This one-room country school was similar to those Harriet attended until she graduated from eighth grade. Usually children within a two mile radius attended. One teacher taught all eight grades including the music and physical training. Often attendance was high, thirty or more students were common. Students learned from younger and older students as they read and recited.

Water for drinking was carried by pail from a farm near the school. We all drank from a shared metal dipper, thus we also shared childhood diseases: mumps, measles, and whooping cough.

Toilets were outside - one for the boys and one for the girls. Usually they were a brisk, cold walk away in the wintertime. Outdoor recess games besides baseball were: Anti-I-Over; Pump-Pump-Pull-Away; Hide-and-Seek; Mother, May I; Statue or Shadow Tag; Too Late for Supper; Red Rover; and in winter; Fox and Geese; or sliding downhill on sleds, either sitting up using one’s feet to steer, or “belly-flopping” - start to run, then flop down onto the sled in a prone position, steering with one’s hands. Some indoor games were Grandmother’s Fruit Basket Upside Down; Eraser Snatch; Poor Pussy; Hangman; and Button-Button, Who’s Got The Button.

Iowa Basic Skills tests were taken to determine whether students passed to the next level. The tests were given during an all-day session in Decorah.

School programs were held. Students dressed up and acted out parts for various characters in plays. Usually, plays had a moral, were comically presented, and often had several acts. Dialogues, songs, recitations, and poems changed the pace of the programs which were usually well attended by families and friends of the participants. For the big night, a stage was set up and curtains were strung across the front. Students had their best papers and art work put on display. Light was furnished by lanterns and lamps brought from homes of the participants. Harriet recalls a box social when the girls prepared a lunch to share with the person who bid the highest when the boxes were auctioned. Boxes for the lunches were colorfully decorated and had to contain special foods. It was fun and exciting.

After completing eighth grade, Harriet went to Decorah High School. She worked for Bolson Feed Company and attended Luther College, where she also worked in the library. She earned her teaching degree, taught in Osage, Clear lake, and Cedar Rapids, IA. After receiving her BA at the University of IA in 1962 she moved to Colorado where she taught in Fountain.

She married Burlin Fayne in 1964. They moved to North Carolina where Harriet established and instructed a class for educationally handicapped in Thomasville. They returned to CO. Harriet earned a Master’s Degree at the University of CO. She taught in Security and Colorado Springs. After 31 1/2 years teaching junior high and elementary she retired and assists her husband in his real estate and property management business.

Feickert, Theodore and Irene (Meyer)

(Irene Feickert)

Irene and Ted Feickert

Theodore “Ted” Feickert was born 19 Nov 1915 in Leola, SD, the son of Jacob and Selma (Selzle) Feickert. Ted was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church near his home. He grew up on the farm and attended the rural school. In the spring of 1937 he came to IA with his cousins, the Limkemann family. They got jobs in Winneshiek Co. and this became his home.

On 1 Oct 1940 Ted married Irene Emma Ede Meyer. Irene was born 1 Oct 1921 in Allamakee Co. near Postville, the daughter of Victor C. and Emma (Willman) Meyer. Irene was confirmed and baptized in the St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville, IA. She attended a rural school near her home.

Like many farmers of that era, the Feickerts were farm renters and they found that 1 Mar was moving day several times during their married life. They first were tenants on the Rolland Heins farm south of Postville. Then they farmed for Roy Learn near Clermont. Next they farmed near Nordness. After that they farmed in Bloomfield Twp. on the farm owned by Irene’s grandfather, William Willman. They were then asked to come back to Nordness to farm, which they did. From there they moved to the Koth farm in Bloomfield Twp. When they were farming on the Koth farm they had a farm sale and retired from farming in 1972.

At this time Ted began working for Riley's Construction, Ossian, IA where he worked for 13 years. Irene was a cook at Livingood’s Restaurant in Frankville for 27 years. Ted and Irene are retired and living in Frankville. They have been married for 55 years, have 9 children, 24 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Their children are as follows: (The first 3 were born in Postville; the others in Decorah.)

Norma Jean  married Wayne Hemry 14 Jan 1961. They are the parents of Terry, Stacy, Brenda and Rodney. Joyce Ann married Milton Nelson 15 Jul 1961. They are the parents of Ricky, Kent, Brian, Chad and Jason. Judy Irene  married