Keeping Iowa History Alive

The conclusion of "One Teacher's Memories of Dover School" by Lauren Zechin

One Teacher's Memories of Dover School (Continued)

(This concludes the story of Pauline Krehbiel's story of her growing up years in Donnellson, her teaching at Dover, and her story of her life as Mrs. Howard Raid.)
Much later, a former pupil, Lela Neff Nelson recalls in a letter to Howard Raid, "Pauline was a dear teacher at Dover School. She contributed much to my happy memories of my grade school days, and these memories affected my own years of elementary teaching."

Pauline also described the physical aspects of a schoolhouse, which included the blackboard, teacher's desk, little red chairs for recitations, a cupboard for
library reference books, a water cooler, long, low shelves on which to place lunch pails, and a playground. Still standing on the original site four miles north of Donnellson on Highway 218, the school is virtually all that remains of Dover. The school itself closed in 1941. Kevin and Cindy Frueh now own Dover School and are in the process of restoring it.

Diane Kruse of Donnellson is putting together information on Dover School for the Donnellson library. One contributor, Ethel Brooks Lindell, recalled her first year of attending Dover school, which was across the road from where she lived with her parents, Merrit Gray (Bert) Brooks and Esther Bentzinger Brooks and her two siblings. "In those days the roads there were not paved. I remember the MUD! Especially I recall that mud after I started attending Dover School. It was difficult for a little four to five year old to lift her feet and pull through mud on the way to school. On days after a heavy rain, my father would carry me across the east/west road, lift me over the fence on to the grass and I could run up the incline to the schoolhouse. I started school in the fall of 1927. I became five years old in November of that year. I've been told by my parents that most children did not start school until after their fifth birthday, but the teacher (identified as Pauline Krehbiel) boarded with us that year and had no one in the first grade, so talked them into letting me start a few months early." After the Brooks family moved on, they would occasionally drive by the old school and the children would reminisce about "games we played, people we remembered, and fun we had. It seems the older boys enrolled there had to carry drinking water from the Dickey's (store) to the schoolhouse. We often said that we hoped the school building would never be torn down."'

Ethel was glad to hear that its current owners are restoring the school. As featured in the October, 2008 Donnellson Library newsletter, Pauline completed her summary report of the school year on April 20, 1928 with a total of 20 students, and stated in her report that "as a whole, this is a dandy group of pupils and I wish you a great deal of luck and success."

Howard Raid also grew up at Donnellson. Many articles written by Howard appeared in the Donnellson Review newspaper. The couple later moved to Bluffton, Ohio, where their daughter Elizabeth was born. Howard was a professor of economics at Bluffton University for many years until his retirement. Daughter Elizabeth Raid now lives in Kansas. She recalls "Mother mentioned she taught there (Dover) and stayed with a family who lived nearby, I believe. I get to Iowa about once a year in late May and always think of my mother when I drive by that school. I'm excited to hear that there are plans for reconstruction. I look forward to seeing the school next time I pass by."

There were many teachers at Dover School, and still many more students who spent time there - and each one had their own story. Not much is left of the community of Dover. And not many people remain who remember what it was like when it was a thriving community. There is almost no one left.

However, many of the people whose lives once centered around the community of Dover left photographs, stories, or even scrawled notes - each a small piece that helps to form the whole picture.

Dover School owner Cindy Frueh is personally collecting information to create a log-book recording the years Dover School was in operation. People who no longer live in the area have contacted Frueh and Kruse with stories and photos of the school and settlement. Cindy hopes eventually to display the collection (which includes postcards and an old fashioned View-Master type slide of a Dover homestead) in the school building for everyone to enjoy. She is currently trying to identify the many children in the graduation class photos that were taken. The stories of the people of Dover fascinate Frueh as she
tries to piece together the puzzles of their lives. Frueh mentioned that many of the teachers were so young - not much older than their students.

Dover school, like many of Iowa's country schools, was a sort of jumping-off point that gave young teachers experience to go on to other work. For others, especially young un-married  women, teaching was something they could do to help their families provide for younger siblings.

The Fruehs say the next step on the restoration is replacing the window, for which they are in the process of getting estimates. Last fall, local mason Mike Jarvis repaired some of the stone work, and told the owners that the roof would hold up, and suggested they make the windows their next priority. Now that the snows of winter are gone (let's hope!) work on the school can resume. The Fruehs are mainly concentrating on keeping up the maintenance of the school, and they realize the restoration is a slow process, which is dependent on funding.

Though the settlement of Dover is now gone, and the Dover schoolhouse has been empty now for 68 years, when you step inside the old stone school, you can almost hear the wood stove crackle, and hear the sounds of pencils scratching on slates or students' voices reciting their vocabulary lessons or a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

You can read Pauline Krehbiel Raid's biography Spiritual Elegance at the Donnellson Public Library. Anyone with stories or memorabilia connected with Dover School is encouraged to call Kevin and Cindy Frueh at Apple Tree Antiques, 319-835-9883.

Donations to the Dover School Restoration project can be made at Pilot Grove Savings Bank in Donnellson.

~ The entire article appeared in the Bee/Star April 2, 2009; researched and submitted by Lauren Zechin