Spurrier (a.k.a. Barr) School No. 2

Fayette Township, Decatur County, Iowa

Photograph courtesy of Sharon R. Becker for Decatur County IAGenWeb
Originally known as the Barr School, the Spurrier School was established in the 1870's. It was located two blocks west and one-half block south of Liberty Hall in Lamoni. Later, when the Spurrier family owned the land, the school was renamed the Spurrier School.

Some of Joseph Smith III's children likely attended the Spurrier School after the family moved to Lamoni in 1881. This would have included his children Hale, Israel, Bertha Azuba, and Lucy Yeteve. Because David Carlos and Mary Audentia were older, they probably attended Lamoni's temporary school. Bertha Azuba Smith was accidently injured in the Spurrier school yard which caused her death shortly before her sixth birthday.

By 1890, Lamoni's town schools were graded.

Spurrier School was closed in 1930 and was used a polling site. It was also used for community gatherings.

When Dale and Frances Moon owned the farm in the 1970's, the school building was in poor condition. The Moons did not want to see the building destroyed because some of the family had attended the school. They gave the building to Liberty Hall in 1973-74. It was moved onto it's present site west of Liberty Hall and was preserved. Willard and Walter Moon are remembered with their names written on two lunch buckets.

At one time there was a stack of bricks in the middle of the room which was used as a chimney. Because the Spurrier School was two buildings which had been joined together, there were two places for chimneys. Today no one knows which chimney was used or where the pot belly stove was situated. Today there is a bookshelf located in the middle of the room.

Spurrier School has been restored and serves as a one-room school museum. Housed in the school are maps, old grade cards, whips which were used to punish students, and some slate pencils. Because chalk took up too much space, students used slate pencils to write on their own personal slate boards. Geography cards were used with the maps to teach the pupils about different places in the world.

Photograph courtesy of Sharon R. Becker for Decatur County IAGenWeb
 
Original page created by Sharon Becker, 2014; reformatted by Conni McDaniel Hall, Oct 2019.
 
Schools Directory *** Decatur County IAGenWeb