Virginia School, Monticello, Kansas

Virginia School, Monticello, Kansas
Creator: Compton, Roy
Date: 1899
This is a photo of the Class of 1899, Virginia School, District #33, Monticello Township, Johnson County, Kansas. The school was opened around 1865 and was probably named for the wife of Isaac Parrish, who was the leader of the Virginia Town Company. The last class held at this school was in 1962. Those in the picture are (R-L, back row)Miss Matty Hoy (teacher), Joe Curry, Alvin Hodges, Alice Hodges, Ernest Brokaw, Ethel Daniel, Lena Woodward, Florida Brokaw, Charles Hodges, Harry Wagner, Milton Wagner, (R-L, front row) Joe Moffitt, David Hodges, John Wagner, Clyde Moffitt, Hattie Mize, Gertie Coker, Ola Brokaw, unidentified Brokaw, and Earl Frisbie. The photo was taken by Roy Compton. 

Hattie Adelin Mize, (b. 2 Jul 1890, d. Sep 1969 m, 27 Oct 1917), is the 5th child from the left. 

She was the daughter of James Harvey. and Mary Ann "Polly" Parker Mize. She was only 6mos old when her mother rescued her and her sister, Daisy, from their burning home, even though Mary Ann herself was fatally burned by the explosion of a gas fire while she was cooking dinner. Mary Ann died 11 days later leaving Hattie and her sister. Hattie went to live with an aunt and uncle, Henry and Sarah Ann Dubois Mize. Daisy L. Mize, was raised by another aunt and uncle, William and Martha S. Mize Reitz. (I will post more about Daisy, including a transcription of her will later.)

Hattie married Orlando Shuey "Orlie" Albright, 27 Oct 1917

My grandmother, Alwilda "Wilda" Mize Chesney, (b. 19 Sep 1869, d. 13 Dec 1953, m. 14 Feb 1893) probably went to this school as well as she born in Monticello, and lived there until she went to Baker University and married Edward Kent Chesney.

The original photo at the top of this post is included in this photo display that hangs on the wall of the restored school house.

 The school was built in 1877 on the corner of 71st Street and Clare Road as part of the Johnson County School District and was named School #33. Opened for class in January 1878, this schoolhouse soon became a center for culture and community for people of all ages. Besides being a home for grades 1-8, the little building housed religious services and a Sunday school. Louis A. Gleason conducted a writing school and the building was home to a Lyceum—a popular 19th century institution where the community enjoyed debates and programs. 

Around 1900, when school districts were upgrading their one-room schoolhouses, Virginia added a vestibule to buffer outdoor winds and a place where students could hang their coats, leave their lunches, use the wash basin, and find drinking water. 

 

The school was in continuous operation as a one room school from that time until 1962, with an enrollment that did not exceed 30 students per year for grades 1-8. In 1962, the school became part of the DeSoto Unified School District and has been preserved by the Monticello Historical Society. The Virginia School building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2004 and moved a year later to its current location on the grounds of the Mize Elementary School. 

Moving Day for the Virginia School House. This photo display hangs on the wall of the restored school house.

Below is a photo of the Virginia School where it is now located at 73rd and Mize Road in western Shawnee County, Kansas. The following photos were taken in 2015 during my visit to Monticello.

These photos were taken Jul 2014. All the furnishings are NOT original, or even correct for the period. However, they give you a good idea of how a one room school was set up.

 

 

Friday, August 12th, 2005

128 year old school to become "living history" for students

(August 12, 2005 – Shawnee, KS) USD 232 officially took possession of the historic Virginia School on Wednesday, August 10. Crews maneuvered the fragile building on a trailer and hauled it nearly a mile to its new, permanent site at Mize Elementary School in Shawnee. The former owner of the building, Dennis Hillhouse, donated it to the district and paid for the relocation.

The Board of Education agreed to take possession of the one-room school to preserve its historical value for years to come. The building will be transformed into a teaching tool - a museum of "living history" for students. The transfer of ownership was several months in the making, with assistance from the Monticello Community Historical Society.

Crews from Camdenton, Missouri, spent two days preparing the structure for its ride to Mize Elementary. The carefully orchestrated move took 45 minutes to cover one mile with the help of police escorts and utility crews. Engineers were amazed at how well the schoolhouse had been constructed, making the relocation a smooth process. Virginia School will be repaired and restored with the help of the historical society and will open for student tours and lessons in 2006.

In 1876, Charles Johnson "C.J." and Sarah Mize deeded one acre to District 33 for a new school in Monticello Township, a rural farming community. Construction of the one-story school was completed in 1877. Teachers earned an average salary in 1878 of $29.64 per month.The school finally closed in 1962 because of unification of school districts in Kansas. It remained at its original location at 71st and Clare Road in Shawnee, until August 10, 2005.

A staff member of USD 232, Willy Snow – Special Services, attended first grade at Virginia School. Her father was also connected to the schoolhouse as a member of administration. Snow said she still has fond memories of the old school and is happy to see it preserved for future generations. Snow took time from her busy work schedule to witness the move August 10, to Mize Elementary. She was not alone. Several alumni traveled to Mize to watch crews slowly move Virginia School to its new home.

To learn more about the work to restore the school, you may contact Cindy Ashby, president of the Monticello Community Historical Society: cindy.ashby@mail.sprint.com