By Elaine Rassel
Recently the Grand Meadow Heritage Center, in rural Washta began the necessary provisions to save their school’s structure. Grand Meadow school opened in 1920 and now 100 years later, was in need of replacing the mortar between the bricks. For several years there has been fundraising for tuck pointing. In August of 2021, a firm from Sioux Falls, Mid-Continental Restoration Co., began the work of removing the old mortar from the three-story brick building, and replacing it with new mortar. The tuck pointing promises new life for the school structure.
On Sept. 11-12, the Grand Meadow Heritage Center celebrated their 45th annual Heritage Festival in spite of the tuck pointing structure on the grounds. This event brought back memories to those attending. There were live demonstrations (including shearing sheep), and a petting zoo for kids. For those interested in tractors, there was an antique tractor pull as well as a car show and a quilt show for the ladies. There was live music and dancing and an Iowa Border Agent performance. Vendors were selling their products. Oh, and don’t forget there was food…plenty of this!
Usually, around Halloween time, the Grand Meadow Heritage Center has let the “ghosts” from the past take over when they offer a “haunted house” adventure to the public_that is, if you are not afraid of what you will experience! Check the newspaper for exactly when this haunted house adventure will happen.
I went to the Marcus Blue Book (1996) to see what I could find about the Grand Meadow School that had just had their 45th festival. Cherokee County, up to 1865, had remained as a single civil township. October of 1865, the Board of Supervisors divided Cherokee County into two civil townships. The south half was Pilot Township and the north half of the county retained the name of Cherokee. October of 1866, the Board of Supervisors created Willow Township, that included Grand Meadow, Silver and Diamond. January 10, 1877, Grand Meadow (Township 90 North, Range 42 West) was separated from Willow Township, forming another township, six-miles square. Grand Meadow was the last township of the 16 to be created as a civil township.
Before Grand Meadow School, as we know it now, there were Grand Meadow No. 1 through No. 9 schools build on corners of the township. Each of these schools were named: No. 1 was Zimmerman School; No. 2 was John Miller School; No. 3 was Mahake School; No. 4 was Providence School; No. 5 was Grand Meadow Center; No. 6 was Mahoney School; No. 7 was Trinity hill; No. 8 was John Crom School; and No. 9 was Baker School. The Grand Meadow consolidated School District was organized in 1919 and reorganized in 1959 and 1960. Now it was divided so the greater portion of the township was annexed to the Marcus Community School District. There was a time when some of the school kids from Marcus went to Grand Meadow. (They liked this school!) Later on, with the lack of school children, Grand Meadow consolidated with Marcus Community.
How did Grand Meadow get its name? When a Mr. G. Otto Pixler arrived in Grand Meadow township, he thought the township was such a beautiful meadow and a lovely place to live. This township reminded him of Grand Meadow Township in Allamakee County, IA, where he came from. So, he suggested the name “Grand Meadow” and people agreed to this name.
At the very end of the aforementioned history, there was a paragraph stating that there was a fine write up on the Grand Meadow School that could be found in the Marcus Public Library as well as at the Heritage Center. I called the Library that had sent it on to the Historic Center. Yes, it was there! I’m going to print what was written in this article but credit is given to the writer, Mildred Smith (now deceased). She did a fine job of recalling events that marked the July 5, “Golden Jubilee Rites Readied”. It is thanks to people like Mildred that kept this part of the Grand Meadow School history on record.
“Grand Meadow School Marks Half-Century On July 5_Golden Jubilee Rites Readied”.
The Grand Meadow brick school building so long a landmark in the western half of this county is one-half century old.
This structure is visible evidence of the progressiveness of the community in the education field, in community spirit and represents two historic incidents: The first and only rural high school in this county and the first rural consolidated school in the county as well.
A day of commemoration with displays, photos, clothing and school articles of the past, beginning with a barbecue plate lunch at noon is planned for July 5.
Jubilee books with pictures galore, displays that will include such articles as the bloomer basketball suit worn hy the girls’ state basketball team and art exhibit by the Little Sioux Painters will also be shown to stimulate memories of yesterday.
TO OPEN CORNERSTONE
Opening of the cornerstone, replacement with a time capsule, and a prize painting of the school building by a local artist will highlight the day.
The high school at Grand Meadow was first established in 1911 and a white two-story frame building constructed to house the high school of the entire township and the grade school of this, the center school.
In 1919, consolidation was in the air. Patrons and school board members hurried to meet this new challenge as town school round about sought to annex various sections in Grand Meadow Township.
Thus Grand Meadow consolidated, taking in all but four sections of the township.
This brought pupils in from eight other rural schools in the township to this center school. Reorganization made this area a part of the Marcus Community School.
The brick schoolhouse was built at the cost of $105,000 including gym in 1920. All alumni have been especially invited but the event is open to all.
After the classes moved into the new brick building, the former frame school was then converted into a teacherage where teachers in this strictly rural area could room and board. In recent years it has served as a home for the custodians at the school.
D.F. Funkhauser was the last superintendent to serve the old high school and the first in the new brick school.
Had 150 STUDENTS
The consolidated school opened with 150 students, including 10 tuition students. With students coming in from all over the township it was then necessary to provide transportation. This was done by horse-drawn buses.
