Decatur County IAGenWeb Schools

Boothtown School No. 1

Hamilton Township, Decatur County, Iowa

In the eastern part of the township Robert BOOTH settled on a farm of several hundred acres in 1854. He had a mill and also a store, and was the first postmaster of the Spring Valley office. The little hamlet which sprang up about his place of business was variously known as Boothtown or El Dorado. This was on the east side of Little River.

Before a regular school was established in the neighborhood the children used to go to their home of an evening to be instructed in the rudiments of reading and writing.

SOURCE: CAMPBELL, Duncan. "Hamilton Township Before the War." History of Decatur County and Its People. Vol. I. Chapt. IV. Pp. 41-2. S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. Chicago. 1915.

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Boothtown School 1894	Boothtown School 1898 - 1899	Boothtown School1915 Certificate of Award	Boothtown School 1901 - 1910
Contributed by Ron Davis	Verna Linden, Mary Hayes, Vie Stover, Pearl Stover, Gracie Dale, Walter Morey - teacher, Ray Dale, Roy Dale, Charles Pullen, George Inman, Homer Pullen, Mable Stover, Glada Dale, Nellie Pullen, Walter Donnley, Ross Dale, Lesley Pulen, Fay Linden, Morris Linden, Willard Stover, Louis Hayes, Walter Stover, Oscar Hayes	Certificate of Award Dale Davis A pupil of the Public School of Decatur County, Iowa, is awarded this Certificate for being Neither Absent Nor Tardy from school during the time of four months, and is therefore entitled to this Award of Honor. Given at Leon, Iowa, the 7 day of January, 1915. (cannot read who signed it) Contributed by Ron Davis	Ella Conrey - teacher, Marie Brown, Fay Linden, Glada Dale, Willard Stover, Larence Linden, Tom Brown, Ruby Brown, Walter Stover, Ree Dale Submitted by Glada Waffle
Boothtown School 1927	Boothtown School 1936	Boothtown School 1941 - 1942
Dean Brown, Kenneth Brown, Edward Mahoney, Reva Dale, Junior Dale, Donald Baldwin, Coy Dale, Lester Cowles, Charles Dale, Maxine Smith, Harold Cowles, Clair Brown, Dorothy Henderson, Dean Baldwin, Velva Smith, Velda Dale, Marie Smith, Hilda Dale, Irene Dale, Wayne Baldwin, Glenda Dale, Clare Dale, Dale Henderson, Margarete Mahoney, Mansel Smith, Kathryn Mahoney, Vera Little - teacher Submitted by Marie Beck	Carl McDaniel, teacher John Bissell Kerrins, Wayne Short, Kenneth Brown, Junior Dale, Anna Jean Mahoney, Hallie Short, Darwin Miller, Alta Dale, Cecile Hamilton, Lawrence Brown, Junior Brown, Don Short, Darrell Hamilton, Donald Hamilton, Leland Brown, Lyle Brown. Submitted by Alta Dale McDaniel	Argel Wells, teacher Wilma Jackson, Colleen Hitchcock, Lucile Hitchcock, Gary Hill, Raymond Hitchcock, Larry Hill, Marilyn Dale

Entertainment at the school in the early years included libraries, spelling bees, and geography hunts. A few of teachers called to mind: Eunice Dunham Dale, Kate Ogden, Etta Campbell Van Horn, Cora Sylvester, Dudley Dale, Sylvia Vandel, Blanch Leeper Inman, Olive Evans, Vera Little, Ella Conrey, Amy Bagley, Blanch Marshall Mills, Walter Morey, Herbert Cozad, Ada Phelps, Mildred Turpen Reeves, Mrs. George Johnson, LaVera Landphair Cowles.
Submitted by Gracie Cowles.

Original page created by Sharon Becker 2013; transcribed and reformatted by Conni McDaniel Hall Nov 2019.

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