicinity of Peru.

Chautauqua County 6? Chautauqua ??
Chautauga County School near Monett

Chautauga County School

This one-story rectangular stone school was built in the vernacular style with a gable roof. It may be school district #6, but it needs to be verified. The deteriorated vacant building is at the intersection of Lariat Road and Road 27 in the Monett vicinity.

Newlon 88 Chautauqua 1913-??
Newlon School in Chautauqua County, Kansas.

Newlon School

Newlon School served local students in grades 1-8. The one-room rectangular wood-frame school with a smaller gable-front entry room was built in the vernacular style. The address is 1491 Road 23, Sedan, Kansas, but it is closer to Grafton.

Silver Prairie ?? Chautauqua 1911-??
Silver Prairie School in Chautauqua County, Kansas.

Silver Prairie School

This one-story rectangular stone building with a hip roof was designed in the vernacular style. The deteriorated building is vacant today. It is located on 11 Road 11 near Sedan, Kansas.

Spring Branch ?? Chautauqua 1930s-1945
Spring Branch School in Chautauga County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Spring Branch School

The Spring Branch school was a one-room, five-month subscription country school built in the 1930s. The building also served as a community meeting place. The school was consolidated with Cedar Vale in 1945. Afterward, it was used by the 4-H club. Today, the roof is collapsing, and the building is falling into ruins. It is located two miles east of Cedar Vale on private property, just north of Highway 166.

St. Charles 58 Chautauqua 1874-1946
St. Charles School in Chautaugua County, Kansas.

St. Charles School

This rectangular wood-frame vernacular-style gable-front roof school was built in 1874 and remodeled in 1942, adding a cloakroom on the east and south exits. The school was also used for social gatherings, church services, funerals, and polling places. The school closed in 1946 and was moved to Sedan in 1990. Today, it functions as the Chamber of Commerce office. It is located at 188 N. Sherman Street in Sedan, Kansas.

Cherokee County Schools 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. Owned by the First Baptist Church, it is located at 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 across the street 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 taught, 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 began to be built in 1917 and was finished in 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 originally wood-clad with a conical roof and bell tower/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.

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 with a pyramid roof and east and south-facing entries. A flagpole and playground equipment stand southeast of the building, and an outhouse is to the northwest. It was once used as a community center and 4H building but is vacant today. 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 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 neatly built and well-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 cities of the second class. Today, there are five school districts in Cowley County.

Cato 04 Crawford 1869-1955
Cato, Kansas School in Crawford County, courtesy the Kansas State Historical Society.

Cato School

Cato was founded in 1854 at the northern edge of the Cherokee Neutral Lands, now Crawford County. A stone school built in 1869 that still stands after serving as a schoolhouse and a meeting house until 1955. The Cato Historical Preservation Association maintains the school. Never a large town, Cato’s population peaked in 1910 with 112 residents.

Green Elm 41 Crawford 1872-1955
Green Elm School in Pittsburg, Kansas courtesy Historical Marker Database.

Green Elm School

Green Elm School, District 41, is in Pittsburg, Kansas. The school was relocated to this location and is part of the Crawford County Historical Museum. It was initially located in the southwest corner of Crawford County, seven miles north and one mile west of McCune, Kansas. School classes were held from 1872 to 1955 and employed 66 different teachers. The school’s name was based on an elm tree near the school. The museum is located at 651 S. Highway 69 in Pittsburg.

Washington Grade School 49 Crawford 1938-??
Washington Grade School in Pittsburg, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Washington Grade School

Partially funded by the Public Works Administration, the Washington Grade School was designed by Thomas W. Williamson & Company of Topeka, a firm widely known for its design of schools in Kansas. This school was probably constructed as part of the same project that included the addition to Roosevelt Middle School. The project received $117,000 in funds, which were matched by $128,000 raised through municipal bonds. The same architect designed both buildings. W.K. Martin Construction Company of Kansas was the builder. This T-shaped one-story brick building was designed in the Colonial Revival style with a complex hip roof with short cross-hip wings that project slightly beyond the North and South ends of the main block. The arched entrance is centered in the West façade of the main block below a small wood cupola with a copper roof centered on the ridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 2008 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination. Standing vacant today at 209 South Locust Street in Pittsburg, Kansas, it has been threatened with demolition.

Zion Lutheran School 118 Crawford ?? This old clapboard school serves as a community building today. It is located at 401 Bredehoeft Road in Brazilton, Kansas.
Dickinson County Schools Various Dickinson 1855-1967 In the early 1880s, the educational interests of the county were in keeping with the general progress and advancement of the other interests of the county. 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 five and twenty-one years, was 5,503, divided as to 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, there were 84 organized districts in Douglas County. 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 report of the County Superintendent stated that the number of school-age children was 4,150. 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 block and consists of four main sections: the original building (1926), two historic additions (1931, 1951), and one non-historic addition (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 (southeast) facade. 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 alleviated the growing 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 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 with lower cross gables. Serving as a private residence today, it is located at 1204 Antonino Road in the extinct town of Antonino in 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 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 then was nearly a hundred less than the number enrolled in 1881. This indicated a decrease in population, which was accounted for by the fact that parties coming into the county were desirous of establishing extensive ranches and buying out the settlers who 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 & 20th Century Classical Revival style with 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 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 rectangle 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 – modern in design with simple stone and aluminum detailing, simplistic in form, and 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 sheer 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 census of 1881, there were 6,025 children between the ages of five and twenty-one, 4,543 enrolled, and 2,934 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 an enrollment of 192 students. The last high school class to graduate from the building was in 1929 and comprised 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 has a metal gable roof and 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 Kickapool School Road near Junction City, Kansas.

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

Rubin School

This one-story rectangular native stone school was built in the commercial style with a gable roof. 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 without running water or 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 Rd, 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 was in the fall of 1921 and 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 in Wheatland was built. 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.

Missouri Flats ?? Gove
Orion ?? Gove 1930
Park Grade School ?? Gove ??-1960s
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 to the 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.

Spring Creek ?? Gove
Union ?? Gove
Cracker Box ?? Graham 1920
Crackerbox School in Nicodemus, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Crackerbox School

This school was relocated to Nicodemus from Pioneer Township in the 1920s. Part of the Nicodemus Historic District, Cracker Box School is 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 Modern/Modern Movement-style building. 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 built in the commercial style with 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 displays two brick outhouses and a wood frame garage 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 at the Historic Adobe Museum Complex at 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 $42,490.82 in annual expenditures.

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 Streamlined/Art Moderne style and is unused today. It is located on North Pennsylvania Avenue in Anthony, Kansas.

Silver Creek ?? Harper
Doty 24 Harvey Darlington Township, Section 32. The Doty School was one mile west of Old 81 Highway and one mile north of the Sedgwick County line. Sounds like it is gone.
Kellas ?? Harvey 1873-??
Kellas School in Newton, Kansas.

Kellas School

The Kellas School was built in 1873 in Newton, Kansas. It was located at Southeast 12th Street and Hillside. The small wood-frame building was moved to the Harvey County Historical Society in Newton, where it can be visited today.

Bethel College Administration Building NA Harvey 1888-Present
Bethel College Administration Building in Newton, Kansas courtesy of Wikipedia.

Bethel College Administration Building

Bethel College Administration Building was built in the Romanesque Revival style in 1888 in North Newton, Kansas. An addition was made to the two-and-a-half-story stone building in 1893. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1972. It is located at 300 E. 27th Street on the Bethel College Campus.

Lincoln Harvey 1917-1999
Old Lincoln School in Newton, Kansas.

Lincoln School

This old two-and-a-half-story red brick building was built in the Collegiate Gothic style. After serving various grades throughout the years, it was closed and sold in 1999. It now functions as Lincoln Park Apartments, a 24-unit senior living facility. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2004. It is located at 400 West 6th Street in Newton, Kansas.

Maple Grove 58 Harvey Burrton Township
Prouty 42 Harvey 1874-1923
Old Prouty School in Newton, Kansas.

