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LEE COUNTY LOCAL/FAMILY HISTORY DEPT. * DONNELLSON PUBLIC LIBRARY * 500 PARK AVE. * DONNELLSON, IA * 52625 |
Schools: Warren
This is the fifth article
in the series on schoolhouses in Lee County.
Information was obtained by Diane Kruse and
Carolyn Dischler in interviews with Raymond
Clemenson, Carol Sturdivant and Dorothy Lamm.
Other sources used were History of Lee County
Schools 1830–1962, a notebook of information on
Warren School and Warren Station compiled by
Raymond Clemenson and Carol Sturdivant located in
the Donnellson Public Library, Genealogy
Department Memories of the Past and More Memories
written by Howard Hennies, Dorothy’s uncle.
The Warren School District #3, also known as
Liberty, was located 3˝ miles west of Donnellson
on Highway #2 (previously known as Goldenrod
Trail) in Harrison Township, Section 35, on one
acre of land. The first structure was a log cabin
built circa 1841 when the U.S. government
deeded 160 acres of land to Tracy Butler. The deed
was signed by John Tyler who was president of the
United States at that time. Circa 1868, the log
cabin structure was replaced with a white frame
10 building. Grades 1 through 8 attended
Warren School.
Dorothy recalls that a long chalkboard stretched
across the front wall of the school. The
recitation bench was also in the front of the
building with students’ desks to the rear. The
school was heated with a coal stove; the coal shed
was located on the east side of the building.
There was a wash basin available for hand washing
and a water bucket for drinking water with one
dipper shared by all the students.
In order for the school to remain open, the
enrollment requirement for Warren School was five
students. Once when enrollment fell under the
required five, two students (Gary and Beverly
Schau) transferred to Warren from Primrose on a
temporary basis until enrollment increased to the
required number to prevent the school from
closing.
Hennies writes in his book that the school year
was eight months long, starting after Labor Day
and ending in April. School was in session from 9
A.M. to 4 P.M. Rote learning was a big part of
schoolwork at that time. Students memorized the
Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic songs; they
practiced the Palmer method of penmanship,
practicing each stroke until it was perfect; they
memorized the Gettysburg Address.
Ray Clemenson attended Warren School from
1936-1944. He was a 4-H member in the group called
Busy Farmers in Warren School District; the girls
group was named Prairie Maids. Each year on the
first day of school, the teacher would make a list
of books needed for the school year for each
student. In order to obtain the required books,
all students were transported to Primrose School
after dinner school for a book exchange.
Ray’s sister Garnett was the only one in her class
from the first grade through the eighth. He and
his sister walked 1˝ miles each way to school. He
stated as time went by, they wised up and planned
to leave home early so they could catch a ride
part of the way with teachers on their way to
school to teach their classes at New Boston. Each
Friday he and a couple of other boys helped clean
the floor and dust the erasers. Lighting consisted
of kerosene lamps with shields to reflect the
light.
The students made up many games to play during
recess. A favorite game was called Ante-Over,
although the same game was called Handy-Over or
Hand-It-Over at other schools in the area. A ball
was thrown over the roof of the school to a team
on the other side and “ante-over” was called. If
the ball was caught, that team would try to tag
anyone from the opposing team who would then come
to their side.
Another favorite was Kick It which consisted of
two sticks, one leaning against a step with the
opposite end sticking in the groove of the
sidewalk. The second stick was held by a player
who hit it against the step three times and then
called names of children that were hiding. If a
player kicked the first stick over, all the
children whose names were called were freed and
the game started over. Another version of this
game was called Wicked Picket. Someone would be
‘it’; a stick was set on a can and the other
children were dared to knock it off. Softball
games were very popular and a few students enjoyed
wrestling and practiced it on a regular basis. In
the winter, students enjoyed building snowmen and
having snowball fights. Spelling bees were held
once a week which most students enjoyed. Every
Friday after the last recess, the students took
out their geography book and opened it to the map
in the center of the book. The children divided up
into two teams. Each team would take turns writing
the name of a town on the chalkboard and whoever
guessed the correct town would be the one to then
have their choice and write it on the chalkboard.
Highest score of the teams won.
Programs marked special occasions through the
year. A community get-together, which consisted of
a picnic and potluck, was held monthly at Warren
School. Students made and exchanged valentines on
Valentines Day. A Halloween program consisted of
the students selling home made ice cream, pies,
cakes, cookies, etc. to raise funds to purchase
school supplies. A program along with a gift
exchange was celebrated at Christmas. Students
graduated from eighth grade with a formal ceremony
held at the high school building in Fort Madison.
A picnic was always held on the last day of school
and a game of softball was played.
In 1959, Warren School District #3 became a part
of the Central Community School District which
included the area of Argyle, Donnellson and
Montrose. Following the closure of the Warren
School, the students attended classes at
Donnellson.
When the school closed in 1960, the building was
sold and torn down; the land reverted back to its
original owners, half to the Robert Sturdivant
family and half to the Glenn Jannings family. The
property belonging to the Jannings was sold in the
mid-90's. The Lamms bought the timber section;
Butlers bought the original Jannings house and
land next to Butler Cemetery; Sturdivants bought
the farm land.
When the Warren School closed its doors for the
last time in 1960, a reunion picnic was held on
May 29th of that year. Teachers, former pupils,
and their families were invited and despite the
rain, seventy-six people attended. The school
building was razed soon after its closure and the
lumber was bought by Gladys Hawes who used
it to build a motel and restaurant combination in
Argyle. The business was located on the south edge
of town and has since been torn down.
Today as you drive along Highway #2, the only
indication of where the Warren School once stood
is a dirt roadway leading off the north side of
the highway into a field with crops growing on
either side. Diane and I wish to thank Dorothy
Lamm, Carol Sturdivant, and Raymond Clemenson for
sharing their memories and written
information on the Warren School.
If anyone has additional information regarding the
school, special remembrances, or photos, please
contact Diane Kruse (319-836-2056) or Carolyn
Dischler 12 (319-469-7631). This information, as
well as other information received, will be placed
on file for reference purposes. ~ Written and
submitted by Carolyn Dischler
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