Schools of Decatur County

Between August, 1879 and 1921, there were 110 school districts organized.  From the History of the School Districts of Decatur County compiled by Katie B. Cornell in 1940 she states that: "at the present time, 76 active one-Teacher Rural School districts, 5 schools, two (or more) teachers, maintaining grades only, 3 schools, two ( or more) teacher districts maintaining grade and High, 2 Rural High Schools and 1 community High School".  She lists: Oberlin, Cedar Bluffs, Kanona, Joint 2 which was Norcatur, U. G. of Dresden township, and Leoville as being the 5 schools maintaining grades only with two or more teachers.  The 3 schools maintaining grade and high were Traer, Jennings, and Dresden.  The 2 Rural High Schools were Norcatur and Leoville, and the community high school was Decatur Community High School in Oberlin.  

Today only two school districts remain, USD #294 Oberlin and USD #295 Jennings.  

 

The following is a list of the 110 school districts that once were the centers of learn and community activities.   If you have information, pictures, etc. connected to any of these schools and would like to share them with the rest of us please let the County Coordinator know.  The more that is shared the more valuable this web site will be.

 

Teachers of Decatur County, Kansas 1904

Teachers of  Decatur County, Kansas 1923-1924

Rural Teachers of Decatur County 1934-1935

1921-1929 Mattie F Vernon School Mementos 

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A HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY SCHOOLS
(from a book written in 1893)

 

Name and Number Township Name and Number Township Name and Number Township
1- Oberlin

Oberlin

 38- Union* Dresden 75- McSwan Lyon
2- Woodbine* Dresden 39- Lonely Valley  Logan 76- Union Grade* Dresden
3- Elmwood  Dresden 40- Locust Grove/Pleasant Ridge Harlan 77- Fairview Lyon
4- Vallonia  Roosevelt 41- Plainview Jennings 78- Pleasant Ridge  Pleasant Valley
5- Bassettville  Bassettville 42- Swede Home  Summit 79- Rock Island Jennings
6- Olive  Olive 43- Sunnyside  Bassettville 80- Excelsior  Summit
7- Bethel  Olive 44- Pleasant Hill* Beaver 81- No Name* Beaver
8- Hawkeye  Cook 45- Norcatur* Lincoln 82- Haden Lincoln
9- Hooker  Oberlin 46- Prairie Hill Garfield 83- Prairie View Lincoln
10- Green Valley Finley 47- Forty Seven  Center 84- East Liberty  Liberty
11- Beaver Valley  Beaver 48- Fairland  Pleasant Valley 85- Center* Oberlin
12- Star Harlan 49- Mt. Pleasant  Roosevelt 86- Lone Star  Sherman
13- Prairie Temple  Sappa 50- Bellview  Prairie Dog 87- Logan  Sappa
14- Traer Finley 51- Olive Union  Olive 88- Ash Grove  Logan
15- Pleasant Valley  Pleasant Valley 52- Summit  Summit 89- Praire Bell Garfield
16- Stony Point Pleasant Valley 53- Welsh  Bassettville 90- No Name* Oberlin
17- Fairview  Oberlin 54- Sweet Home Garfield 91- Vickers  Cook
18- Jennings Jennings 55- Hillsdale  Liberty 92-No Name* Sheridan Co.
19- Valley View  Beaver 56- Liberty Bell  Dresden 93- Rocky Mountain  Grant
20- West Liberty  Liberty 57- Walnut Grove  Oberlin 94- Mount Center  Sherman
21- Spring Branch  Grant 58- Prairie Chapel Lyon 95- No Name* Dresden
22- Sherman  Sherman 59- No Name Listed* Oberlin 96-No Name* Oberlin
23- Center  Center 60- Prairie View  Center 97- Gallentine Garfield
24- South Bethel Custer 61- New Liberty  Roosevelt 98- Fairview Finley
25- Victory  Center 62- Lyle  Grant 99- Morning Star  Roosevelt
26- Norway Altory 63- Mt. Vernon  Roosevelt 100- Madison  Cook
27- Big Timber Altory 64- Hudson Altory 101- Dresden  Dresden
28- Addleman  Oberlin 65- Jolly Hill  Grant 102- Shaul  Prairie Dog
29- Blue Star Lincoln 66- District 66 Oberlin  103- College Hill  Grant
30- Cedar Bluffs  Beaver 67- Pleasant View Garfield 104- Sherman Center  Sherman
31- Plainview  Sappa 68- Kanona Altory

105- Miller

 Harlan
32- Decatur Harlan 69- Lone Star  Allison 106- Hilltop Harlan
33- Jackson Jennings 70- Elkhorn  Allison 107- Lee, Olive Union  Olive
34- North Valley  Prairie Dog 71- Pleasant Hill Lincoln 108- Hainline* Oberlin
35- O'Toole  Summit 72- Prairie Bell  Prairie Dog 109- Custer Custer
36- Cliffdale  Sappa 73- No Name* Jennings 110- Necessity  Grant
37- Mt. Pleasant  Logan 74- Lone Star Finley    

 

Joint Districts on the Decatur (D), Sheridan (S), and Norton (N) County lines.
Number and Name Township 5-D & N--Rose Hill Norton County
1-D & S--Glenn Valley Allison 6-D & S--No Name Lyon
2-D & N--Norcatur Lincoln  7-D & N--Clayton Norton County
3-D & S--Allison Allison 8-L. P. Lutheran Logan 
4-D & S--No Name Lyon