Old Prouty School

The Prouty School operated from 1874 to 1923 as an elementary school for grades one through eight. This one-and-a-half-story, T-shaped, vernacular-style brick building has an intersecting gable roof with stucco and wood timbers on the gable ends. Gable dormers were added on the front, and a three-car garage addition was made on the south side. t serves as a residence today. It is located at 1727 N. Ridge Road in Newton, Kansas.

Washington ?? Harvey ??
Old Washington School in Newton, Kansas.

Old Washington School

This two-story brick building is available for rental space today. It is located at 400 S Old Main Street in Newton, Kansas.

Zimmerdale Harvey 1910-1959
Zimmerdale School in Harvey County, Kansas.

Zimmerdale School

This one-story L-shaped wood frame building was designed in the vernacular style with an intersecting gable roof with a brick chimney. It served grades 1-8 with one teacher. It closed in 1959 through consolidation, at which time 31 students attended the school. It was converted to a residence. An outhouse and a newer home is located to the Southeast of the former school. It is located at 4102 N. West Road near Newton, Kansas.

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 with a hip roof with intersecting gables. It has a gabled central entry door with sidelights and a fanlight transom. This Works Project Administration building replaced a former frame school on the same site that had burned. 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 the commercial style with 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 the commercial style with a flat roof with a parapet. The building includes a gymnasium/auditorium with a high degree of integrity. The original school has been altered and expanded to the east, and a gable roof was installed and stucco on 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 comprises a center entry foyer flanked by two coat rooms leading into the primary classroom. Students of all ages attended. In 1883, 55 students between the ages of five and 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 dollars a month. In 1952, the teacher’s salary was $225 per month. After 75 years as a center of education, public meetings, and social events, consolidation forced 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 rural one-acre parcel in Sarcoxie Township in 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 Old Jefferson Town Museum.

The one-story rectangular building wood-frame building was designed in the Vernacular style with a gable roof with 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 that 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 School House 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.
Globe School ?? Labette 1904-??
Globe School in Labette County, Kansas.

Globe School

The old Globe School is a red brick rectangular building. It is 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 was designed in the vernacular style with a gable front roof. There are 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 Vermont/EllisRd, northwest of Lane
Centennial 76 Leavenworth Alexandria Township
Basehor 3 Leavenworth
Dafer ?? Leavenworth Stranger Township, approximately six miles southwest of Tonganoxie
Easton Grade School ?? Leavenworth 1950
Old Easton Grade School in Easton, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Easton Grade School

The old Easton Grade School is a one-story pink brick building with metal trim and overhang over the west façade. There are glass block windows on the west façade, a concrete addition on the south, and a wood addition on the north. The foundation was damaged in the 1993 flood, and the school closed. Privately owned today. Located at 120 N. 1st Street, it is mostly obscured by trees.

Honey Valley 56 Leavenworth 1916-?? As one of four buildings on the Tonganoxie Historical Society site, the Honey Valley schoolhouse was organized on March 25, 1869. It was located about a mile south of Tonganoxie on the Gordon Harmon Farm near County Road 1 and U. S. Highway 24-40. The original building burned down in 1915. The district voted bonds for $1,200.00 to erect a new school building on June 21, 1916. This building now sits at the Historical Site after being moved there in 1991. At the one-room schoolhouse, one teacher taught all eight grades.
Howard Wilson Elementary ?? Leavenworth 1942-2010
The old Howard Wilson School in Leavenworth, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Howard Wilson School

The blonde and red brick building’s north portion is two stories, while the newer south portion and east façade are one story. The West addition was added in 1950, and the Northeast addition in 1967. It was named for Howard Wilson, who donated $70k to the school district upon his death in 1939. The Kingdom Christian Academy now utilizes the building. It is located at 616 Grand Avenue, Leavenworth, Kansas.

Hund ?? Leavenworth 1939-1965
Hund School, Leavenworth, Kansas courtesy Wikipedia.

Hund School

The Hund School is a historic one-room schoolhouse northwest of Leavenworth, Kansas. A wood bungalow was built in 1939 on land donated to the school district by Wendelin and Josephine Hund in 1882. It replaced a school building that was destroyed in a fire. The school building is typical of other rural schoolhouses built in Kansas. The building has a cloakroom, a classroom with built-in library shelves, and a basement. Outside the schoolhouse is a hand pump for water and an outhouse. The school operated from 1939 to 1965, serving primarily children of German heritage within walking distance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Lansing ?? Leavenworth 1919-??
Old Lansing School in Leavenworth, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Lansing School

This one-and-a-half-story red brick Mission-style building was built for grades one through eight, replacing a former school on this site. The building has been converted to 11 apartments. The front porch is a recent addition. The building measures approximately 80′ wide by 60′ deep. Lansing School is located at 101 North Main Street, Lansing, Kansas.

Mayginnes School ?? Leavenworth 1869
Old Mayginnes School in Leavenworth County, Kansas.

Old Mayginnes School

The old Mayginnes School was named for William Mayginnes, who donated the land in 1867 for the school to be built. The school was opened in 1869. There have been several families where five generations attended. The one-story rectangular Commercial style building sits on about an acre and was built of limestone and wood. Used as a community building today, it is located at 22017 189th Street, about six miles northeast of Tonganoxie, Kansas.

North Broadway ?? Leavenworth 1923-1998
Old North Broadway School in Leavenworth, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Old North Broadway School

Built as an elementary school and closed in 1998. The first day of school at North Broadway School was September 17, 1923; 382 students attended. The school district relocated its elementary classes out of the building in 1999 and then operated a number of special programs, including an alternative high school, in the building until 2010. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas nomination in October 2011. Today, this rectangular two-story brick Tudor Revival style building serves as Broadway Lofts. It is located at 801 N. Broadway Street.

Oak Street ?? Leavenworth 1874-1924
Old Oak Street School in Leavenworth, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Old Oak Street School

The old Oak Street School is a two-story Spanish Eclectic-style stucco building with red tile awnings over the East entrances and under curved parapets. The property was sold in 1927 and was likely converted into apartments then. Called A&K Rentals today; it is at 514 South 7th Street in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Sumner Elementary Leavenworth 1925-1969
Old Sumner School in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Old Sumner School

Sumner School was one of two elementary schools built to serve Leavenworth’s African-American students in the 19th  century. Lincoln School served students living in North Leavenworth; Sumner served the students living in South Leavenworth. The first Sumner School was constructed on this site in 1866 and remodeled in 1899. By 1915, however, the original building was unable to meet the needs of its 185 students. School principal Dr. Blanche Bruce oversaw the construction of the new building in 1924 and 1925. In the spring of 1960, Abeles and Cleveland Schools were closed and consolidated into Sumner and Anthony Schools. At this time, Sumner housed the 3rd-6th grades. The school was closed at the end of the 1968-1969 school year due to a structural engineer’s report that it was not feasible to improve the building to continue use as a school. During the 1969-1970 school year, this building was converted to a district maintenance facility. It currently serves as an activity center for the Pentecostal Church of Apostolic Faith. This rectangular two-story commercial-style building has a flat roof with a parapet. It is located at 1501 5th Avenue in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Cedron 17 Lincoln 1910-??
Cedron School in Lincoln County, Kansas.

Cedron School

This limestone schoolhouse is about two feet longer and wider than the standard one-room schoolhouse. 541 E. Union Drive is 1/2 mile south of E Union Drive and two miles west of Ash Grove in Cedron Township near Sylvan Grove.

Gorge 44 Lincoln 1893-1947
Ash Grove Lincoln ??-1966 The weathered clapboard building still stands
Evangelical Lutheran School NA Lincoln 1913-1981 The Evangelical Lutheran School is located on the east edge of Sylvan Grove, directly north of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The school is associated with the early German Lutheran immigrants who settled there.
Lincoln High School 298 Lincoln 1922-1996
The old Lincoln High School in Lilncoln, Kansas.

