Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission nears completion of Country Schools Research

Highlandville School

The Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission is nearing completion of a research program on country schools in Winneshiek County.

Approximately two thirds of this project has been completed and all 156 rural school locations have been visited.  A consultant was contracted to carry out this project.  No taxpayer dollars were used.  The funding came from the interest earned on the Audrey Malkan gift used to fund the preparation and publication of the Vera Harris book.
Preliminary information was presented to the Board of Supervisors this week by Commission member Dean Thompson.

Preliminary Findings and Outcomes:

• Inventoried more than 180 locations; completed July 17th.
• Identified 30 previously unrecognized country school locations (tentative).
• Captured GPS coordinates for over 180 country school locations and buildings.
• Obtained digital images of building contexts and conditions as of 2012.
Country schools have been razed since Steve Johnson's reconnaissance. Country schools have been moved or deteriorated since Johnson's reconnaissance. And yet, excellent examples remain and have been quietly and well tended by owners.
• Developed a pilot Web application to allow public access to country school information collected by the GIS-based inventory.
• Learned firsthand of strong public interest and support for preservation and attention.

The group intends to build on the 2012 inventory for long-term study, public education and preservation of country schools. These goals include:

1. Grant: Compete for FY2012 State of Iowa Certified Local Government funding.
2. Research Design: In preparation by a professional architectural historian/historian; funded by WCHPC. Develop the narrative and historical context of education in Iowa with a focus on Winneshiek County.
3. Build Collaborators and Partners
4. Communities and Communication: Contact interested citizens, country school students and teachers, and public or private owners of country schools; convene public meetings in/with communities, townships, and congregations.

Long-Term Goals include educational programs for the public and schools,attendance and presentations at conferences about rural education, and the publication of a book on Winneshiek's country schools.