Background

The Lansing Stone School (a.k.a. Old Stone School) was originally constructed as a school building and was used continuously for that purpose for 108 years, one of the longest continuous use schools in Iowa and in the Midwest, west of the Mississippi. The builders presented the building to the board of directors of the school district on July 2, 1864. The School covered 2,240 square feet and cost $5,000 to construct. The doors closed for school use on May 30, 1973. The Lansing Stone School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1973.

After the stonemasons built the two feet thick locally quarried native limestone walls, the two-story School was finished in native oak and white pine. A bell cupola with flagpole was added on the front (north) roof. The doors are eight feet in height and two inches thick. The School boasts eight large classrooms with 12 feet high ceilings downstairs and 14 feet high upstairs. In 1867, a two-storied south wing was added and a west wing in 1892. Oddly, the roof has five gables. The windows are large and may be original, at least the original openings. They provided the light necessary to conduct classes. Wall anchors help hold the exterior walls in place by providing support from the interior walls.