No. 6, Sec. 23NE; Cover school; Voting place 1958-1990; used as Moorhead LHHA gift shop & etc.
~Source: The Loess Hills Visitor Center in Moorhead has a binder of info on country schools of the area.
Cover Country School Building History
Built perhaps in the late 1920's. Research is not conclusive as records have been moved away with Township Clerks, and burned in fires on more than one occasion. The school closed in 1955 and used after 1958 as a Voting Precinct and Township Hall.
The building would have been torn down and changed into a dwelling or farm building probably, as that is what happened to most of the old school houses. The building was sold by Monona County. Citizens purchased it because of the historic, cultural and economic possibilities.
In the restoration process, it was decided to avoid stripping the many stubborn layers of paint from the wains-coating. To do this the back of the wains-coating was used. Removing the wains-coating was difficult, as it seemed that if one nail would be good, then two or three would be better. And surely a small nail was not adequate, so larger nails were used. So, those techniques resulted in much damaged wains-coating and thus wains-coating was salvaged from other like-type school houses in the area. Leonard Bolton of Dunlap donated wains-coating from old school houses of the same era and style, that he owned, as well as extra woodwork, and doors for the restroom that was added to the restored building. The Johnsons of Moorhead also donated materials from an old school house. Ed Perkins of Woodbine donated materials from a school house in Harrison County. All school houses from which parts were taken were scheduled to be torn down. Over 600 pieces of wains-coating of sanding were furnished by Jerry Hansen. Sander and sandpaper and nailing gun and nails furnished by Country Craftsman of Onawa.
All schools of this “hip and ridge” architecture style had basements. The blocks were laid with poor mortar which gave way and most were lost because of the basement construction. The Cover basement was of poor mortar quality, as well. After the building was lifted off the blocks of the basement walls, the blocks could be just lifted away. According to “Iowa's Country Schools” by Sherman, this type of architecture is generally rare, in Iowa except in western parts. The building still had the “sand-table” in it when purchased.
Myrt Hubbard was one of the committee members overseeing the restoration of the Cover School House. She is the Great Granddaughter of Thomas Cover for whom the school was named.
~History text submitted by volunteer, R. Pickle, located in Cover Country School House, which is now the Loess Hills Visitor Center and Gift shop in Moorhead
