Woodside School
The day I took the photos of those cute goats, Click HERE in case you missed it. I had actually gone to that site to take photos of this old country schoolhouse. The goats were just a bonus.
Back when the earth was young, I attended first and second grade in that schoolhouse - but not at that location. After the country schools consolidated c.1956, a nearby farmer bought the building and hauled it to his farm to use as a granary and later for storage. As you can see, it's a little worse for wear.
Some of you may be surprised to learn that I'm not the only person still living who attended country schools like this.
At the front of the building was the cloak room. You can see the door there in the middle. We entered by that door, hung our coats on hooks along the wall, got a drink of water from a galvanized metal bucket and dipper, and managed to get all our contagious childhood diseases out of the way at an early age.
Interior of a Country School
Barron County Historical Society Museum
The interior of our school looked similar to this one, except I remember ours being more crowded and not nearly as neat. Maybe that's because ours was full of kids.
Like this one
I don't remember if my mother cut my bangs or if
my brother cut them with his jackknife.
I don't remember if my mother cut my bangs or if
my brother cut them with his jackknife.
What I remember most about country school:
1. Getting to sit at a double desk, next to one of the big kids who helped me with my spelling words.
2. The teacher making popcorn in the basement and serving it in colorful cottage cheese cartons on days that it was too rainy or too cold to go out.
3. The cute boy who got to raise the flag in the morning. I think he ended up in jail.
4. The nice kids who gave me their chocolate goiter (iodine) tablets. Loved those things!
5. Neighborhood parties and softball games held at the school
6. My lunchbox lunch: a tomato, a boiled egg, and tiny Morton S&P shakers to use.
7. Getting hit by a line drive to center field, by one of the dads at the end-of-year school picnic.
8. Falling out of a swing and breaking my arm because a mean kid jerked the chain on my swing. (Don't worry, I got a ton of mileage out of that one.)
9. Walking the mile to and from school - uphill both ways, of course,
with my mean brothers running on ahead. ;-)
with my mean brothers running on ahead. ;-)
10. Workbooks. I liked them!
The Bell Tower of Woodside School
Unfortunately, the big old school bell is no longer in the bell tower. I hope someone's enjoying it. I kinda wished it were me.
Woodside, sign above the door
***
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30 comments:
I loved looking at those photo's! I had the same bangs - lol! I remember my mom putting scotch tape over them on my forehead and cutting above the tape. Funny, she always decided to do that before school pictures!
Oh how cool.
I just love this post.
I so love old buildings.
The treasured stories they hold.
What a wonderful photo of you too.
Thank you for sharing.
Woolie Love
Trace
www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com
Nice memories. We visited a little school house in our town. So charming.
Love this post, Mom. :) also, I didn't know that the goiter tablets tasted were flavored! That explains a lot; I always just thought you had a strange craving for iodine. :p
I thoroughly enjoyed your post! Love the photos. I think I had those same bangs, too (still do!). LOL
oh such a great post, I went to a school such as his, you brought back happy memories, beautifully written,
I love it! What a special post. Love the school pictures. Love the popcorn in the cottage cheese container story! How wonderful!
What a lovely post ... loved the lunch contents, pretty darn healthy, eh? The pics of the school room are priceless, thanks for sharing!
the one I attended was very much like this but twice as long, it had been divided into 3 rooms, 3 grades in each room, same desk same floors. and i to walked up over the mountain and down the other side, so it was uphill both ways, we lived in the valley, walked up andover and down into the valley where the school was. in the snow, rain, sleet and the heat was from coal stoves, plus we had outhouse not indoor plumbing, two in fact, one for boys and one for girls. and the water was pumped with a hand pump into a bucket with only one dipper for every one to use.
Your post brought back memories of my school days, I loved those little Morton salt shakers.
I love this post, Mom!! Do more like this. I want to hear more of your stories. :)
That was one of the most delightful stories I have ever read. I have to say, It was like watching Little House on the Prairie. May I also say you don't look a day over 45! You are beautiful! The photos... the story... you should write books...
Oh ya... And a tomato and boiled egg for lunch? I have to tell my kids that one! They will freak out! You should see what they took to lunch! Pizza, oreos, crackers, chips...