Lincoln High School

The old Lincoln High School is a three-story Collegiate Gothic building located six blocks south of downtown Lincoln. The symmetrical front facade faces north (College Avenue) and is defined by a projecting entry bay, common to Progressive Era Schools. The gabled center bay embodies detailing characteristics of the Collegiate Gothic style, including pointed arch surrounds, buttress-like pilasters, and stone detailing. The east facade provides access to the central corridor leading to the combined auditorium/gymnasium. A one-story corridor was built connecting the school to the 1960 band room, and a private business now occupies the shop addition. A new high school was constructed in 1996, and the old school was closed, standing vacant. The two-and-a-half-story red brick building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2020. It is located at 700 South 4th Street in Lincoln, Kansas.

Logan Center 76 Lincoln  Logan Township. This red brick school is deteriorating.
Lost Creek Yauger 6 Lincoln 1870-1894
The old Lost Creek Yauger School in Lincoln County, Kansas.

Lost Creek Yauger School

The old Lost Creek Yauger School in Lincoln County, Kansas.

Lost Creek Yauger School

The old Lost Creek Yauger School served as a school and the First Christian Church from 1870 to 1894. The one-story stone schoolhouse was built in the Vernacular style, with three north and south bays and an east entrance. The gabled roof is gone. This is a Lincoln County Historical Site. It is located at 1418 North 180 Road in Marion Township in the Lincoln vicinity. It is 1.5 miles North and a half mile west of Lincoln, Kansas.

Margaret Lincoln 1884-1965
Old Margaret School in Lincoln County, Kansas.

Old Margaret School

The old Margaret School is a rectangular school built in the Vernacular style. The school reportedly closed after the 1965 school year – one of the area’s last one-room schools to function as a school. There are also two limestone outhouses and a limestone coal shed on the property. It is located at 789 East Bison Drive on the southwest corner of East Bison Drive and North 8th Road. It is about 14 miles southeast of Sylvan Grove.

Spring Valley 11 Lincoln Small wooden school in ruins. It is on top of a hill.
Topsy 18 Lincoln 1940
Topsy School in Lincoln County, Kansas.

Topsy School

This one-story rectangular wood-frame building built in the vernacular style has a front-facing gable roof and a small gable enclosure at the front entry in the center of the south facade. The Topsy school was located west of the Lincoln County extinct town of Westfall and was moved to the Lincoln County Historical Museum site in 1988. It is located at 208 W. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln, Kansas.

Twin Grove 14 Lincoln 1870-1947 Pleasant Township. Small brick school In ruins.
Union 4 Lincoln ??
Union School in Lincoln County, Kansas.

Union School

The old Union School is a one-story red brick tile building designed in the vernacular style with a cross-gable roof. It is presently used for storage. It is located ten miles North and six miles west of Lincoln, Kansas.

West Point 86 Lincoln Hanover Township
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 still sports an old business building and the 1882 Oxford No. 99 school. The old town is about 6.5 miles south of Mound City 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 who attended No. 9 at one time and as low 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 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 1-6. 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 Prescott City Hall. 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 decommissioning the fort. 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.

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 & 6th Street in Americus, Kansas, the Work 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 the 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, and by the spring of 1862, the institute showed contributions of cash, materials, and labor amounting to $1,530. An executive committee had been appointed in August 1862 by the Board of Trustees to prescribe courses of study, fix 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 finished in the fall of 1863, and the first classes were held on October 14, 1863.

In 1866, Asa D. Chambers leased the institute building for ten years and, in 1867, opened it as a first-class academy. By 1870, there were 120 pupils, although, from 1865 to 1868, the school operated only under extreme hardship. 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 its completion in 1929. This building sits at the center of the old College of Emporia campus, where in the city’s early days, one could see both the Neosho and the 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 the second oldest building on the former College of Emporia 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 it was replacing and would be built in the same location as Stuart Hall. Kenyon Hall was the administration building for the College of Emporia, where official college events were held. The chapel was a place of worship, which was part of everyday life for all the 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, once identified as 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 apartments for senior housing opened in the old administration building in 2013. 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 with its old belfry, 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 one, 62 in grade two, and 35 in grade three. The number of children of school age was 4,359; the number of male teachers was 42; female, 54; the average age of teachers was 22. The average monthly pay of male teachers was $36.73; for females, $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.

Barrett 01 Marshall 1870-??
Barrett School near Frankfort, Kansas courtesy Wikipedia.

Barrett School

Barrett School in Vermillion Township. Barrett was the county’s first school district, organized in 1858. The limestone building was erected in 1870, and a south wing was added in 1896. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Private property. Located on 2391 19th Terrace between Wildcat and Yonder Roads, southwest of Frankfort.

Bommer 123 Marshall
Bommer School in Marysville, Kansas.

Bommer School

This school was moved to Marysville City Park from a rural site. When in use, it was always painted white. Located on South 10th Street, it is open in the summer.

Frankfort 35 Marshall 1870-??
Frankfort, Kansas school in Marshall County.

Frankfort School

This school district was organized in March 1869. Professor Stines taught the first term of school in the upper story of the Heasley Hotel, south of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Tracks. In the spring of 1870, this schoolhouse was built on hand-hewn walnut sills for $1,600. It was located at the corner of 4th Street and Locust St. and was used as the grade school, along with a later building for the primary class until 1880, when a new limestone school was built. At that time, the school building was moved south across the street and, for many years, was used as a private residence. It was donated to the city in 1995, the school was moved to the city park, and renovations were started.

Frankfort 35 Marshall 1903-1997
Old school in Frankfort, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Frankfort School

The Frankfort School was erected in 1902-03. The building was finished in time for classes to begin on October 19, 1903. The final cost of the building was estimated to be $20,000. At first, the elementary school used the first floor, and a three-year high school occupied the second floor. The fourth year was added in 1905. As the population of surrounding rural areas decreased, many schools were consolidated with Frankfort District No. 35. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Harbaugh 44 Marshall 1870-1958
Harbough School in Waterville, Kansas.

Harbough School

One-room schoolhouse with a south entry vestibule extended out from the building. The rectangular building was built in the Vernacular style with a gable roof. It also served concurrently as a Lutheran Church. Former students meet at the Harbaugh School every fall for a reunion. It is located at Zenith and 3rd Roads, one mile west of Highway 77, south of Waterville.

 

Immanuel Lutheran NA Marshall ??
Immaneul Luthern School in Breman, Kansas.

Immanuel Luthern School

The Immanuel Lutheran School is at 564 3rd Rd in Bremen, Kansas.

Game Fork 17 Marshall ??-1952
The old Game Fork School now serves as a scout building in Waterville, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Game Fork School

This rural school closed in 1952 and was later moved to Nebraska and Elm Streets in Waterville City Park. It is now a designated Scouthouse headquarters.

Green Valley 96 Marshall Herkimer/Beattie
Herkimer 63 Marshall Herkimer
Life 10 Marshall 1860-1953  This Vernacular L-shaped stone school was established in the winter of 1859-1860 by John Life, a settler from West Virginia. The school was named for a family in the area. The school building was the scene of the 1891 school board election, where a dispute led to the Goldsberry-Bender murder. Now a private home, it is located on Limestone Road east of 19th Road. 1299 19th Terrace, Beattie, Kansas. Two miles south and two miles west of Beattie, Kansas.
Lillis Gymnasium ?? Marshall 1939
Lillis Highschool Gym in Marshall County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Lillis Highschool Gym

The Lillis Gymnasium is made of native stone, with a vaulted roof. The gym and a rural high school were erected by the Work Progress Administration in 1939. The high school is gone. It is located at 2753 28th Road in Lillis, Kansas.

 

Lincoln Elementary ?? Marshall 1923-??
Old Lincoln Elementary School in Marysville, Kansas.

Lincoln Elementary School

The old Lincoln Elementary School is a two-story T-shaped commercial-style building of red brick with stone details. The interior is intact with original plaster walls, ceilings, doors, trim, and gym. It was converted to a community non-profit center in the early 1990s. Called the Lincoln Center today, it is located at 405 N 4th Street in Marysville, Kansas.

