of
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| History of Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume I, 1911, page 352
OLD SCHOOL NO. 1. We always thought the reason it was called old No. 1 was because it was the first large schoolhouse built in the town. We have lately learned it was so designated from the number of the school district, there having been two districts, the northern called No. 1, and the southern, No. 2. District No. 2, however, built the first large brick schoolhouse in the state of Iowa. It was 40x45 feet and two stories in height. It was torn down after the present First Ward school building was completed beside old No. 2. Muscatine also has the honor of having had the first graded school system in Iowa. It was a primitive sort of grading when compared to its present perfected system.
The year following the destruction of old No. 1 schoolhouse, we found a school home in the upper stories of St. Clair's pop factory, on Fourth street, a square east of the court house. Whenever I see people drinking pop, I think of the black refuse drainage flowing away from that old pop factory building. I think Mr. St. Clair was very glad when his year's contract with the school board had expired, for we never got back there again. We were given about three months' extra vacation until the new building was ready for occupancy. The top of the hill had been graded off and the present Third Ward building was built upon the site of "Old Number One."
Back to Historical Index Page