Globe-Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Mason City Centennial Issue
Monday, June 01, 1953, Section 7, Page 25

The Lincoln school was built in 1904 to serve as a high school a legal limit made it impossible to bond the district for the full amount with the result that the school stood without a roof until warrants were issued for completion of the structure at a total cost of about $75,000. . . .

The Lincoln school was destroyed by fire in June of 1911. [The building was struck by lightning which caused the fire.] While classes were moved to Memorial University, plans went ahead for rebuilding.

As far as is known this was the only time the school district made money on a fire. The insurance companies paid the district for a complete loss. By hiring a superintendent the board succeeded in rebuilding at a lesser figure.

When the building was part way up, suit was brought against the district, seeking an injunction against proceeding without competitive bids. The case was tried before Judge J. J. Clark in the district court.

Judge Clark allowed construction to proceed to a point where a roof was provided for the protection of the heating system and then ordered the board to take competitive bids for the remainder. The result was a net saving to the district of several thousand dollars.

The original Lincoln School was built in 1904. Roosevelt Middle school was demolished to make room for a new building, named Lincoln Intermediate School.

3kimt.com

MASON CITY, IA -- A Mason City man wants to change the name of a local school...and he's asking others to sign his petition. Brad TIEDEMANN wants to switch the Lincoln school back to Roosevelt.

He's now asking people to sign his sheet to switch the school's title.

He thinks he's gotten a few hundred to join -- and hopes to reach a thousand.

He says he then plans to present it to the school board. “You just feel like something's been taken away from you," said TIEDEMANN. "You know it's kind of like the heritage thing, you know you even with the new school you know it wasn't the same school that I went to but it was still Roosevelt when they built the new school."

We also spoke by phone with District Superintendent Doctor Anita MICICH. She pointed out that there was a lot of discussion with the re-naming of the school. The name our school campaign was widely publicized and the top five were taken to the school board. She says the board felt it was important to give the new school a new name.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, February of 2011; updated December of 2014; updated October of 2016