 

Mt. Pleasant-Keefover 48 Marshall Looks like it is gone

Private property. Located on Sunflower Road 1/2 mile west of 2nd Road, near the western county border.

Mt. Pleasant/Keefover School(Dist.48)
Waterville Township Nw Of Waterville On River Rd To Mt Pleasant Cemetary – Keefover cemetery
Waterville

Waterville Township Nw Of Waterville On River Rd To Mt Pleasant Cemetary

limestone/stucco

Pecenka 68 Marshall
Pecenka School near Breman, Kansas courtesy Josh Ribble.

Pecenka School

This building, located on 2nd Rd, Bremen, KS, is now home to Harvest Hills Pumpkins. Go west from Marysville on Highway 36 to Bremans Corner, and turn north towards Breman for 1/2 mile.

Pleasant Valley 18 Marshall

Pleasant Valley School in Marshall County, Kansas courtesy Josh Ribble.

Pleasant Valley School

Scully-Redtop 141 Marshall 1898-1953
Redtop-Scully School near Oketo, Kansas by by Josh Ribble.

Redtop-Scully School

It was named for the Scully family, wealthy landholders from Ireland, who once owned and rented out thousands of acres in Kansas and other midwestern states. This old, deteriorating wooden school is at 14th and Cherokee Roads, east of Oketo.

Seventy-Five 75 Marshall ??-1951 The people in District 75 called their school by its number. It held its last classes in 1951. It is located at 29th Terrace (K-88) and Valley Road, south of Vermillion.
Bethany Academy NA McPherson 1885-??
Old Bethany Academy building in Lindsborg, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Bethany Academy

This building was the first classroom on Bethany College campus. When Old Main was built, it became the Art Department until the Art 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 with a gable front roof, a classic bell cupula, 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 declared annexed with 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 Mission School sits upon. 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 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, and students attended class until 1966. From Kansas Highway 33 in Wellsville, turn east on Stafford Road, which turns into 231st Street.

Vickers 49 Miami 1869-1966 The school is southeast of Paola on 319th Street. It serves as an Air Bnb 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 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 erected in 1942 after an early stone school fell victim to a tornado. Honey Creek School was initially located just southwest of Beloit and served about 30 students in grades one through eight. 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 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 with 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 reverted 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 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 with a low-hipped roof and 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 serviced the non-Catholic residents in the community. It was originally constructed and operated by the Tipton School Board. Today it serves as a residence. It is located at 604 Gambrinus Street in Tipton, Kansas.

Caney 34 Montgomery 1871-??
Caney, Kansas School

Caney, Kansas School

The old Caney School sits at the Caney Valley Historical Society Museum Complex at 310 W. 4th Ave, in Caney, Kansas.

Centennial 09 Montgomery
Central 58 Montgomery 1910-1964
Central School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

Central School

The original school building appears to have been in the Prairie style with an Italian Renaissance bell tower. Modern one-story brick appendage on front. It is located at 2491 58 Road, also named 3875 Road. The school is about 1400 feet east of the intersection with 3500 Road.

Dearing School Auditorium & Gymnasium ?? Montgomery 1936-??
Dearing, Kansas Auditorium & Gymnasium.

Dearing Auditorium

This Dearing School Auditorium & Gymnasium is believed to have been a Works Progress Administration project. Initial instruction began in October 1935 with a cost of $27,038. The one-and-a-half-story stone building is at 106 W Oak Street in Dearing, Kansas.

District #37 37 Montgomery 1907-
District #37 School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

District #37

This red brick school building is north of CR 4600 in Drum Creek Township. Independence vicinity.

 

District #60 60 Montgomery 1895
District #60 School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

District #60 School

This one story six sided.stone building was built in the commercial style with a hip roof. Serving as a mausoleum today, it is located at 5550 Road in the Liberty vicinity.

Fairview 59 Montgomery 1917-?
Fairview School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

Fairview School

This brick gable roof building is located at 3846 3100 Road, about five and a half miles southwest of Independence, Kansas. The building serves as a residence today.

Gamble School 23 Montgomery 1915-1962
Gamble School in Bourbon County, Kansas.

Gamble School

The old Gamble School is a simple one-story rectangular building with a south gable-roofed entry portico and a squat pyramidal bell tower. Today, the building serves as a church. It is located in Sycamore Township at 2991 5400 Road in the Independence vicinity.

Independence 446 Montgomery
Independence, Kansas Junior High School.

Independence Junior High

Located at 300 W. Locust Street, the Independence Junior High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2009. Like other Progressive-Era school buildings, it occupies a full city block. Located near the center of town, its large auditorium was designed to accommodate public gatherings and school-related functions. The three-story Collegiate Gothic building was constructed in 1923 as a Public Works Administration project. A gymnasium was added in 1939. It continues to serve as a school today. 

Jefferson 18 Montgomery
Jefferson School, Montgomery County, courtesy Google Maps.

Jefferson School

This school was built in 1900 for $2,500 after the previous school burned in 1897. The building has been converted into a home today. Jefferson is a tiny, unincorporated town. It is located on County Road 3300.

Le Hunt ?? Montgomery 1905-??
Old LeHunt School in Montgomery County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old LeHunt School

This one-story rectangular stone school was built in the Late 19th & 20th Century Classical Revival style with a hip roof. Serving as a residence today, it is located at 4011 N. Rosser Road in the extinct town of Le Hunt, Kansas.

Little White Schoolhouse 34 Montgomery 1871
The old Little White Schoolhouse in Caney, Kansas.

Little White School

This building is part of the original t-shaped school and is also used as a gathering place for community events. The bell was rung for significant events in town and was an early-day way of communicating with citizens. The Howard family that lived in the building was an early settler of Caney and preserved this building until the Historical Society could acquire it.

This school was built in 1871 and was located at the corner of 4th and Main streets. The land was donated for the school site on the condition that it always be used for school purposes. It was the only wood frame building painted white then and referred to as the “Little White Schoolhouse.” In 1885, the school had a fire but was reconstructed in the shape of a tee to accommodate more students.

The original schoolhouse was removed from the corner of 4th and Main to allow a new high school to be built in 1915. The T-shaped structure was taken apart, and one section was moved to 8th and Foreman to become a residence. The other portion was moved to a location on East First Street, and a stone structure was built around the building, where it remains today. The home from 8th and Foreman was donated and moved to the current location in 1993. It is the east wing of the T-shaped building, which currently houses many school-related artifacts. The west addition to the building was built in 1993 to replicate a one-room schoolhouse like it would have been in 1871. It is located at 321 West 4th Avenue in Caney, Kansas.

Maple Grove 52 Montgomery South of Independence.
Morgantown 36 Montgomery 1913
Old Morgantown School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

Old Morgantown School

The old Morgantown School in Drum Creek Township is a rectangular one-story brick structure built in the Eclectic/Neoclassical style. It serves as a residence today. It is located at 4648 4300 Road in the Independence vicinity.

One Hundred Montgomery 1874-??
Old One Hundred School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

Old One Hundred School

This one-story wood-frame building with a gable roof was built in the Vernacular style. It is located in its original location. The deteriorating rectangular building has an outhouse northeast of the school, a swing set, and a teeter-totter east of the school. It is located at 5406 County Road 1950 at the “T” intersection, 1.7 miles east and northeast of Elk City.

 

Overfield Montgomery
Overfield School in Montgomery County, Kansas.

Overfield School

The old Overfield School in Drum Creek Township is a one-story brick building designed in the Italianate-Veneracular style with a Gable-Front roof. It is located at 4703 County Road 4200 in the Independence vicinity.

Parker ?? Montgomery Near Coffeyville.
Peebler ?? Montgomery 1900-??
Peebler School in Montgomery County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Peebler School

The old Peebler Elementary School is a one-story rectangular brick school designed in the commercial style with a hip roof. It serves as a residence today. It is located at 2836 Peter Pan Road (County Road 3525), one-half mile south of the extinct town of Lehunt in the Independence vicinity.

