Union No. 31 Country School - South Dakota Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Education was a priority for the pioneers in this area even before South Dakota became a state. In 1899 settlers erected the union No. 31 Country School 6 miles south & 1 mile east of Mt. Vernon to replace the small one room school they had built in 1884 located 1/2 mile west of there. Increased numbers of children in the area prompted the construction of a larger schoolhouse on this site in 1923. The shcoolhouse continued to provide education for grades one through eight until 1969, twenty-three teachers taught at Union No. 31. Over the years, the schoolhouse also served as a facility for social gatherings, township meetings and a voting precinct. Union No. 31 Country School may no longer exist on this site, but the lessons taught there such as patriotism, sportsmanship, respect for fellow man and a strong work ethic, live on through the individuals and their posterity who were fortunate enough to attend this school. Obverse Side The Country School
by
Ethyl Roberdeau Beside the road sits the schoolhouse.
A relic of the past;
Neglected, deserted, and lonely.
Proving that nothing can last. Many promising youngster
Has gone from out its door;
But its sheltering walls will hear
Their voices nevermore. Now they must go to the city
For "advantages" that are so rare!
While the school sits alone by the roadside
With no one left to care. Times are changing,
It is a foregone rule;
But pity the child who has never known
The joys of a country school. Dedicated in 2006 by the Union No. 31 Country School Alumni and the Herbert & Adela Wieczurek Family

Marker Name: UNION NO. 31 COUNTRY SCHOOL Marker Type: Roadside Marker Text: Not listed

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