Traer’s first brick school built in 1877 with an addition in 1884. IMAGE COURTESY OF TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles documenting the history of the school buildings in North Tama County courtesy of the Traer Historical Museum.

TRAER – As construction progress continues at North Tama School, it’s a good time to look at the history of schools in Traer.

The first one-room school in Traer was located on the current school grounds. The population grew to 1,200 inhabitants in the first two years of existence. By 1876, there were five schools in operation in Traer.

In May 1876, the contract for the first brick school building was awarded to Alexander Glaze for $5,725. It was a two-story, wood frame building with a brick veneer, built on an Anamosa stone foundation, 18 inches thick and 4 feet high. Dimensions were 33×69 feet with a tower, 12×22 and 55 feet high. It was completed in time for school in the fall of 1877.

Basic education was the propriety in the early days and ended with eighth grade in the public schools. Rev. J. L. Bull opened the Bull Academy in 1879 in his large home at 410 Green Street for students interested in higher education. Some local students also attended Tilford Academy in Vinton.

IMAGE COURTESY OF TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Rev. David Livingston, Traer Presbyterian minister, secured the services of Professor M. G. Kyle to open the Traer Academy in the fall of 1882. Enrollment was 21 students. A movement to raise $8,000 to build buildings and hire staff. Only $3,000 was raised so the academy movement failed.

The Traer school was also offering high school courses in 1882. Traer had 52 high school students and a total enrollment of 241 students. The building was overcrowded and space was rented from a local church for additional space.

A bond issue passed in May 1894 for a school addition. A two-story wing was added to the school. It doubled the classroom space and added electric lights, a steam heating system, and waterworks. The first Traer High School graduation was held in 1885.

The 1910 High School Building

By 1909, the Traer school had outgrown the original school building. The school board began making plans for a new building. In May, a bond issue passed and construction began in September. The new 114 x 82 building was erected just west of the old building.

Traer’s 1910 high school building. IMAGE COURTESY OF TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

The city of Traer began the installation of a sanitary sewer system in the Fall of 1909. The terminal was at Wolf Creek. The sewer system extended to the business streets and a residential area about two blocks wide across the town, including the school site.

The public was invited to inspect the new $40,000 building in September 1910. The building had every convenience and modern luxury. The floors were hard maple, hardwood finish woodwork, and electric lights throughout the building. The exterior was stone and light colored brick with a tile roof.

The 40 x 50 foot gymnasium, dressing rooms, showers and girls and boys toilets were located in the basement. The basement also contained manual training and domestic science rooms, the janitor’s room and the central heating plant and ventilation fan system

The ground floor had six rooms for the grades with cloak rooms, closets and store rooms. The second floor had two grade rooms, three recitation rooms, a science laboratory, the superintendent’s office, the library and an assembly room with seating for 120 pupils. Each floor had a sanitary drinking fountain.

A fire was discovered shortly after 7 p.m. on the evening of Monday, April 9, 1917. Traer’s beautiful public school building, less than seven years old, was destroyed in a little more than one hour. Defective wiring in the attic was thought to be the cause.

A fire burns down Traer’s 1910 high school building on the evening of Monday, April 9, 1917. IMAGE COURTESY OF TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

About 30 high school pupils had assembled in the auditorium to practice for an operetta. Flames began to creep through the ceiling of the auditorium. Three teachers narrowly escaped the flames in an attempt to save school records. Nothing but the records, a victrola and a typewriter were saved.

The firemen kept a steady stream of water on the boiler room. A carload of coal, put in a few days before, was not burned.

Future installments

Be on the lookout for the next installment in this series, “The 1917 ‘Fireproof’ School Building,” in a future edition of the Telegraph.

The Traer Historical Museum also has plans to publish the following future articles:

IMAGE COURTESY OF TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

-1956: New Gymnasium, addition of hot lunch program

-1958: Buckingham joins Traer

-1959: New Classrooms

-1961: Traer becomes Traer Clutier

-1963-1964: Dinsdale joins Traer-Clutier and North Tama is born

-1964: New elementary school building and remodeling throughout