 

Prairie ?? Montgomery Louisburgh Township.
Rich Valley, Lehunt ?? Montgomery Lehunt, three miles northwest of Independence.
School #46 46 Montgomery ??
School #46 in Sycamore County, Kansas.

School #46

This T-shaped two-story red brick school was designed in the Late 19th & 20th Century Classical Revival style with a flat roof and parapet. Vacant today, it is located at 5680 US-75 Highway in Sycamore, Kansas.

 

Sunny Side Montgomery 1771-1948
Sunnyside School, Montgomery County, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Sunnyside School

The historic Sunny Side one-room school operated between 1871 and 1948. Before it was moved to the Little House on the Prairie Museum grounds in 1976, it was 4.5 miles away. As typical of that era, teachers in this school taught first through eighth grades. A school bell stands in the yard, ready to call children to class. The one-story wood-frame school is located at 2507 County Road 3000 near Independence, Kansas.

Washington Elementary ?? Montgomery 1939-2010
Old Washington Elementary School in Independence, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Old Washington Elementary

Built in 1939 by the Public Works Administration, Washington School officially opened on January 3, 1940. It served the community of Independence as a public grade school until 2010. The two-story concrete building was designed in the Streamlined/Art Moderne style with a flat roof. The interior is intact with some original doors, plaster walls and ceilings, terrazzo corridors, glazed block wainscoting, the original gym with stage, and suspended ceilings in classrooms. The school faces West. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 2015 as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas and New Deal-Era Resources of Kansas nomination. A $ 5.7 million rehabilitation project successfully used federal and Kansas Historic Tax Credits and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to turn the school into apartments. It is located at 300 E. Myrtle Street in Independence, Kansas.

West Grade School ?? Montgomery 1927-1997
West Grade School in Cherryvale, Kansas.

West Grade School

This two-story rectangular brick building was designed in the commercial style with a flat roof and parapet. Its original configuration is intact with plaster walls, ceilings, concrete floors, and a gym. Vacant today, it stands at 600 W. Main Street in Cherryvale, Kansas.

 

Wetzel 78 Montgomery RR 1, Cherryvale.
Baxter 10 Morris 1876-??
Baxter School in White City, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Baxter School

This wood-frame school sits at the northwest corner of MacKenzie and Main Street in White City, Kansas. The original cupola has been removed. The interior has its original wood floor, light fixtures, chalkboards, plaster walls, and wood trim. It was moved to its current location from six miles west of town. There is an outhouse northeast of the school and a Merry-go-round to the southeast.

Dwight 30 Morris Limestone school north of Dwight on Cutoff Road.
Dunlap ?? Morris
Dunlap School Gym in Morris County by Kathy Alexander.

Dunlap School Gym

This red brick gymnasium has a brick addition on the northeast corner. It is on the south side of 5th Street in Dunlap, Kansas.

Fairview 33 Morris
Fairview School in Council Grove, Kansas.

Fairview School

This wood frame building has a hip roof and cupola. Fairview School is located in the 200 block of East Main Street in Council Grove, Kansas.

Field 54 Morris ??-1946
Field School in Council Grove, Kansas.

Field School

This school was initially located eight miles South of Council Grove and was moved to this site in 1999. It has remained virtually unchanged since it was built in 1902, except for the enclosure of a portion of the porch in 1939. It stands at the Trail Days Historic Site at 803 W. Main Street in Council Grove.

Four Mile ?? Morris 1913-1965
Four Mile School in Morris County, Kansas.

Four Mile School

The Four Mile Schoolhouse is a wood frame building with a hip porch. It is located at 1407 Four Mile Road, Council Grove, Kansas.

Garfield 06 Morris Southwest 25-T14-R9E
Garner ?? Morris 1880-1962
Garnder School in Morris County, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Garnder School

This one-story square wood frame building with weathered clapboard siding was designed in the vernacular style with a hip roof. This deteriorating vacant building is located on M Ave and P Ave on K-149, about five miles south of White City, Kansas.

Kaw Mission  ?? Morris Council Grove
Kelso 03 Morris NE19-T15-R8E
Latimer 36 Morris  ??
Latimer School in Morris County, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Latimer School

This old wood-frame school stands at the corner of Kasten Avenue and L Avenue, three miles east of Highway 77 on L Avenue. It is in the extinct town of Latimer, Kansas.

Marion Hill 31 Morris
Morris County ?? Morris 1937-??
Old school in Council Grove

Old school in Council Grove

This one-and-one-half-story T-shaped building was designed in the National Folk style with a cross-gable roof. Relocated from rural Morris County, it is located at 212 W. Hays Street in Council Grove, Kansas.

 

Pleasant Valley 86 Morris Northwest36-T14-R5E
Swartz, Slough Creek 52 Morris 1872-1962
Swartz School in Dwight, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Swartz School

This one-story rectangular wood-frame school was designed in the vernacular style with a gable roof and a wood-frame gable entry. It was moved to its current site to serve as a museum adjacent to the City Library at the corner of 7th and Main Street in Dwight, Kansas.

Wilsey High School 6 Morris 1920-??
Old High School in Wilsey, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Wilsey High School.

Located at 410 North Street in Wilsey, Kansas. A large metal building with a vaulted roof to the west is a gymnasium. Playground and ball court in rear. The building now serves as the Cavalry Bible School.

Richfield Grade School Morris 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/Modern Movement style. There is a brick pylon/bell tower at the entry on the East end; a metal awning extends over the entry. 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 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 Granada Township of Nemaha CountyKansas, in 1856. In 1880, the county had a school population of 4,473, with 86 organized districts with 90 schoolhouses. The schools gave employment to 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 half story concrete school was built in 1951. The simple form of the Modern Movement, with minimal architectural ornament and a strong horizontal emphasis, was often employed in the design of post-WWII elementary schools. The Murray Hill School retains many of its simple, Modern Movement architectural features and its historic interior configuration. In 2008, the Unified School District built a new consolidated Chanute Elementary School on the outskirts of the city 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 1877 Oak Grove School is a single-story schoolhouse built of sandstone. 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 an 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 at 20505 20th Road in the St. Paul vicinity.

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. It was purchased by the Methodist Church and used 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 on the rear.  Owned by the Ness County Historical Society, it serves as a museum today. 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 by the name of 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 and was used for church services, funerals, weddings, and many 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 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, wood floors, and wood 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 Schoo

The Vernacular-style stone building still has its original bell and hipped pyramidal bell tower. The building wasn’t used until it was bought in 1999 for recreational residence. 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 has 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, though local lore indicates it may be related to a dog who 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, being built at a cost of approximately $175. Fifty-seven years later, in 1929, the present brick building was built. The beautiful brick building and play-round adjoins Rapp Cemetery, where many early family names may 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 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 much 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 with a hip roof and a basement. The building has a red brick exterior and a full basement. The two-story bell tower with 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/Romanesque Revival style, it has Romanesque arches at the second-story windows and on 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 became 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 consolidating 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 school house 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 school house, built in the vernacular style, has a stone water table and sills and a hip roof with an intersecting gable-wood roof with lower cross gables. District No. 46 disbanded in 1963. The old Roy School House 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 with 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 School House is a one-story T-shaped wood-frame building designed in the vernacular style with 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. It has a one-story rear brick 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. The building 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 was designed in the Modern/Modern Movement with a flat roof. Vacant today it is located on East Main Street in Stuttgart, Kansas.

Cedar Creek Pottawatomie
The old Cedar Creek in Pottawatomie County, Kansas courtesy of Google Maps.

Cedar Creek

The old limestone Cedar Creek School with a tine roof has an enclosed frame entranceway. In the back is a stone outhouse. It is located at 7000 Cedar Creek Road in the Manhattan, Kansas area.

 

District #1 1 Pottawatomie 1870-1957
District #1 in Potttatomie County, Kansas.

