This paper was composed by Sara Smerud. Ms. Smerud did much of the research on the Stone School for the original National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) application. The exact date this paper was written is not known. The best estimate dates this article to have been written around 1973 at about the same time as the NRHP application. The stone school was retired as a school building in 1973.
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THE ROCK SCHOOL

 

Background information

 

The first school in Lansing was operated by Mrs. Delia D. Purdy in 1853.  The next school  was operated by Professor Harren who had a high school in the Congregational Church and Miss Williams who had the lower grades.  This school was in operation in 1861.  In December of 1861, the need for a new school was suggested.  Finally, on March 23, 1863, in a meeting of the Board of Electors, it was decided to form an independent school district.  On May 4, 1863, the Board voted to buy the lot next to the old school house for $225.  This was to be the sight of the rook school.  This rook building is still being used, and is, in fact, the oldest school in continuous use in the state of Iowa.

 

The physical plant

 

The physical structure of the rock building was changed as its position and use changed.  The basic building as constructed in 1863-64 was 40 by 56 feet with 14 by 30 foot projection for the entrance.  The contractors were Englehorn and Beissell.  The cost was $5,000. This structure was not the first school in Lansing, but it was the first building to be constructed for the sole purpose of being a school by the Independent School District of Lansing.  This building was supplemented by other buildings in Lansing since it contained only two rooms.

          In 1865 a committee was appointed to draw plans and specifications for the  construction of a cistern and pump for the school.  Phillips and Farrel were appointed to the committee.  However, at the next meeting, Umensbaok was appointed to replace Phillips who had died.  The cost of the cistern and pump was $105. The contractor for the work was Joseph Farrell.

          On March 18, 1867, the subject of expansion was brought up at a regular meeting of the Board.  A committee was formed to determine the cost of an addition to the rock building to house an additional 100 students.  The committee was composed of the president, J. D. Cole, G. Kerndt, and J. Vermsbach.  On April 12, 1867, the bid of E. B. Bascom was accepted. The contract was signed on April 17 in a special meeting.  The bid was for $2,000. Another bid was accepted for an undisclosed amount from James Farrell for moving and rebuilding the out buildings in preparation for the construction project. On June 20, 1867, the secretary was instructed to start paying the first $1,000, and presumably the construction started at about this time.  On Tuesday, September 10, Bascom was paid the balance of this bill and the school was accepted by the Board.  On Friday, November 27, 1868, further modifications were deemed necessary by the Board. It was decided to fit

another recitation room into the building and to hire another teacher to assist in the first department.  On April 9, 1869, the effects of frost and settling of the building were cause for concern.  A committee of three, Woods, Bascom and Palmer, was appointed to take the action necessary to prevent the further deterioration of the building.

            On December 2, 1870, the principal, Mr. Henderson, reported that the school was crowded.  He proposed to cut the main room into two parts with a partition so as to create an extra department.  Bascom and Bersh wore appointed to see that the work was done.  This expansion apparently was adequate and no further expansion was to occur until 1874.  However, the Board did purchase the adjacent two lots after the March 10, 1873, election in which the proposal was given a victory of 145 to 55.  On April 2, l874, the board arranged to rent Mr. Simonson's hall for the use of the first department.  A library was put into the school in 1886.  The board put $25 into the library fund from the contingent fund, and to this was added $25 from a surplus from another source.  The books were to be purchased by the committee on texts and supplies.  The problem of overcrowded conditions again arose in 1886.  It was decided that the board as a group should investigate the conditions in room 4 and determine what could be done to “diminish the number of pupils enrolled.”   The action taken in this instance is not recorded. 

On December 3, 1886, in order to increase the light and ventilation in the school, the stairs on the outside of the building were removed.  It was determined that the stairs served no purpose since they were not used nor was it likely that they would be used in the future.

