Allamakee County Rural School Reunion deemed a success ...

The Allamakee County Historical Society hosted an All-County Rural School Reunion Sunday, April 28 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon with a good crowd in attendance (evidenced by the photo far below). Event co-organizer Marcia Rush said more than 150 individuals who actually attended a rural school in Allamakee County signed in at the event’s guest book, with many of them bringing at least one or more family members or friends leading to an estimate around 300 people in attendance. That guest book included attendees from as far away as Iowa City, Wyoming and Marshalltown in Iowa, Eau Claire, WI and Rochester and Fountain in Minnesota, as well as two dozen other closer communities in the tri-state area. Others also took advantage of the opportunity to tour the Little Red School House at the Fairgrounds during the reunion, but opted not to attend the reunion itself.

Rush and fellow event organizers credit Ada Marie Kerndt of Waukon, an Allamakee County Historical Society volunteer, for gathering most of the photographs and information that were on display at the reunion (such as what is pictured directly below). Rush said a great deal more photographs, attendance certificates, school souvenirs (such as the one pictured at right, most of which also had a list of students printed on the back) and lists of students and teachers were brought by those attending the reunion, many of those being scanned and archived to add to the Historical Society’s existing collection. “I don’t think we have any duplications,” Rush said. “I heard a lot of ‘this is my dad’ or ‘my mother taught at this school but I don’t know when.’ We can probably find that answer and even how much she was paid.”

The Allamakee County Historical Society plans to host the reunion again next April and will have a lot more to share at that time regarding rural schools in Allamakee County. Those unable to attend the reunion, or those who may have discovered even more items as a result of attending, are welcome to continue to contribute to the Historical Society’s Rural School Project. The Society will have the Allamakee County Courthouse Museum on Allamakee Street open in June, July and August from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday each week and will have staff available to scan any photos or information that is brought in. Anyone who has photos they took at the April 28 reunion or who has additional information they would like to share regarding any of Allamakee County’s rural schools is also welcome to contact Carolyn Clark at 563-568-3807, Marcia (Moose) Rush at 563-880-3014 or email the Allamakee County Historical Society at info@allamakeehistory.org.