ALGONA'S FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE

Ever since the Town Hall had been finished in 1857, one of its main uses was a schoolhouse.  Seats had been set up around the room and as more students were added, two rows of double seats with desks in front had been added to the space as well as a large stove. 

CONTRACT LET FOR NEW SCHOOL

By 1866 the number of students attending school far exceeded the space available in the hall.  Over 70 scholars attended on a regular basis so some 25 or 30 of the small students were attending classes at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Miles.  At the time the school was under the supervision of Mr. Miles.  It was obvious that a new schoolhouse was desperately needed and so in March of that year a contract was entered into with local builder James Henderson to construct a new building. It was to be located on the south end of the block now occupied by the former O.B. Laing Middle School.

The contract itself contained a very specific description of how the new school house was to be constructed and what it would look like.  The building itself was to be 30 by 50 feet and two stories high.  The lower story was to have a 10 foot ceiling with the upper story to be 11 foot “in the clear.”  The foundation was to be of stone and mortar and two foot wide.  Sills and lower joists were to be of burr oak with the balance of the frame work to be sound hard wood timber.

The building was to have fifteen windows with blinds.  The front door was to be three feet wide and six foot ten inches high with a transom overhead. Siding was to be of seasoned pine and painted with three coats of white paint.    

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

Although the original contract provided that the school house was to be completed and ready for use by the winter term that began in January of 1867, due to the great difficulty in procuring the necessary lumber, the construction was delayed.  After completing the foundation, Mr. Henderson himself began hauling the pine lumber needed for finishing the structure. 

On June 5, 1867, the frame of the new school house was raised.  Many locals participated in the event, helping to raise the walls and fasten them together.  The fair board even postponed their meeting so that members could assist. 

The floor beams were made from local burr oak trees and were hewn from logs into square beams by the use of several axes.  A felling axe was used to score the log every few inches.  Then a broad axe was used to “slice” behind the scored edge, making a flat surface.  This was repeated around the log eventually creating a four sided beam designed to carry the weight of the building above it.  Looking at the beams today the scoring marks can still be seen.  If a builder wanted a perfectly smooth surface (perhaps for a finished beam that would be exposed), an adze would be used to remove the scorings left by the felling axe and make the surface smooth. 

Local citizens watched with great anticipation as the building began to take shape.  An article published in the Upper Des Moines on June 13, 1887, stated, “In a structure of this kind, the first and all important consideration is a good foundation.  This part of the work is done and well done.  It is of stone, laid in lime mortar, with stone bearings four feet square, ten feet apart, under each of the cross sills.  The frame is of oak and one of the best specimens of carpentry we have seen in Iowa.  When completed it will be the best school house in Northwestern Iowa, and will reflect much credit upon the district which furnishes the funds to build it.”

Staircase

Downstairs looking east toward entrance

Upstairs looking east toward two ante rooms

Construction continued all summer.  The first floor was divided into two rooms with a staircase leading to the second floor.  The upstairs contained one large room with two small ante rooms on one end.  In October the walls were plastered by Capt. S. B. Califf who was well known for his skills as a mason.  Finally in December it was ready for occupancy, complete with a belfry on top, ready for the bell specially ordered from A. T. Bales & Company in Chicago at a cost of $54.  Desks and seats with iron frames were neatly arranged in the classrooms and screwed to the floor on the lower level.  Blackboards lined the walls.  These two rooms were able to accommodate 90 students.  Since E.C. Miles had left teaching and entered the ministry and so the school was now under the supervision of a Miss Leonard as principal, with Miss Lizzie Reed serving as assistant teacher.    

The winter season had already arrived and so in order to be sure their children would be able to attend on a regular basis, many parents began searching for boarding places where the youngsters could stay during the week.  Not all parents were so accommodating.  Children often carried a heavy load at home, helping with farming or other occupations, gathering wood, caring for animals, and other tasks that needed to be performed.  An editorial published in the May 9th, 1867 edition of the Upper Des Moines chastised parents who allowed their children to miss regular attendance.  “No child, after having once entered school, should be permitted either by parent or teacher, to absent him or herself from the school without a valid excuse.  It lays the corner stone of the foundation of unsteady habits—renders the man vacillating and undecided in every thing he undertakes, fits for uselessness and makes him a blank in society.”  And later in the same article, “While you are spending your money with a liberal hand for the support of schools, see to it that your children are benefitted to the full value of the investment.  If they are not thus benefitted, do not let it be said that it was the fault of the parents.” 

COMMUNITY EVENT CENTER

With the school building now completed and in full operation, the upper story began to be used for other activities outside of school hours.  It was furnished with iron frame seats which provided appropriate seating for a variety of events.  The Methodists used it for worship services and other organizations held their meetings in the facility.  Political candidates used it to address their constituents.  Educational and informative lectures were given to an interested public.  A corner became the location of the first public library – complete with the tarpon donated by W.H. Ingham.  The building became an integral part of the growing community.

Alas, even though two wings were eventually added to the structure, the number of scholars soon outgrew the building and by the early 1880s it was decided a much larger facility was needed.  Central School was to be located on the same block where the smaller wooden school building stood and so it became necessary to either tear down or move the wooden structure to make room for the new construction.  It happened that the local G.A.R. post was looking for a meeting space and so the structure was moved several blocks to the west and placed at the corner of Dodge and Nebraska. 

Building as it looked as the GAR Post

STILL IN USE

Undoubtedly one of the oldest buildings in Algona, it has been in continuous use since its opening in December of 1867.  The American Legion took over the building after the G.A.R. disbanded and then it was purchased by the Kossuth County Historical Society to serve as a museum to display their extensive collection of historical memorabilia.  Although its current foundation is in bad shape, the building itself is still very solid – a real tribute to its builder, James Henderson.  

The building as it looks in 2016.  Note the boarded over
areas where windows were originally placed.

Oh, the stories this building could tell!  I can imagine the excitement felt by the scholars who entered the school the first day of class; the sacred hymns offered at worship services held within its walls; the fiery speeches delivered by politicians; or the stories of the veterans of the Civil War or those from the two world wars or other conflicts.  So much history occurred within its four walls that it seems only fitting that it should now serve as the repository for the artifacts of our county history. 

Until next time,

Jean (a/k/a KC History Buff)

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