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LEE COUNTY LOCAL/FAMILY HISTORY DEPT. * DONNELLSON PUBLIC LIBRARY * 500 PARK AVE. * DONNELLSON, IA * 52625 |
Schools: Brush College
Little Stone Schoolhouse:
Brush College 1939 This story is the second in the
Genealogy Department series about one room school houses in Lee County.
Information was obtained by Diane Kruse and Carolyn Dischler in an interview
with Virginia Mehl, who was the last teacher at Brush College and taught at the
school from 1939-41; from a story written by Virginia’s aunt entitled Iowa
Memory Lane To The Little Stone School; and, the History of Lee County
Rural Schools 1830-1962.
Brush College, which closed its doors forever in 1941, was located in Franklin Township, Section 10, on a hill near Sugar Creek 6 ½ miles northeast of Donnellson, where the quarry is located today on 180th St. The school was razed and the stones crushed and scattered on a farmer’s field near the quarry. Virginia remembers that nothing was salvaged from the school house, not even the hand-held school bell that signaled the beginning of the school day or calling the children from the playground.
The white stone schoolhouse faced south and had windows on each side, and one on each side of the door, which had no stoop or vestibule; there were two outhouses out back in addition to a shed to hold the kindling and firewood for the pot-bellied stove. Children carried their decorated with the students’ favorite hand-made decorations, in addition to a box social, pot luck or a pie supper following the program. The parents also had a part in the holiday program as the moms made home-made candy and placed it in paper sacks for sale after the program. The money raised by selling the candy was used to buy extra special supplies for the school that were not provided by the school district.
The last day of school was quite a memorable one. Picnic tables were set up and loaded with delicious food such as homemade ice cream and cake; since baseball was the favorite sport of the students during the school year, one last game was played as friends and family cheered on. In addition to the fun and frolic of all participants, they also gathered to say their good-byes to those who graduated after the county superintendents gave the final exams to those going from eighth grade to high school.
~ Brush College, Franklin Township, Photo Courtesy of Virginia Mehl
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Carolyn and I wish to thank Virginia for her time and information for this very interesting project. If anyone has any special remembrances, further information, or photos of Brush College, please contact Diane Kruse (319-470-8982) or Carolyn Dischler (319-469-7631); send it to the Donnellson Library, 500 Park St. or our e-mail address localfamilyhistory@live.com . This information, as well as other information received, will be placed in the school book folder for reference purposes.
-- Written and Submitted by Diane Kruse
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