Teachers and staff walked into Iola Elementary School on Wednesday morning to find the new building transformed in a tribute to history.
One stretch of the long, main hallway near the office had been filled with photographs and graphic art boards.
Each photo marked a moment in time, showing the transition of Iola schools from the very beginning in 1868.
The display had been set up overnight as part of a project undertaken by Donna Houser with help from local historian Clyde Toland and Superintendent Stacey Fager, who all contributed to the research and hunted down the photos.
SJCF, the architecture firm that designed the school, also designed the display and made the photos and graphics. A crew from Coonrod & Associates, the Wichita construction team that oversaw the building of the school, set up the display.
The project took six months.
“We kept going back and forth, trying to find out the exact dates, track down photos and determine which photo went with which school,” Fager said.
Houser would present him with information about dates, then they consulted Toland to verify information. It wasn’t easy, as some local historical records weren’t always in agreement.
“It turned out really well. Better than I ever expected,” Houser said, overjoyed to see the final project.
Some of the photos were taken from postcards, carefully restored and reprinted on durable wooden boards rather than canvas so they will hold up to the curious hands of children who walk past the wall.
The first photo dates back to the late 1800s. The building served as the “All School” from 1868 to 1884. The photo shows two bell towers in front of the building. One of those bells is believed to be the same bell that previously was featured outside Jefferson Elementary School and now sits in front of IES. It was restored over the summer.
The next photo is also called “All School,” with the dates of 1885 to 1898 on the left side. But on the right side, it shows “South School” with the dates 1898 to 1902.
So why the two names?
Well, as another photo reveals, in 1898 a new school was built called the North School. The name “All School” was no longer true, and you can’t have a South School without a North.
Unfortunately, the North School burned in 1901.
The South School would live on, renamed Jefferson in 1902 and disguised with a new, white stucco exterior. It was the same school, but looks very different in the two photos.
Such were the issues Fager, Houser and Toland needed to resolve.
Between 1901 and 1903, Iola built four other schools: Washington, Garfield, Lincoln and McKinley. None remain standing.
The display also features the original LaHarpe School from 1898 to 1955, and the Gas School from 1905 to 1959. A new LaHarpe school was built in 1977 and closed in 2009; it’s now the LaHarpe City Hall. A new Gas school was built in 1961 and closed in 1995; it’s now a community building.
New Lincoln and Jefferson schools were built in 1940 as part of the Works Project Administration (WPA), a New Deal effort.
A new McKinley was built in 1952. It was the last new school constructed until IES opened this fall.
IES replaces Lincoln, Jefferson and McKinley. A developer plans to convert all three into apartments and other types of housing.
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