What Angela said. Write more stories like this. I wish I knew all the stories about my mom. I have so many questions I can't ask her. =(
Oh, and I have to tell ya, speaking of Oreos and such: When my mom made chocolate chip cookies, she made chocolate 'chip' cookies. She had grown up during the depression and wasn't about to be extravagant with chips plural. (Okay, a very slight exaggeration here, but nothing like the gazillion chocolate chips I put in my cookies. You actually had to hunt for the chocolate chips in hers!)
Your school house reminded me of the old school house I attended for a couple of years while living in Elba, population 50. It was an old square red brick building with a bell on the top. Only one room was used then and every row of desk was a different grade. There were five rows so it was first through the fifth grade. When I was in 3rd grade, there were only three of us in that row.
When I was in country school (also prehistoric 1950's), I was the only kid in my grade until 5th grade when someone moved into our area. Can be teachers pet and the worst kid in class at the same time.;-)
I love this post! What a beautiful building.
Such a beautiful and sweet school and piece of history! Love it! Thanks for sharing! xo Heather
What a beauty! Too bad someone can't restore it and live in it. Love the front door with the transom light over it.
Such fun memories!
You were such a cutie, and what great memories.
Love the part about contagious diseases getting out of the way.
LOL.
Jen
Oh, I so enjoyed your post! Oh, those really were the good ole days! I didn't go to this country school but your mother cut my bangs! heehee! Why do we all have photos of short bangs? I think my mother kept trying to get them even until they were no more! lol I sure have wonderful memories of elementary school. I loved workbooks and readers. I loved school!
I am completely jealous that you got to attend a school like that! My two youngest lovelies and I always loved the school house in Little House on the Prairie and wished we could live in Walnut Grove. There's an old school downtown Charleston that was attended by African Americans WAY back in the day but it's not near as quaint.
This was an extremely interesting post - I loved reading about one road school houses and try to think back to a time like that. And the picture of you - so cute. Now what are chocolate goiter (iodine) tablets? sandie
Fun post! Thank you for sharing.
Those are fantastic pictures, Judy.. love the one of you!! :) I must say, this brings back such great memories... there was a tiny little town, next to our little bit bitter than tiny town that had a school just like this.. it's still there too.. although it probably should be condemned! Doesn't look as nice as that one in the pictures.
My friend, I do not remember you ever telling me you went to Woodside. I did not know Woodside School was still intact today. I thought it had been torn down years ago. I almost cried when I read your post and I had memories that flooded back to me from when I attended school there. I was 5 and 6 years old. I remember the awesome Christmas get-togethers when it seemed like the whole neighborhood turned out to watch our Christmas program. My classmates and I sang my favorite song as a small girl...Go Tell It On The Mountain. I fondly remember the woodshed and we played Annie, Annie Over The Woodshed. We had a steel railing to hang onto as we climbed the steps up to the school door and one winter I learned not to put your lips on a frozen piece of steel as it will not go well with you. (learned the hard way) Thank you for the sweet memories. Please will you make me copies of the photos? I would be so grateful. :)
My friend, I do not remember you ever telling me you went to Woodside. I did not know Woodside School was still intact today. I thought it had been torn down years ago. I almost cried when I read your post and I had memories that flooded back to me from when I attended school there. I was 5 and 6 years old. I remember the awesome Christmas get-togethers when it seemed like the whole neighborhood turned out to watch our Christmas program. My classmates and I sang my favorite song as a small girl...Go Tell It On The Mountain. I fondly remember the woodshed and we played Annie, Annie Over The Woodshed. We had a steel railing to hang onto as we climbed the steps up to the school door and one winter I learned not to put your lips on a frozen piece of steel as it will not go well with you. (learned the hard way) Thank you for the sweet memories. Please will you make me copies of the photos? I would be so grateful. :)
Fun photos, Judy. Our school had cloakrooms, too. Maybe it's a WI thing? It sure was a great spot for all those wet, soggy snowpants and boots! My school still exists too, but I don't know what it looks like inside now. My dad went there too, as it served as the high school in his day.
Lovely memories; I really enjoyed reading this post. I think we all had to suffer a fringe/bangs like that at some point!
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