District #1

This was the first public schoolhouse in the county. It served as a grade school (K-8) until 1957. It was remodeled into a residence in the late 1950s. The one-story rectangular stone building was designed in the Vernacular style with a gable roof. It is located at 8801 Junietta Road in the Swamp Angel vicinity.

Havensville ?? Pottawatomie 1882-??
Old school in Havensville, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Havensville School

This two-story stone building in Havensville, Kansas, features a small centered bell tower. Built in the Vernacular style, it has been vacant since at least 1977. It is located at Barbara and Pottawatomie Streets in Havensville, Kansas.

 

Havensville High School Pottawatomie
Old Rural High School in Havensville, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Old Rural High School.

After consolidation, Havensville Rural High School students went to Onaga, which was used as an elementary school. The school closed in 2001 when elementary students were moved to Onaga.

Laclede Schoolhouse Pottawatomie 1900-??
Laclede School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

Laclede School

This two-story vernacular style is a rectangular wooden frame building with a one-story enclosed front porch with a hip roof.  It has two rooms upstairs, two rooms downstairs, and a kitchen. The school had two teachers. It was used as Center Township Voting until recently. It is 1/4 mile west of Onaga Road on Pauling Run Road near Wamego, Kansas.

Reves ?? Pottawatomie Rock Creek Township, Section 1, Township 7, Range 9
Pauling ?? Pottawatomie Approximately a half-mile north of Pauling Road and Adams Creek Road intersection
Pleasant Ridge 43  Pottawatomie 1880
Pleasant Ridge School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

Pleasant Ridge School

The old Pleasant Ridge School is a one-story rectangular building with a gable roof that was built of stone, wood, and brick in the vernacular style. It is located .8 miles south of Highway 16 on English Ridge Road near Onaga, Kansas.

 

Pleasant Valley 16  Pottawatomie 1871-1949.
Pleasant Valley School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

Pleasant Valley School

Pleasant Valley School District #16 was organized in 1863. This building was erected in 1871 and funded by $1200 in bonds approved by the district. Operated as a school until 1949. The one-story T-shaped wood-frame building was designed in the vernacular style. It has a corrugated metal roof. It is located at the intersection of Onaga Road and Pleasant Valley Road.

Rolling Prairie 57 Pottawatomie 1871-1948
Rolling Prairie School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

Rolling Prairie School

Rolling Prairie School is a one-story rectangular wood-frame building designed in the vernacular queen-anne style with a gable roof and wood columns. It has a stone basement and a recessed entry at the southwest corner, with a corrugated metal roof. In 1871, the west side of the Vienna School District decided to form its own district. James Taylor donated land, and they spent $500 on the new school. It was later moved to this site and used as a school until 1948 when it consolidated with Cloverleaf Dist #120. Today, the basement that is open to the East is used as a hay barn. It is located at the intersection of Rolling Prairie Road and Godlove Road near Onaga, Kansas.

Sales Pottawatomie 1950s
Sales School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

Sales School

Closed in the 1950’s.

Tannerville Pottawatomie 1896-1940s
Tannerville School near Wamego, Kansas.

Tannerville School

This one-story rectangular stone school was designed in the vernacular style with a corrugated metal gable roof with gabled dormers. It was converted to a residence in 2000. There is a garage addition with an apartment above in the rear. It was used for grades 1-8 until the 1940s. Afterward, it was used as a 4H clubhouse and community hall/dances through the 1950s. It is located at 20825 Tannerville Road near Wamego, Kansas.

Victory 63 Pottawatomie 1891-1955
Victory School in Onaga, Kansas.

Victory School

Victory District #63 was organized in 1871; this building was erected in 1891 for $500. It was moved to the southeast corner of Section 5 in 1907 and used as a school and meeting hall through 1955. This one-story rectangular wood frame building was designed in the vernacular style with a gable roof and a front porch. Vienna Township then purchased it to use as a voting hall. Later, it was moved to the Onaga Historical Society Complex and is used as a museum. The school is among several others at the museum complex. The school bell and playground equipment are east of the building. It is located on the north side of the 300 block on East Second Street in Onaga, Kansas.

Wamego 71 Pottawatomie 1885-??
Old school in Wamego, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.

Wamego Old School

Now called the Cottonwood Community Club, this old school building is located at Highway 99 and Wells Creek Road outside Wamego.

Westmoreland Elementary 10 Pottawatomie 1898-1992
White Pigeon School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

White Pigeon School

The former Westmoreland Grade School building is now the Pottawatomie County Courthouse Annex. It served as a school until 1992 when the elementary was moved to a former high school. This two-story stone t-shaped building was designed in the Vernacular style with a hip roof, a gable dormer over the front entry, and a bracketed wood cornice. It is located at 207 N. 1st Street in Westmoreland, Kansas.

White Chapel 51 Pottawatomie 1882-??
White Chapel School in Wamego, Kansas.

White Chapel School

The White Chapel one-room schoolhouse is a one-story wood frame rectangular building that was built in the vernacular style with a gable roof and a brick chimney. There are arched transoms over the two front doors and an arched window in front. It was originally located on Camp Creek Road in Center Township. It was moved in 1984 to Wamego Museum’s Prairie Town Village on East 4th Street in Wamego, Kansas.

White Pigeon 18 Pottawatomie 1896-1955
White Pigeon School in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

White Pigeon School

This rectangular one-story native stone building was designed in the vernacular style with a gable metal roof. Records indicate that White Pigeon was taught in 1896 by Ed Toothaker and operated as a school through 1955. In 1956, pupils were transported to Onaga Grade School. It is located on Rolling Prairie Road near Onaga, Kansas.

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 with 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.

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 detail 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 was closed, and the property was sold to a private developer, who declared his intention to convert it to 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.

?? 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 has a one-story stone hexagonal central entry 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 with a stone surround at the arched central entry. The rectangular building was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style with a flat roof and parapet. There are two one-story brick additions on the rear and on the North end. When the school closed in 2001, the building was purchased and it is used as a church. It is located at 1615 N. Adams Street in Hutchison, 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 center for business, 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 when there were only 68 students. Under their leadership, it began a period of rapid growth, and by March 1912, there were nearly 600 students enrolled. This led to the construction of a building solely for the use of the college. 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 both ends. On the second story, between the two end bays, there are three bays separated by engaged classical stone Corinthian columns. 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 either 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. Itt is located at 100 E. Avenue A in Hutchinson, Kansas.

South Hutchinson ?? Reno Hutchinson
Park Hill ?? Republic The old Park Hill School House 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 Streamlined/Art Modern 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 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 round wood columns, a gabled portico, and a hex 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. This building is one of four buildings on the block. In addition to the cafeteria was the high school, a brick gymnasium, and a block garage behind the gym. 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 completely destroyed in a grass fire in the Spring of 2018, it is in ruins today. 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 began to be 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
Hill School District was annexed into the Manhattan school district, and the school was used for kindergarten and grades 1-3. 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 functioned as such 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 is also present on the property. It is located on Eureka Drive in the Manhattan vicinity.

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 and caused $1.2 million in damages. 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. 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 first through eighth-grade students in District 70 until consolidation 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 Placed in 2012. It is located at 1969 Barnes Road, north of Manhattan, Kansas

Winkler 25 Riley ??-1954 The school was closed in 1954 because of 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 with wide bays of windows and a flat roof. There is playground equipment in the front, on the east side of the south lawn. A squared 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

This building served K-12 when it opened. The main section was built in 1916. A gymnasium, which still has hardwood flooring, 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 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 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 native stone school on the original church’s 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.

Radium School
1479 SW 80TH AVE
Radium

Paradise Rural High School 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 cover with a front gable roofline supported by square posts constructed of small, square post rock 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 was built in the vernacular style with a gable roof. It 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 was built in the Collegiate Gothic style in 1926. It 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 made in 1914. It was used continuously as a school for over 100 years. Located at 215 W. Anderson, it serves as a private residence today.

