| The Johnson County's one-room schoolhouse was completed in 1876 during the end of Ulysses S. Grant's second term as President. The primary goal of the schoolhouse was to serve a drastically escalating Coralville population. This schoolhouse was unique in physical design in that it had two floors, plus a basement, and an attic. During the 19th century, the first floor was utilized as a classroom for mixed grades, and the upper floor was chiefly used as a gymnasium. It was not until the late 1920's that the second floor was used as a classroom. The 1877 Report declared the brick schoolhouse to have an estimated value of $3000.00. |
Click to view larger image:Blueprints of the building |
The schoolhouse did not have any water fountains during the 19th century. In fact, there was no running water in the school until around the 1930's. |
The initial interior of the schoolhouse was fairly similar to most rural one-room schoolhouses. There were four rows of desks facing the teacher, and a cast-iron bellied stove in the center of the classroom. The central placement of the stove was thought to provide the best distribution of heat. Typical furniture at a rural one-room schoolhouse would include a blackboard at the front and back of the room, desks, teacher's chairs and tables, and curtains. |
| An American Flag would have most likely hung somewhere in the classroom. However, an Iowa state flag would not have been displayed at the schoolhouse until the 1920's. The flag would not have been seen until this time period because Iowa did not have a recognized state flag until around the 1920's. |
http://www.photohome.com/pictures/flag-pictures/american-flag-2a.jpg |
Courtesy of the Johnson County Historical Society