School timeline mega-update: 21st century


June 24, 2017: The rear addition of the Arthur school building is close to the original’s style except for the color of the bricks.

Starting off with a bullet from earlier so the next one makes sense, and admitting a double-entry.

  • Closure of Auburn’s school has been corrected to 1992 (Carroll Times Herald, 12/18/91). Previous entry was incorrect due to an error in a 2014 Times Herald article (lost to link rot).
  • In light of the Auburn date issue, I went double-checking on Danbury. Its closure by the Maple Valley district in 2001 was confirmed through a school board member’s letter to the editor in the 5/24/01 Mapleton Press, as he promoted a bond issue that would result in Danbury getting a new K-5 building. The referendum got positive reaction in Danbury and nowhere else — crushed 3-to-1, with precisely one “yes” vote cast in neighboring Castana (Mapleton Press, 6/14/01)…
    • …which then lost its school in 2004, after a bond issue for a new high school building in Mapleton squeaked by with a nine-vote margin (Mapleton Press, 12/20/01).
  • Earlville’s school was demolished in June 2000 to make way for a new Maquoketa Valley elementary, “but it did put up a fight, as during the demolition process, a hole was accidentally opened up in the gym of the new elementary, after a section of the building fell the wrong way.” (Manchester Press, 6/27/00)
  • Luana’s school closed in 2001 (North Iowa Times, 1/2/02)
  • Grand Mound’s school closed in 2002 (De Witt Observer, 4/24/02), three years after its oldest building was demolished (DWO, 5/12/99)
  • Meriden’s school closed in 2002 (Cherokee Daily Times, 1/23/02) and was demolished in May 2003 (Cherokee Chronicle Times)
  • Harris’ school closed in 2004 (Osceola County Gazette-Tribune, 1/21/04)
  • Volga’s school closed in 2004 (Clayton County Register, 3/31/04)
  • Arthur’s school closed in 2005 (Ida County Courier, 9/17/03)
  • Welton’s school closed in 2005 (De Witt Observer, 6/11/05)
  • West Monona’s Central Elementary, the original Onawa High School, closed in 2013 (Onawa Sentinel, 12/27/12)
  • Mingo’s school closed in 2013 (Newton Daily News, 5/24/13). I believe this was the only one-site town I was missing from the past decade.
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