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. . . ."

Urbana School is located on its original site. It is the stucco schoolhouse located four miles south of the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 169 at the east edge of Mount Ayr.

Mrs. Irene HOOD was the teacher at Urbana School for the year of 1954-55.

The Andreas book (1875) states, "In the Spring of 1851, an attempt was made to organize the county [Ringgold]. By an act of the Legislature, approved February 4, 1851, John M. ELLIS and Reason WILKINSON were appointed commissioners to locate the seat of justice. On the 26th of June of the same year they reported to the Board of Commissioners of Decatur County, as they were required to do by law, that they had selected a place for the county seat of Ringgold County, and had designated the location by setting a stake about four miles south of the center of said county, and that they had named said county seat Urbana. They further reported that they could not give a more particular description of the place for the reason that the land had not yet been surveyed into sections. Probably at this day nobody knows the exact location of Urbana. This first attempt to organize the county was not a success, doubtless for the reason that it did not contain a sufficient population."

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, February 26, 2015, Page 11

From "Snapshots of History" by Mike Avitt:

"Urbana School was open for the 1959-60 school year. Upon its closing, Mount Ayr Community District acquired the building and used it only for storage.

SOURCES:
Mount Ayr Record-News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa, February 10, 2007

AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past. . .Ringgold County, Iowa 1855-2005 p. 17. Paragon Publications, Inc. Mount Ayr. 2009.

Andreas, A.T. Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa "Ringgold County" Chicago. 1875.

Compilation and 2009 photograph by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2009; updated September of 2015