In 1890 it was proposed that an improved heating unit be investigated.  Kerndt, Reid, and Ruth were appointed as a committee to investigate the matter as to cost and specifications.  On July 3,1890, the committee was instructed to correspond with W. S. Mola and others to invite proposals. The bid of W. S. Mola of Dubuque for $1250 was accepted.  He was to install a Florida steam heating apparatus which could heat the school and two additional rooms to 75 degrees in any weather.  Until this time, the building had been heated by individual stoves of the wood burning variety.  The installation was completed and accepted on September 6, 1890.

Another change in the building came in 1890 with the addition of a flag and a flag staff which was purchased by the students and put up following the granting of the permission of the Board on December 29; 1890.

On June 22, 1892, the need for more room was again evident due to crowding in the grammar and intermediate grades. It was proposed that the electors be asked to permit the spending of $2500 for the addition of two new rooms and the repairs of the existing building.  The vote was taken July 11, 1892.  It passed by a vote of 71 to 65.  The Board met after the election to form a committee to draw up plans. The committee was composed of Reid, Fellows, and Boeckt. On July 16, the plans and specifications were ready and were presented.  On July 18 the contract for removal of the privies was let to Steve Kuscks for $80.  The committee was to proceed in hiring laborers in order to begin the escavations.  No bids for the work were forthcoming until August.  The meeting of August 9, 1892 resulted in the acceptance of Grant Ladd's bid for $3194.71.  On October 12, 1892, the Board accepted the building additions and ordered the balance of the amount owed to Ladd to be paid.

By May of 1894, it was necessary to consider the further repairs to the building.  The committee on building and grounds reported that new floors were needed in six rooms and two halls.  It was estimated that the cost would be about $243.  The specifications and plans were submitted on June 1, 1894, and bids were advertised for.  Grant Ladd's bid of $631.70 was the lowest and it was accepted.  The building was to be further altered in 1907.  The Board let a contract to Gilbertson and Scheafer for a new boiler for the school.  The boiler was to cost $425, and it was a number 110-10 section Economy Boiler. 

On December 4, 1908, the building committee reported that extensive repairs and improvements were needed at an approximate cost of $5,000.  In February of 1909 this cost was amended to $4,000.  The work to be done included changing the smoke stack

for the furnace, improving the water supply in the building, and enlarging the plumbing for the heating equipment.  The job was given to the LaCrosse Construction Company, which placed a bid of $2,810.  In May of the same year plans were drawn up for the construction of a retaining wall and a sidewalk for the school.  The meeting on July 1, 1909, was Fred Carlson of Decorah awarded a contract for the job.  His price was $751.19.  The Board reduced the amount paid in both cases.  On October 15, 1909, the Board listed its specific complaints which were as follows:  the stack was 16 inches short, the foundation was not according to contract, the steps of the basement were in poor condition, the carpenter work was inferior, the painting and plastering jobs had the appearance of having been done by a novice, and the general construction was not done in a workman-like manner.  Due to this dissatisfaction, the Board decided to pay only $2655.  This was decided after some unproductive discussions with the company.  On October 29, 1909, the attorney for the LaCrosse Company accepted the payment of $2655. Fred Carlson presented his final bill for $126.19.  The Board deducted .05 per foot of 415 feet of retaining wall and .01 per foot on 2361 feet of sidewalk due to dissatisfaction with the quality of the work.  Carlson accepted $81.83 as final payment.

In 1915 the Board decided that a new building should be added to the holding of the school district.  On February 20, 1915, the Board proposed a bond issue of $25,000 in order to build a new high school.  The vote cast on April 19, 1915, resulted in 210 for and 151 against the construction of a new building. On June 3, Karl F. Saam was contracted as agent and architect and on July 3, several companies were given contracts to construct the new building.

This marked the end of the rock building’s use as a high school but as of 1968 it is stili in use as a grade school, making it the building with the longest continuous use in the state of Iowa.

