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COTTONWOOD SCHOOL No. 7
Jefferson Township
Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, February 26, 2015, Page 11
From "Snapshots of History" by Mike Avitt:
"When rural schoolhouses were first built in Ringgold County, they were built where the need was
the greatest. But eventually districts were formed and education became organized. It was decided to place a rural school every two miles
so a pupil would never have to walk more than a mile to school. My notes say
[July 1890. . . ] is the time frame when the schools were placed about every two miles. . . ."
Cottonwood School No. 7, Jefferson Township, was located approximately 5 miles east of Diagonal on the Diagonal-Tingley road
and 1 mile south of the Larry ENGLAND corner. The school was named for a large cottonwood tree that stood just south of the
schoolyard.
Cottonwood School, 1924-25
Teacher - Margaret DRISKELL. Students were from the WEEDA, SMITH, CLOUSE, HAMMOND, CHRISTY, and LOCKWOOD families.
Cottonwood School, year unknown
Left to Right: teacher - Irene TODD, Joan CLOUSE, James MUNSINGER, Janice CLOUSE, Larry MINNICK, Jeanette WERNER
Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, February 26, 2015, Page 11
From "Snapshots of History" by Mike Avitt:
"As gravel roads and school buses made rural
schools obsolete, they were sold. . . .Sales were common during the 1950s."
The Cottonwood School closed after the 1954-55 school year with students resuming their education at Diagonal.
Continuing with Mike Avitt's article:
"Jefferson Township schools No.
3 [Mortimer/Nulph School],
4 [Willow Grove School],
6 [Hiawatha School],
7 [Cottonwood], and
8 [Brush Center/Cornith School] were all sold September 26, 1955 at public auction."
Diagonal Progress
Diagonal, Ringgold County, Iowa
September 22, 1955
Five Rural Schoolhouses To Sell at Auction
The Jefferson Township School District will sell at public auction on Monday, September 26, [1949] five rural schoolhouses
in the Diagonal area. The schools, names of which will be familiar to most readers of [The Mount Ayr] Reporter
are Willow Grove, Mortimer, Hiawatha, Cottonwood and Cornith. Also to be sold are the schoolhouse sites, outbuildings, pumps,
and any other equipment remaining after the schools were closed. The sale will be conducted by Mrs. Lola HAILEY,
secretary, and Leland AHBURN, president, with Dennis OWEN of Tingley the auctioneer and Clark SIMPSON, clerk. An
advertisment in this issue of The Reporter gives the time when each building will be sold, and other information of
interest of prosepctive purchasers.
Cottonwood School was moved from its original site to 300 East Jackson Street in Mount Ayr where was used
as a home. In his 2015 article, Mike Avitt
noted, "It was torn down a few years ago, but I got a picture of it before it fell."
Photograph courtesy of Mike Avitt, taken October of 2005
SOURCES:
Mount Ayr Record-News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa, February 10, 2007
Diagonal Progress, Diagonal, Ringgold County, Iowa, Sept. 24, 1981 AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past. . .Ringgold County, Iowa 1855-2005 p. 17. Paragon Publications, Inc. Mount Ayr. 2009.
Diagonal, Iowa: Centennial History p. 227. 1988.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2009; updated April of 2010; updated September of 2015
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