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DELPHOS HIGH SCHOOL
Delphos High School, Delphos, Ringgold County, Iowa
The first schoolhouse in the Delphos vicinity was located 1/2 a mile south of the town site at the cross roads. A second
schoolhouse was two-roomed building located 1/4 of a mile south of town which had at one time 70 students.
Absolom Roy BAIRD was the founder of the Delphos
School District and served on the first board of education.
Around the years of either 1910 or 1912, the people of Delphos realized that they needed to look toward the future
and
consolidate the grade schools. However, this realization turned into a bitter dispute. Finally the townspeople
voted to
consolidate the schools. At a cost of $25,000, a new three-story rug-face brick schoolhouse was built in
1916. Thorwald THORSON from Forest City, Iowa was the architect and H. F. JONES from Cedar Rapids, Iowa was the
contractor. The first school board was G. W. SEFRIT, president; Fran VARNER, secretary; S. C. RICE, treasurer; and
L. B. STEDMAN, C. H. SPENCER, L. H. STEPHENS, and F. R. BAIRD. 
TWICE A WEEK WEEKLY
Mount Ayr, Iowa
April 06, 1915
DELPHOS - Mr. and Mrs. Frank VARNER, Betha FRIGGITH, Pearle BRAMON, Amy SEFRIT, Mayme BLUNK, Madge SPENCER, Bessie SEFRIT, George AGEE, Clyde RICE, Percy SPENCER, George LINK, Charlie SEFRIT and Merritt SPENCER returned Saturday morning from Kellerton, where they had been to give their play.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2015
TWICE A WEEK WEEKLY
Mount Ayr, Iowa
March 12, 1921 RICE TOWNSHIP
Meeting held at RICE CENTER vote 16 to 6 to consolidate rural schools. Also voted $500 for addition on DELPHOS SCHOOL.
School roads to be established leading north and south from District #6 Schoolhouse.
Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Iowa
Thursday, October 17, 1940
DELPHOS - The junior play "Second Story Peggy" will be presented October 25. The students who will take part are Rosella COCHRAN, Doris TRIMBLE, Georgia LIVESAY, Medlyn VAUGHN, Joe SEATON and Robert HARMAN, juniors; Paul RHODES, sophomore and Charles FITZGERALD, freshman.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2015
Delphos could easily boast of her excellent
basketball teams. The boys won several county tournaments and went to the 1926 Iowa State Boys Tournament with
coach "Pop" VARNER and teammates Everett GEIGER, Clifford MATTEHWS, Bill SEFRIT, Orville POLLEY, and Spurgeon VARNER.
The 1923 girls team went to the Iowa State Girls Tournament by invitation and again in 1924 by winning their game.
The teammates in 1923 were Alice FISHER, Audrey SEFRIT, Gladys BRAMON, Arlene GEIGER, Vera SEFRIT, and Cleo POLLEY,
with coach Omar VARNER.
Teammates in 1924 were Vera SEIFERT, Arlene GEIGER, Goldie MATTHEWS, Eula McQUIGG, Cleo POLLEY, and Elva SWETT, with
coach Harold HERMAN.
The Delphos High School also won several dramatic contests.
The first graduating class in 1919 were seniors John AGEE, Marion FISHER Consuella HUFFMAN, and Madge SPENCER. The
last graduating class in 1953 were seniors Maxine GARNER, Dean ALLEN, Jim DAVIS, Gail WEBB, and Keith DEARDORFF.
A class graduated every year at Delphos High School with the exception of 1951. After 1953, the high school students
from Delphos attended Mount Ayr High School. The grade school students attended classes at Delphos school until
it was closed in 1961. After 1961 the grade school students attended reorganized schools of the district.
The Delphos Schoolhouse was sold to Ralph PRITCHETT. It is no longer standing.
DELPHOS BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM
The first annual Ringgold County Basketball Tournament was held on February 28 and March 1 of 1919, at the Mount Ayr High
School gymnasium. Teams from Kellerton, Mount Ayr, Delphos, Diagonal, Ellston, Shannon City, and Tingley played for the
championship which was won by Ellston High School prevailing with 62 points over Diagonal's 19 points.
Superintendent Frank CLARK
Kneeling, left to right: Ernest BLACK, Merrit SPENCER,
Otto BRAMON,
Paul ANDERSON, Louie SEFRIT
Front: Frank SEFRIT and Lloyd REYNOLDSOn February 28, 1920, Delphos won the Ringgold County Championship, beating Mount Ayr by 31-18.
Winter road conditions
bad roads prevented the Delphos and Beaconsfield High School teams from participating in the 1922 Ringgold County Boys'
Basketball Tournament. Additionally, small pox epidemic had swept through western Ringgold County, causing several
delays and the relocation to Arispe in Union County. At the 1924 Ringgold County Tournament, Delphos won the championship
over Mount Ayr (22-21) under the direction of coach
"Pop" Omer Clay VARNER. This was the first of many championship titles for
Coach VARNER's teams.
Boys Basketball Team, 1926
Iowa State Tournament Team, Coach Omar "Pop" VARNER
Team members" Everett GEIGER, Spurgeon VARNER, Cliff MATTHEWS, Hagen FERRELL, Edwin POLLEY, Orville POLLEY, Bill SEFRIT
Delphos won the 1926 championship, defeating Kellerton High School 13-10. Players VARNER and POLLEY
from Delphos High made the all-county first team. In 1927, Delphos again claimed the county championship title,
defeating Beaconsfield High School 36-16. This was Delphos' third consecutive championship title under the direction of
"Pop" VARNER. Again players VARNER and POLLEY were selected for the all-county first team. In 1928, Beaconsfield upset
the title by defeating Delphos 27-23. Referee WHEELER of the Des Moines YMCA selected forward POLLEY from Delphos for the
all-county first team. The Delphos team enjoyed a good run under the direction of Coach VARNER. From 1924 to 1928, the
team finished first 3 times and second once. At the 1934 Ringgold County Tournament, Referee BOYER selected player
CRAFT from Delphos High School to be on the all-county first team. In 1941, although Ellston defeated Delphos (43-36)in
the consolation game, Delphos forward Marven Cavender played an outstanding game, scoring 32 of Delphos' 36 points.
Delphos did not enter the 1946, 1947, and 1948 Ringgold County Tournaments for some reason. In the 1953 tournament,
Beaconsfield defeated Delphos in the consolation game 63-27. What was amazing about this game was that Beaconsfield's entire
junior and senior classes were on the team - 1 senior and 2 juniors - with the other players from the sophomore and
freshman classes. Delphos did not enter in the 1955 tournament. Nor did they enter again.
Delphos' Basketball Teams and individual team members
Photograph by Sharon R. Becker, 2009
Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, September 26, 1991
The old was going down while the new was going up in Ringgold county this week. A bulldozer helped make the old Delphos school building collapse.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2016
Sources:
photograph albums of Pearle V. (BRAMON) FOLAND
Delphos Centennial: 1880-1980
Twice-A-Week News, March 12, 1901
AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past. . .Ringgold County, Iowa 1855-2005
Pp. 60-1, 64, 81. Paragon Publications,
Inc. Mount Ayr. 2009.
Photographs and transcription by Sharon R. BECKER, 2008; updated September & October of 2015
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