only sour notes now...

Rural Education in Northern Illinois

A collection of old,and mostly abandoned,schools around the northwestern IL. area.There was a time when each town and township had its own schools,some were even in sight of each other.They varied in size and construction,but all had loyality and pride.Sometimes you wonder if they had it right back then,and we could take some lessons from this era in today's school systems...

29 Jun 2021

14 favorites

1 comment

207 visits

only sour notes now...

Forgotten piano in a long abandoned Iowa one room schoolhouse....

19 Sep 2021

4 favorites

1 comment

200 visits

the "new" Forest Grove....

This old one room schoolhouse was closed in the 1950's and pretty much abandoned shortly after. A few years back a local restoration group was formed, and slowly restored the nearly collapsed structure. This is the fine result, opened earlier this year...

10 Jan 2022

23 favorites

17 comments

209 visits

what's dead inside can't be reborn....

This old Iowa one room schoolhouse hasn't seen a student in over 60 years. As the cold and snow sets in,the foreboding atmosphere adds to its desolation....

21 Aug 2022

8 favorites

3 comments

193 visits

restoring forest grove....

The old Forest Grove Schoolhouse had been closed in the 1950's and pretty much abandoned for nearly 40 years. On the brink of collapse, a fundraising campaign was started to save and restore the historic old school. Ten years later,the result of those efforts is pretty stunning....