County school Supt. Kate Logan and others prominent in the education field, heaped praise on the Grand Meadow school at that time for its domestic Science classes, for industrial arts and agricultural classes geared to the student’s needs.
The school has continued to be a true community center drawing the people together in many a common enterprise.
The golden jubilee will bring in alumni from the far-flung corners of the world. The book on Grand meadow’s “grand” history is now in the printer’s hands and will be available from the committee as they gather to reminisce at the July 5 event.
Continued in next
Marcus News
Pease Recalls Bogs, Indians
BY MILDRED SMITH
GRAND MEADOW_Highlight of the day’s program on July 5 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Grand Meadow school wil be opening the cornerstone laid in 1920.
Inscribed are the names of the seven school board members serving at that time: H.U. Klingensmith, president; F.D. Harvey, secretary; A.H. Nafe, treasurer; LeRoy Pease, T.J. Leesley, Albert Keck, and Willis Carver.
Of the seven names engraved on the cornerstone, only one living member remains, LeRoy Pease.
And if LeRoy, 90, remembers what is in the cornerstone, he is not telling.
He does remember some of the hardships connected with raising the money and selling the bonds necessary to build the school in 1920.
But the committee headed by Mrs. Rex Klingensmith writing the book of history and gathering in the photos to jar the memories are most happy, Pease is just a stone’s throw away. As one person “who was there” his help has been invaluable.
He also remembers Grand Meadow Township as it looked to the first settlers. His parents were among the first to break sod here.
LIVED IN CABIN
He remembers living in a log cabin until their home was built. The third generations of Peases’ now live in the Grand Meadow area and three generations have attended the Grand Meadow school where he served as board member when the township consolidated school was built 50 years ago.
In fact, his children are all still near enough as LeRoy says, “to call me up every day to see if I’m still here”. They include John Pease, recently retired and now establishing his home at Pierson, Mrs. Leo (Marjorie) Farber, Pierson; Mrs. Wayne (Charlotte) Brownlee and Bill Pease farming nearby. Several of the grandchildren also graduated from Grand Meadow High, previous to it becoming a part of the Marcus Community School.
He has lived in Grand Meadow for the past 89 years. Prairie fires in this grass-land country were common, he remembers with grass reaching to a man’s shoulder or higher. He tells of keeping fire guards constantly plowed around buildings and other places in need of protection.
BULLS IN BOGS
There were lots of bogs then, too LeRoy recalls. (A bog is a tract of low, wet, soft land; or swamp; known as a small marsh.) Vivid in his memory is the sight of 40 old bulls, 10 teams hitched 4 abreast, dredging out a bog north and east of the Pease farm. He was greatly concerned over the abuse he believed the oxen to be undergoing as they wallowed in the muck and mire of dredging that drainage ditch.
The animals would fall and have to be tailed up, then another would go down but finally the task was accomplished and only a tame little creek remains to remind him of this once impossible-to-farm swamp.
LeRoy says Fort Correctionville still existed in his early years but he remembers no Indian trouble.
“But Indians would drive through the country once in a while and stop to beg,” he recalls. But all that is in the past. And LeRoy is not one to dwell on the past except when it effects the future.
Looking through the Blue Book I found a writing from a former Grand Meadow student_Rex Allen. Credit is given to him on the following writing: “School Days at Grand Meadow School 1930-1942”.
When I started first grade, we lived 3 1/2 miles from school. I rode the school bus for 6 months, and then my family moved to within 1/4 mile from school. I walked to school for the next 11 years. The school policy was that the bus didn’t pick up students less than 1/2 mile from school.
My sisters and I walked home each noon for dinner. The other students ate from dinner pails, as there was no hot lunch at that time.
The school teachers in the 1930’s were all single ladies so they lived, two to a room, on the upper floor of the “teacherage”. The male coach had a room on the first floor, along with the janitor and his wife, who cooked all the meals for the teachers.
Living that close to the school, it was interesting to watch all the activities. On Friday evening, the teachers’ parents would pick them up for the weekend and we watched them return on Sunday afternoon.
Entering high school in 1939 was a highlight of my school years. Having to go to separate rooms for each class and a stud half was a bit change from grade school.
Participating in athletics had many memories. Grand Meadow had no girls’ basketball in the early ‘40’s, so we had boys’ first and second teams.
Being on the basketball team, the most outstanding thing was going on the bus to other schools. Ten boys of the first and second teams plus 3 or 4 substitutes, cheerleaders, coach, and maybe 1 or 2 teachers, would be on the bus. If we won both games from a rival team, our bus driver, Leonard Ferrin, would sometimes stop at a cafe in the rival town and buy everyone a treat.
Our class of 1942 was a small class of 13 students, and I think the small school gave us a very good education. Being a small class, we were almost like a “family”, as each of us knew every classmate like a brother or sister. To this day, 54 years later, we are still a close group. Written by Rex Allen, Pierson, IA in 1996.
I hope you enjoyed going back in time with the Grand Meadow School history. The people that have been and are still working to keep it, instead of like some deserted schools, leaving a vacant spot, are to be commended with their hard work.