Lower Fox Creek School

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Lower Fox Creek School
Lower Fox Creek School on a clear summer night on the Kansas prairie.jpg
Lower Fox Creek School
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Nearest city Strong City, Kansas
Coordinates 38°26′27″N96°33′27″W / 38.4409°N 96.5575°W / 38.4409; -96.5575
NRHP reference No. 74000822
Added to NRHPSeptember 6, 1974

Lower Fox Creek School, is a one-room schoolhouse that is part of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, Kansas, United States.

Constructed in 1882, and used for classes from 1884 to 1930, the 24 foot by 30 foot stone building with cypress woodwork and pine flooring is located on a site provided by rancher Steve F. Jones. [1] [2] Stonemason David Rettiger constructed the building using limestone from the nearby Barney Lantry quarries. [2]

In 1946-1947 the school district dissolved and the property deed reverted to the ranch owner. [2] The building was used as housing for the ranch and later hay storage. [3] In 1968, local garden clubs sought permission from ranch owners, the Davis-Noland-Merrill Grain Company, to restore the building. [3] After several years of restoration work, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1974. [4] In 1994, the property was purchased by the National Park Trust and on September 20, 2002, ownership of the schoolhouse and surrounding site was transferred to the National Park Service. [5] [6]

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References

  1. Pankratz, Richard (May 29, 1974). "Lower Fox Creek School. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form".
  2. 1 2 3 "Virtual Tour Lower Fox Creek School". U. S. National Park Service. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. January 24, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Virtual Tour Schoolhouse Renovation". U.S. National Park Service. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. April 10, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  4. "Lower Fox Creek School". National Register Digital Assets. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  5. "We Ought to Have Saved a Park in Kansas". U.S. National Park Service. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. January 5, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  6. "Land Transfer Ceremony". U.S. National Park Service. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. January 5, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2020.