 

The Board of Directors

 

The powers for the school board in Lansing and other areas in Iowa were the result of several laws passed by the territory and state of Iowa.  The first law passed concerning schools was enacted by the territory on January 1, 1839.  This law stated that the voters of any district in Iowa could lay a tax to provide for the construction of a school.  The school law of 1849 added the possibility of a higher grade if the people of the district so desired.  However, the taxes for the maintenance of the schools was not adequate for the longer terms and it was supplemented by subscription.  That is, the scholar paid a tuition in order to attend school.  The guiding light of the school systems for many years was the Law of 1858. The law was in effect beyond the time period covered by this paper.  The law accomplished several things.  It established the office of county superintendent and set the minimum school year at six months.  It also outlined the duties of the school board of directors.  The law determined that the directors were to be chosen by the electorate for terms of three years.  The board was to determine the amount needed for the teacher and contingnt funds and to set the school term if over the required six months, to establish grade schools, and to outline courses of study.  The board members were to have the

power, subject to the approval of the electors, to locate sights and construct schools. In general, the law states that the board is to have full control of matters pertaining to the school and its operation. 

The extent to which the school board in Lansing controlled the operation of the schools changed over the years.  This is to be expected in light of the changes in the complexity of the school system.  The board organization was fairly simple.  The offices were president, secretary, and treasurer.  The other members were called directors.  The president presided over the meetings and was responsible for the formation of committees, subject to the approval of the majority of the board members.  A selected director presided in the absence of the president.  The secretary took care of the correspondence of the board and recorded the minutes of the meetings.  The president and secretary were authorized to pay salaries in accord with contracts. The secretary's bond was $500 throughout this period.  The treasurer was to pay bills as instructed and to keep a record of board expenditures.  The report of the treasurer was not recorded in the record books. The treasurer was bonded for$2,000 until 1870, when the bond was increased to the sum of $6,000.  The officers of the board were chosen by the electors, the eligible voters of the  community, until the election of March 14, 1870.  At this time, the directors were elected and then decided among themselves who were to be the officers for the ensuing year.  Generally speaking, the election of officers was a mere formality since the same persons were reelected year after year.  However, some of the elections did not go as well as the previous statement, would suggest.  In 1872, on the nignt of March 15, the balloting for president started with an informal ballot.  The result was Ranny - 2; Nachleny - 3;  Schiek - 1.  The balloting went on  with formal ballots with the result remaining the same for 29 ballots.  The 30th ballot brought change with the vote being Nachleny -2; Schiek – 4.  Schlek won.  The secretary and treasurer were elected on the first informal ballot.  To further carry out the duties the formation of standing committees was introduced.  The first standing committee, although not called such, was the committee to procure wood, formed when the board undertook the job of acquiring wood for heating the school. This was done on March 15, 1869.  The  members of the committee were E. B. Bascom and J. Palmer.  The establishing of special committees to handle problems as the need arose was the, practice from the begining.  The expansion of standing committees occurred in 1871.  Here it was decided to meet on a monthly, basis on the first Tuesday of each month.  Until this time, the board met on a semi-annual basis with special meetings as needed. On this meeting of March 20, the committee on insurance and stationery was formed.  This committee was later changed to the committee of stationery. In 1872, on April 2, the board formed a finance committee.  On this occasion, the other committees were first called standing committees. 

The hiring of teachers was another function of the board.  The method of selection was to vote for the candidate. The persons receiving the majority of votes were given the jobs.  The means of procurement was to advertise in the local papers  and to contact the state normal schools.  The system was used throughout the period covered by this paper.

 

THE ROCK SCHOOL

 

The teachers

 

The first teacher to be under contract in the school was David Judson of the higher department.  In his higher depart­ment he had 75 pupils.  The intermediate department was under the care of Frulone Baldwin who had 84 students.  Minirva J. Elliot was in charge of the primary department.  She had 126 students at the end of the term.  The sheer number suggests that the work load was fantastic by today's standards.  One could have reason to doubt the effectiveness of such a situation.  The state average approximate pupil-teacher ratio was 65 to 1, found by dividing the number of teachers in the state into the number of school age students.  In the Lansing school, on the basis of the above figures, the teacher-pupil ratio was 1 to 5.  This was over the state average by a large amount, but it would be reasonable to assume that other schools had teacher loads that met or surpassed the Lansing average.  The situation was worse in the 1865-66 school year.  Mr. Judson and his assistant had 90 pupils in the higher department, 97 in the intermediate, and 146 in the primary.  However, the average daily attendance for the term of September 4, 1865 to December 22, 1865 for the primary department was 76. It is hard to imagine how one could conduct a school under these conditions.  The pay for this work was an average of $5.60 per week for each of the three female teachers and $17 per week for the one male on the staff.  Starting with September 20, 1865, the total of the teachers' salaries for the year was $1,448.50.

