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Brick Street School
Lake Mills
2007
The
Brick Street School, N5706 County Highway S.
The school
has a rich history of serving rural students living in the town of Lake Mills.
It was established in 1862 and served approximately 25 students. The one room school was closed in 1959 when
students attending the school were consolidated into the Lake Mills School
District. The school was reopened from
1960 to 1964 to serve migrant children.
Teacher Cindy Mucks taught the migrant children from April to May, and
then in fall until about the end of October when the migrant families traveled
back to their homes. In 1964, the
migrant children were integrated into schools in the city of Lake Mills.
The
Brick Street School was used as a flower shop by current owner Hope Oostdik from 1995 to 2001, when she moved her business,
Dutch Designs, to a new location in the city of Lake Mills. Entering the school is reminiscent of bygone
days when one teacher taught students in all grade levels. The one-room 18- by 30-foot school room is
intact, with original maple flooring and platform at the front of the room. The wainscoting has been painted, and new
custom made storm windows look like the original. The desks are gone, along with the wood
burning stove, but photos and memories have trickled in through the years. Tardy students had to carry in wood for the stove. Hot lunches, delivered by mothers, were
heated on the stove by the teacher.
Pictures
indicate the classroom had an upright piano, wall clock with pendulum and
photos of former U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. A basement was added in later years as part
of a WPA project, but the school has never had indoor bathroom facilities. An outhouse (not original) is still on the
grounds and also the foundation of former playground equipment.
DJCGS Reference: One Room Schools: Jeff Cty_R_371_On2