The town of Letts was laid out in the fall of 1855 and within three years there was a need for a school. The first school was held in a private home in the south end of town in the summer of 1858 and taught by Miss Loretta House. Within two years a small school building was built in the same area with Benjamin Furnas as school director.

     In 1876 a drive was started for donations and pledges of money and work from Citizens of Letts and the surrounding area for the purpose of erecting a new and larger school building. Donations ranged from $5 to $100 each. By 1878 a two story brick building was completed for a total cost of $2,000. This building was located north of the railroad track and just west of the present Letts school building. There were three rooms in this building in which Primary, Intermediate, and High school grades were taught by three different teachers. There was one janitor, Mrs Blackwell, known affectionately as “Mammy,” who was the only black person in town. At first, high school only went through the tenth grade, later, through the eleventh grade. The head administrator was called Principal. In 1914 another grade was added to the high school, making Letts School a twelve grade school.

     Letts School became a Consolidated school just prior to 1917-18. Additional classrooms were needed. Two closed country school houses, Wellington and Linn Grove, had already been moved in to Letts to just west of the two story brick school house for additional space. Now that it was a consolidated school the 8th grade graduates from these closed country schools could attend high school in the Letts building without paying tuition. Later Cranston became a part of the Letts Consolidated District.

     On the first day of school in September 1917 ground was broken for the beginning of construction of the present Letts building just east of the two story brick building . Work progressed well and the present building was completed and ready for the beginning of the school year in September 1918.

     Soon the two story old brick school building was taken down and the space used for playground. Fred Feldman, class of 1945, tells of hearing his mother, Clara Blankenhorn, class of 1921, relate the story many times of how she helped her father clean mortar off the bricks from that old school house. The clean bricks were then used by the Blankenhorn family in the construction of the foundation for their new house on the farm southwest of Letts. Their house was built in 1919 and is now the present home of Byron Hafner, class of 1929. Perhaps there are others who recall similar experiences.

     On July 1,1959, Letts joined with Fruitland and Grandview to become the Louisa-Muscatine Community School District. In 1962 the new high school building located southeast of Letts on highway 61, was completed and occupied. The Junior High school was moved to the high school location following the completion of a new addition in 1972. The school building at Letts continued to be used for the lower elementary grades while the upper elementary grades attended school in Grandview. Now in 1991 the citizens of the school district voted to build a new elementary building west of the Louisa- Muscatine High school building and football field. The new building will be for all grades kindergarten through sixth. Work on this project was started in the fall of 1991. In the near future the Letts building will no longer be needed for classrooms.

     There were twenty-seven superintendents through the years. J. M Snyder was the first in 1892 and was known as Principal. School hacks pulled by horses were used to transport students from the country until 1938 when motorized buses were purchased. Arthur Thompson, class of 1921, tells his story about school hacks. Arthur Thompson Relates his memories of early school transportation

     “My dad, Walter, provided his team of horses to pull a school hack. When it thawed and refroze, the roads had deep ruts. It was a rough ride after a freeze, and sometimes the kids would fall on the floor.

     Each hack had a little stove, that the driver supplied with coal on winter days. The stove sat up by the driver. In order for the kids to stay warm they would rotate seats. Even so, the back of the drivers legs would usually get pretty warm. When it snowed we used a bobsled. To do y dad's route we used two bobsleds and split the route. I got to drive the second team. We filled the sleds full of straw and away we'd go.

     I drove a hack one year after I was married and had a family. On days the roads were bad I'd start out at 5 a.m. To get to school by 8:30. I would pick up my daughter, Margaret Ann, along the route. I'd leave my team at the school's horse barn and feed them. Each driver provided his own feed. I'd walk home and then be back at 4 p. m. to take the kids home. I usually got home around 7 or so in the evening.”

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1992 ALUMNI COMMITTEES
Photos

Steering Committee

Front row: Hilda Ziskowsky, Betty Gifford, Richard Turner.

Back row: Dick Paine, Betty Barnes, Wayne Barnes, Betty Houseman, Dale Hafner

Faculty Invitation Committee

Front row: Louise Estle, Hilda Ziskovsky,

Back row: Jack Estle, Bill Newell

Book Committee

Front row: Betty Roudybush,

Second row: Pauline Fuller, Hilda Ziskovsky, Rose Mary Hayes

Third row: Joy McKillip, Pat Tomfield, Joyce Crull, Mary Beth Carey,

Back row: Ted Small