The payment of the teachers in the Independent School District of Lansing was not changed very often.  The changes seemed to fit a prescribed pattern.  For example, the  superintendent in 1894 received $133.33 per month.  This salary was unchanged until 1900 when a new superintendent took over.  In that year the salary was $111.11 per month.  In 1903 this was increased $133.33.  However, in 1904 a new superintendent was hired at a salary of $111.11.  The salary for the same period for the other teachers in the system, all female, moved from an average of $38.55 in 1894-95 to a high of $42.22 per week in 1904-05.  The following year the average was down to $41.02.

Job security for the teachers of the Lansing school district was almost nonexistent.  This was particularly true for the years before 1895.  The present practice in most of the schools in this country is to offer contracts to the previous years staff before searching for new teachers.  This was not the case in the first decades of operation of the school in Lansing.  Here the old teachers were put to the vote on the same basis as the new applicants.  In fact, the teachers of the previous year made new applications if they felt the desire to stay in the system.  A good example of the lack of security came in the determination of principal for the school year 1871-72. The Board of Directors met on the night bf August 17, 1871, and accepted the applications of several persons for the job.  One of the applicants was David Judson, a man who had been in the system earlier but had left in 1868.  The other applicant of note was S. S. Henderson, the man who had been principal the previous year.  A petition had been circulated to have Henderson retained for the next year.  The Board vote was split, with three for Henderson and three for Judson.  A second ballot was taken with identical results.  The meeting was adjourned.  The board met again on the night of August 22 to again consider the applications for the office of principal.  It was moved that Mr. Judson be hired.  This lost by a tie vote.  One of the board members moved that the meeting be adjourned.  It was defeated by a 3-3 vote.  A motion to employ Mr. Henderson lost by a tie vote.  Another move to adjourn was defeated.  The board then turned to ballot for the position.  However, this was to no avail, since the first five ballots resulted in tie votes.  The Board then went out for refreshments after which three members went home.  The Board reconvened, found three members absent, and proceeded to elect David Judson principal by a vote of three yes and three absent.  The chairman was then instructed to notify Judson of his election if the election were found to be legal.  At the next meeting, the authorization was granted to inform Judson of his election.  This left the old principal, Mr. Henderson, out of a job for the next year.  The election of Judson created another problem for the Board.  His wife wished to be employed also.  In order to hire her, it was necessary to remove one of the present staff members.  The vote on this matter was taken, on September 30.  In the words of the secretary of the board, "Board then proceeded to ballot to see which of the teachers should be discharged to make room for Mrs. Judson.  Ballot resulted in the discharge of Miss Mary McGarry."  This happened without protest on the part of any board member.  It is to be supposed that they thought nothing of the matter.  The situation here was not repeated in the history of the school.

 

Rules concerning the Board of Directors, school term, and superintendent.

 

(As published February 2, 1884)

The school board was to meet on the first Saturday during each school month and any time that it was deemed necessary would be the meeting time.

The quorum consisted of four members.

The officers were to be the president, the secretary, the treasurer, and the superintendent.  Three standing committees were to be established: the committee on grounds, fuel, furniture and repairs; the finances; taxes, and claims committee; and the teachers, rules, textbooks, and supplies committee.

The school terms were set as follows: First term--to begin the first Monday in September and run for sixteen weeks; Second term--to begin the second, Monday in January and run for twelve weeks: Third term--to begin one week after the end of the second term and to last for eight weeks.  Examinations were to be given at the end of the month to determine the standing of the scholars.

The superintendent was authorized to have complete supervision of the schools and property.  He was accountable to the Board and acted under them.  He was to make an annual report to the Board on school matters of general interest.