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

Gypsum School

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

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 and preparatory students and eleven 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, new science hall, and gymnasium, as well as gifts of two spatial homes near campus used for residence halls. During this time, additional land was acquired that doubled the size of the campus, allowing 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 in the center of the building on the south. 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 Lincoln School in the Prairie style, constructed between 1915 and 1917. It was enlarged in 1925. The three-story brick building 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. The building, located at 220 South 7th Street, is an apartment today.

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 and fluted Corinthian columns inside the pilasters that 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 with a pitched roof on the chapel 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 less than 500 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 kindergarten through 8th grade school. In establishing the Paul Laurence Dunbar School, the Salina Board of Education was following a national trend to operate public schools for blacks and whites. Before that time, schools in Salina were integrated.

The two-and-a-half-story brick building was designed in the Early-Mid 20th Century style with a flat roof. It was equipped with 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 and employed six African-American teachers (four female and two male) and a principal. Robert C. Caldwell, a teacher and a 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: a Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troop, a Parent Teacher Organization, community church programs, YWCA, etc.

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 the 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’s closing 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 is comprised of 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 with a 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, it is 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 was designed in the vernacular style with a gable front. 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 became an elementary school and continued to function until 1985. The two-story Collegiate Gothic-style brick-with-stone building has its original doors. 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, 1070. 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.

Fuller’s Academy ?? Sedgwick
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 the school. By 1935, overflowing classrooms necessitated temporary classroom 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 in the Delano District of Wichita, Kansas, now serves as apartments. It is located at 249 North Athenian in Wichita.

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 includes twin two-story polygonal towers linked by an archway flanking the main entry, 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 portions are used as a museum, and other portions are used for various non-profit organizations and school district uses. 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 as an additional classroom where additional 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 awning with 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, and as traffic increased, it was no longer possible for pedestrians to safely cross Kellogg. 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 building 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 Highschool

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 with 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 has stone detailing and five bays with stone quoining on the end and center entry bay, 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 designed in the vernacular style with a gable roof. The old school was moved to the Coronado Museum along with several other buildings. It is located at 567 Cedar Street in Liberal, Kansas.

Curtis Junior High ?? Shawnee 1927-1976
The old Curtis Junior High School in Topeka, Kansas now serves as apartments. Courtesy of google Maps.

Curtis Junior High

This three-story Collegiate Gothic school in Topeka, Kansas, was built of limestone, brick, and ceramic tile. Curtis Junior High was closed in 1976 due to consolidation. Now called Pioneer Curtis Homes, it serves as an apartment building. It is located at 316 Northwest Grant Street.

Dinsey 27 Shawnee ??
Dinsey School in Shawnee County, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Dinsey School

This brick school building now serves as a private residence. It is located at 8901 SE Ratner Rd near Berryton, Kansas.

Dover High School ?? Shawnee 1935
Dover High School in Shawnee County, Kansas.

Dover High School

Collegiate Gothic style one-and-a-half story red brick building was closed during school consolidation. It is vacant, but the Elementary School occasionally uses the gym. There is a red brick addition to the north. It is located at SW Douglas Road.

Elmont Shawnee 1917 The former Elmont school was built in 1917 after a tornado on June 5 destroyed what was then the current school. Construction began on the $5,000 school in September-October of that year, with the school operating as a one and eventually two-room school until about 1963 when the school closed permanently after the current Elmont Elementary School opened its doors. Consolidation of rural one and two-room schools in the 1950s and 1960s brought about the closure of all one-room schools in Shawnee County. It is a one-story building with chipped white-painted wooden siding atop a red brick foundation with a chimney on the roof. An old wooden outhouse serves as a vestibule to the entrance. It is located at 2921 NW 62nd Street in Topeka, Kansas.

Gage Elementary School Shawnee ??
The old Gage Elementary School is now the Topeka Civic Center & Academy.

Old Gage Elementary School

This two-story late 19th & 20th Century Classical Revival style brick building once served as the Gage Elementary School. Today, it is the Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy located at 3028 Southwest 8th Avenue in Topeka, Kansas.

Golden Rule 54 Shawnee 1890
Golden Rule School in Shawnee County, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Golden Rule

This Queen Anne-style school has a pronounced bell tower with fish scale shingles at the gable end. The wood frame rectangular structure currently serves as a rental residence. The old Golden Rule School is at 5444 Northwest 39th Avenue in Topeka, Kansas.

Hayden ??  Shawnee 1939-??
Old Hayden School in Topeka, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Old Hayden School

The three-story building has a concrete foundation, buff brick cladding, and a standing seam metal cross-gable roof. A four-story tower rises at the intersection of the gables on the south elevation. A flat-roof wing projects from the east end of the north elevation. Mission Revival-style elements include the four-story tower, arched openings, and decorative brickwork. Non-historic fixed aluminum windows with muntin grids forming a variety of geometric arrangements fill each window opening in each elevation. It is part of the Church of the Assumption Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2015. It is now used as a commercial building. It is located at 212 Southwest 8th Avenue.

Kelsey 99 Shawnee ?? Five miles east of Oakland
Lone Tree 31  Shawnee ??
The old Lone Tree School near Topeka, Kansas.

Lone Tree

The old wood-frame two-story Lone Tree School serves as a residence today. It is located at 5039 Southwest Hoch Road near Topeka, Kansas.

 

Oak Grove 26 Shawnee 1871-1944
Oak Grove School in Shawnee County, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

Oak Grove School

The old Oak Grove School near Tecumseh, Kansas, was built in 1871 and closed in 1944. The one-story stone rectangular building was designed in the vernacular style with a Gable-Front roof. The vacant building is located at 7211 SE 2nd Street near Tecumseh, Kansas.

Potawatomi Baptist Manual Labor School Shawnee 1855
Potawatomi Baptist Mission in Topeka, Kansas.

Potawatomi Baptist Mission

Potawatomi Baptist Manual Labor School was part of the Pottawatomie Baptist Mission Site. In 1847, the Pottawatomi Indians were removed to a reservation on the Kansas River just west of present-day Topeka. Baptist missionaries Robert Simerwell and Reverend Johnston Lykins moved to the reservation the next year. Lykins supervised the construction of various buildings, including the schoolhouse. As superintendent of the Pottawatomie Baptist Manual Labor School, he sent a report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs on September 30, 1849. In it, he described a stone building in the process of completion.

The estimated cost of the school building was $4,800, which was to be paid by the federal government under its program of supporting manual training schools for Indian children. In 1849, there were 39 students and two teachers. The training was to be offered in woodworking, metalworking, farming, school education, and religion. The early 1850s seem to have been troublesome times for the Indian schools. It apparently closed in 1855 when it was transferred to the Southern Baptist Convention for reorganization. Reopened in 1856, the school had increased enrollment and its greatest success from 1858 to 1860. It was closed again in 1861 when the federal government dropped its support because the Southern Baptist Convention, which supervised the school, was identified with the Confederacy. The Pottawatomi made an unsuccessful attempt to have the school reopened in 1869.

A few years later, the Baptist mission board sold the 320 acres on which the mission buildings were located to Robert I. Lee, who converted the building into a racehorse stable. The location was near the Kansas River on the California- Oregon trail. The building is one of the few remaining Kansas links to that era. The date of construction makes it one of the oldest buildings in the state. It is also the only structure remaining from Baptist Indian mission activities in the state. The Pottawatomie Baptist Mission, including the school, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1971. The three-story stone building was built in the Vernacular style in 1855. It is located at 6425 SW 6th Avenue in Topeka, Kansas.

Stach ??  Shawnee 1877-1956
Stach School in Topeka, Kansas.

Stach School

This wood-framed, one-story building designed in the vernacular style has two outhouses behind the school. It was named for Czech immigrant John Stach, who donated the land for the school in Jackson County. The belfry, cloakroom, and porch were added in about 1915. The school closed in 1956 and was used as a community space until the late 1960s. It was relocated from Delia’s vicinity in Jackson County and is now part of the Kansas State Historical Society Museum at 6425 SW 6th Avenue in Topeka, Kansas.

