Woodside Country School, Barron County

 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.

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. ;-)

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

Every time I drive to Rice Lake, I pass another of Barron County's old country schools, one that's been converted to living quarters. But when I was a kid, it was a school. Africa School. I have no idea why it was called Africa School, but even today, I enjoy telling people that I drive past Africa on my way to Rice Lake.

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