MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA SCHOOL NEWS

Source: Muscatine Journal, September 1, 1959 page 15
Submitted by Lynn McCleary, January 15, 2013

CORWIN SCHOOL MOVED TO GRANDVIEW
Photo of School being moved.

Here’s the Corwin school building, which formerly served a Fruitland township district, on its way to a new location at Grandview. It was necessary to stop at intervals along the 12 mile trip to raise electric wires, as shown.

TWO HISTORIC MUSCATINE ISLAND SCHOOOLS MOVE TO NEW L-M DISTRICT

With the trend in this area toward school consolidations, many of the one-room rural schools which formerly served the educational needs of their districts have been converted to other uses … some into homes. But two Muscatine Island schools, which have been in use for three-quarters of a century or longer, although no longer in use in the districts in which they served their educational purpose for so many years, are still going to be a part of the educational program for pupils of the area.

They are the Corwin school and the Fruitland school buildings. The pupils who formerly attended these two schools attending the new Louisa-Muscatine district schools this year. Parts of seven districts in the two counties are in the new district, which opened its fall term Monday, using facilities at Grandview and Letts. Corwin, Fruitland and Green Valley schools of Muscatine county and Hopewell and Westport districts in Louisa county are among these districts.

At Grandview, classes are held for pupils of kindergarten through the fifth grades and the four high school classes. At Letts classes are held for pupils of kindergarten through fifth grades, as well as six, seventh and eighth grades. The former rural school buildings of the Corwin and Fruitland districts will supplement the facilities at Grandview. Richard Paine, superintendent at Grandview, reposts that the Corwin school, which is reputed to be about 100 years old, will be used as a band room. The former Fruitland school is to be utilized for shop purposes.

The Corwin school was loaded upon a trailer last week and moved to the Grandview school grounds. This week the Fruitland building made a similar trip. Both are being placed on temporary block foundations, and as soon as wiring is completed, put into service, Supt. Paine reports. Jerry Goodwin, Wayland, handled the moving job.

Long-time residents of Muscatine Island weren’t able to supple the date when the Corwin school was erected. Theodore Drake, Fruitland, who will note this 89th birthday next March, recalls that he attended the Corwin school for one year when he was a boy.

Regarding the Fruitland school Drake remembers that it was built in about 1884-making it 75 years old. Other Muscatine Island residents have estimated that the Corwin school must be about 100 years old.

And, conceding that the school is near the century mark in age, for at least two-thirds of the time it numbered a Shoultz among its pupil’s, it is recalled by W. J. Shoultz. Mr. Shoultz who’s nearing 67, recalls starting to school at the Corwin building about 62 years ago when he was five years of age. Other in the family also attended the school, including children and grandchildren of W. J. Shoultz in the intervening years.