While its last students haven’t officially sat in for classes at this schoolhouse for over 70 years, the Schoolhouse building continues to stand as a historical time capsule and attraction for schoolchildren and visitors alike.
The Ezekiel Clark family donated the 1/3 acre of land along 5th Street in Coralville to build the brick and limestone building in 1876. A teacher’s salary was $35 and originally was designed with a classroom space on the first floor and a gymnasium and auditorium above.
About 40 children would attend class here at a time through the 1930s. The building was closed in 1950 after a bond issue was passed to build a new school that would better serve the growing population of the city.
In 1951, yet another school was built and the 1876 school became a warehouse.
In 1959, the need for recreational facilities in Coralville led to the Recreation Commission developing the first floor of the 1876 school as a teen center. It continued to be used for this purpose until 1966 when a new city recreation center was built and the old school returned to its role as a warehouse.
The Johnson County Historical Society uses the building as a local historical museum now and it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since January 1976.
To schedule a visit to the museum, email [email protected] at least two business days in advance. Admission is free.
Photo 1: 1983: Richard Hughes, a longtime instructor in the Coralville school systems, rings a bell during a rededication ceremony of the building as a museum of the Johnson County Historical Society.
Hughes taught at the schoolhouse in the 1940s.
Photo credits, Johnson County Historical Society.