State Industrial School for Boys NA Shawnee 1881-1971 This State Reform School was established under the provisions of an act passed by the legislature of 1879, which appropriated $35,000 for the erection of buildings, equipment, and supplies. The goal of the school was to reform and care for dependent, neglected, and delinquent boys under the age of 16 who had committed criminal acts. It was built in Topeka, Kansas, and opened in 1881.

Industrial School for Boys, in Topeka, Kansas, about 1900.

Industrial School for Boys, in Topeka, Kansas, about 1900.

Union Hall Shawnee 1893-1895
Union Hall in Topeka, Kansas.

Union Hall

This old school was constructed as Union Hall, a community building for the African-American population of Tennessee Town in the 1890s. In 1893, this building served as the temporary home of Sheldon (aka Tennessee Town) Kindergarten during the years 1893-1895. It was one of the first African-American kindergartens in the United States. By 1895, classes were held at Central Congregational Church. The building was also used as an African-American church and a multi-faceted and important center of activities for African-American residents in Topeka. At some point, it was converted to a single-family dwelling. The one-story rectangular building is clad in wood siding with metal siding strips in the primary elevation’s upper section and rests on a concrete block foundation. The primary elevation (east) holds a flat-roofed partial-width porch supported by an iron scroll post, concrete decking, and steps (south) with iron railings. A flat-roofed stoop entrance supported by iron posts is on the south elevation. It is located at 1177 Southwest Lincoln Street in Topeka, Kansas.

Van Buren ?? Shawnee 1910-??
Old Van Buren School in Topeka, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Old Van Buren School

This three-story square brick building was designed in the Late 19th & 20th Century Classical Revival style with a flat roof and parapet. It has a symmetrical facade with a recessed entry between a tall pediment with recessed panels; above are pained pilasters joined by single Ionic-like capitals. It has a segmental arch, a cornice with large dentils, and a parapet with a three-part arched crest. Vacant today, it is located at 1601 SW Van Buren Street in Topeka, Kansas.

Victor 101 Shawnee 1891-1954
 Victor School in Topeka, Kansas by Carol Highsmith.

Victor School

It was originally built in 1891 on a plot of ground at the southwest side of the intersection of Crawford Road and 86th Street in the Rossville vicinity. This one-story rectangular wood frame building was designed in the vernacular style with a gable roof. When it closed, there were only four students. The building was then donated to the Mid-America Fairground Association and relocated to the Fair Grounds in Topeka, Kansas, in 1957. In 1981, it was acquired by the City of Topeka and relocated to its current location in Old Prairie Town, which features several other historic buildings at 124 NW Fillmore Street.

Wakarusa 3 Shawnee ??
Old Wakarusa School in Shawnee County, Kansas, courtesy Google Maps.

Old Wakarusa School

The old Wakarusa School is a two-story rectangular brick structure with a flat roof. Bricks are laid in the stretcher bond style, and the cornice is constructed of cut stone completely surrounding the building. The entrance projection has a steeped gable. A shelf with consoles is balanced between the two windows on the second story and over the entrance. Running above the second-story windows is an entablature of brick in the header bond. Attached to the rear of the school is a later addition. It appears to be used as a residence today. It is located at 9832 SW Olive Street near Wakarusa, Kansas.

West Union 58 Shawnee West Union Road, just north of I-7
Willard ?? Shawnee 1915-1963
Willard School in Shawnee County, Kansas.

Willard School

Constructed in approximately 1915, the bricks used in the foundation were repurposed from a previous brick schoolhouse known as Reader’s School (1891-1915). Local residents Chet Skidmore and Dave Stitt cleaned the bricks from the old schoolhouse for use in the foundation of this building. This one-story T-shaped rectangular wood-frame building was designed in an eclectic style with a side-gable roof. This school closed in 1963 due to declining enrollment. Today, the building serves as a private residence at 208 Darling Street in the tiny town of Willard, Kansas.

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 Historic 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.

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

Old Queen’s School

The one-story rectangular wood-frame building was designed in the vernacular style with a gable front roof. 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.

Colby 315 Thomas 1935-Present
Colby, Kansas Grade School

Colby Grade School

Located at 710 W 3rd Street in Colby, Kansas, and was constructed as a High School by the Works Project Administration in 1935. It currently serves as a grade school. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2003.

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. The vacant building is 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. There are two unique entry gables that are progressively smaller than the main block. It has two front entrances with three windows on the adjacent sides 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 it began undergoing 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 stone school’s interior still features its original wood ceiling, chalkboard, and light fixtures. The Cottonwood School is located near the far north edge of Wabaunsee Township. It is on the southwest corner of K-99 & Wells Creek Road, one and one-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 elementary 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 the sexes to draw in the needed students. The building remained a high school until 1974, when, in a move by the district, the school was closed with the intent to bus students to nearby Alma. The sudden closure of the school brought about a civil rights suit and subsequent appeal for the closing of the school. Afterward, the school was put into use as 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 has a wood-frame entry with a bell and a gable-front roof. There is an outhouse on the property. It is located on Nehring Branch Road in the Hessdale vicinity.

 

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 lived in the area as early as 1860, suggesting 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 the early 1900s, when compulsory education laws restricted attendance to grades 1 through 8. 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 forced 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. Volland School 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. It’s 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 with 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 in the vicinity of 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.

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.

MacArthur ?? Washington Near Haddam
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 changed to a middle school by creating the Unified School District 221 with nearby Haddam and Morrowville students. 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 for use as a library and community center in 1975 but was finally 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 the Progressive Era of Kansas’s public schools as defined in the “Historic Public Schools of Kansas” multiple property submission. It is located at School Street and Henry Streets in Mahaska, Kansas.

Scruby ?? Washington Quivira Road, about five miles north of Washington City
Sunflower ?? Washington Seven miles northwest of Hanover
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 significantly deteriorated. It is located on Gove Road near Fredonia, about 2.5 miles north of US400 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 was built in the Early-Mid 20th Century Minimal Commercial style with a gable roof. Located at 502 Main Street in New Albany, Kansas, the building 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. Located on the outskirts of Yates Center. It was also used for social events. After it closed in 1952, it was used by the $-H Club 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 School House is a one-room building made of stone. It is 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 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 designed in the Modern/Modern Movement style has a flat roof. 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 arranged 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 massing and materials of the original building. The building functioned as an elementary school through 1939, when it was converted to use by the Kansas City Junior College, which 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 it also retains the integrity to be a contributing resource to a potential Downtown Kansas City Historic District significant for 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, descendant of the famous theologian Cotton Mather, desired to see a college established in Kansas City and gave the Methodist Protestant Church tracts of land on the condition 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 final years of the school’s operation were difficult; in 1930, the United Brethren Board of Education decided to drop 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 segregation controversy of national significance. 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 that Major Hudson 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 detailings consistent with other elementary schools in the Kansas City, Kansas, school district designed by Rose and Peterson and constructed in this period. The rectangular plan with the main corridor extending 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 cast concrete firestairs and enclosed 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-?? The 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, which had 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. The building was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its educational history and architectural significance in October 2008. It was constructed during the Progressive era in a commercial style with Beaux Arts stylistic influences. This 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 was designed in the Prairie style with a flat roof. Located at 1303 N. 36th Street in Kansas City, Kansas, 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 was designed in the Art Deco style with a flat roof and parapet. It was located in the old town of Quindaro, which was annexed with Kansas City, Kansas. Serving as a Senior Citizens Community Center today, it is located at 2700 Sewell Avenue.

 

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

Whittaker School

The construction of Whittier School helped alleviate overcrowding in the district, specifically within the neighborhood surrounding the school. It replaced the first Whittier School, which had become a junior high school. When complete, Whittier School served as a dedicated elementary school serving neighborhood students in kindergarten through fifth grades…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 & 20th Century Classical Revival style with 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 interior of the school 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, December 2023.

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
Douglas County 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 School Houses
Kansas One Room Schools
Kansas One Room School House Project
Kansas Patriot
Wikipedia