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EMPIRE SCHOOL
Rural Delphos, Rice Township, Ringgold County, Iowa
EMPIRE SCHOOL, date unknown
Back Row, left to right: Merle REYNOLDS, Zola (THURMAN) MILLER, Bessie (BRYAN) WALTER, teacher Jeanetta FINCH, Irwin
FINCH, Evelyn FINCH, and Earl THURMAN
Front Row, left to right: R. FINCH, Lloyd REYNOLDS, ___ FINCH, Doyle REYNOLDS, unknown, Vance GEIGER
The Redding Herald
Redding, Ringgold County, Iowa
October 17, 1931
Empire School
Some History of Rural Schools
Many Years Ago
The old Empire school house was located on what is now [1931] the W. J. McQUIGG farm four miles northeast of Redding, was built
more than fifty years ago as near as we can learn. It was located just east of where the McQUIGG house now stands. Two
terms of school were held in a room at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. M. STANTON before the school house was built. The
STANTONS then lived in a log house about a half mile east of where the school house was built across the road and a little
west of the old Milt TRULLINGER place, now owned by Henry RILING. Mr. STANTON does not remember the exact year the school
was built, but it was fifty years or more ago. One of the early teachers was Miss Della ABARR, daughter of Mrs. Ann ABARR
of this place. Except one term at Bunker Hill this is the only school this writer ever attended and we will give a list
of the scholars and teachers as far as we can remember. When we started to Empire school about 1887 or 1888 we believe
the teacher was Miss Ida LEMLEY. At that time the older scholars, those who were about to finish their school work, were;
Loren, Ellen John, Etta TRULLINGER; Nimrod ALBERT; Frank and Nora MICHAEL; Steve, Frank and Eugene GARTIN; Floyd,
Cortez and Austie MAIN; Lee and Jess BARRETT; Blanche and Pearl STEPHENS; William and John HOSFORD; Etta JACOBS.
In later terms we remember those more nearly of our age and younger as follows: Emmitt, Ora, Charlie and Rowe BARRETT; Irving
Aready TRULLINGER; John REYNOLDS; Frank, Bead, Bood and Guy HOSFORD; Frank, Sadie, Roy and Guy MICHAEL; Ralph and Earl
MAIN; Charlie, Eva and Delbert SMITH; Clyde, Harry and Jessie CONKLIN; Billie IMUS; William, Alta, Bessie and Clyde
STEPHENS; Charlie, Alva, Lillis and Lester MICHAEL; Flavel and Bernice MALOY; Nelson MASON; Joe and Nina GREGG; Clarance,
Anna and Susie JACOBS;
Ben and Helen HULL; Elsie Rice, Bill and Jim HAROLD were in the BAIRD school district but they attended Empire school
one term. Later in about 1897 the Empire and Bunker Hill school districts were consolidated and we remember the following
from Bunker Hill who attended Empire School:
George Rolly, Kittie, Guy and Reuben KNIGHT; George, Charlie, May and Owen GRIFFITH and Avis SHOWALTER. Teachers we remember
are: Ida LEMLEY, Nan ARNETT, Geo. ARNETT, John Linzy WRIGHT, John BELLAMY, Charlie AMICK, Hannah LEE, Floyd MAIN and
Ella REYNARD. In passing we must confess that we did not improve our opportunities in those school days as we should have
done, and it did not take long after it was too late to see our mistake. One thing we remember was the recitation of our
spelling lesson. This came once a day, usually the last thing before school closed in the evening. The class, often twelve
or fifteen would all stand in a row in the front of the school house. The teache would start at the head of the class and
pronounce the words to be spelled. If a pupil mispelled (sic) a word the next one lower down would have a chance at it and if
spelled it corectly he would pass and stand in front of the one who missed. The one standing at the head of the class each
evening would get what was called a headmark, and the one who got the most
headmarks at the end of the month got a prize. I remember that I did get a few headmarks but never a prize. I think Aready
TRULLINGER was the best speller at the time I was in this class and Ora BARRETT was a close second. The thing that impressed
me most at that time was a cluster of hedge switches that stood in the southeast corner of the room near the water bucket.
They sure left their mark. Through the help of others we are able to give a list of some of the teachers and scolars (sic)
who taught and attended the school afater it was moved a half mile south, just across the road from the C. L. MALOY place
and where it now stands, having been converted into a residence. Some of the teachers were: Warren WRIGHT, Jessie
CROUCH, Nellie GALLOWAY and Bessie BRYAN. Some of the scholars were: Forest MAIN, Minnie WINNEGAR, Grant and Earl WIRTS,
Roy, Ralph and Austin HARRIS, Dan and Laura RUNDLES, Roy and Zola THURMAN, Margaret GALLOWAY, Orvan, Ethlyn and Jeanette FINCH,
Weldon SMITH, Merle, Lloyd and Doyle REYNOLDS, Verne JENNINGS, Mabel and Clarance GUTHRIE, Russell GRIFFITH, Vance GEIGER.
~ Ralph MAIN.
Submission by Friends of Old Redding
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