Canton School

Canton School is a historic one-room schoolhouse located in the unincorporated community of Canton, Iowa, United States. This school building was built in 1877 of locally quarried, roughly-dressed limestone, laid in a random ashlar pattern. The main facade, however, is faced with concrete brick that is original to the structure. What is unusual about this building is its decorative elements, as most one-room schoolhouses built in Iowa were plain.[2] The eaves and the two-stage wooden bell tower are edged with rather delicate wooden trim, and the windows are capped with concrete keystone hoods. The use of concrete is rather sophisticated for a building in the vernacular-folk architectural style in stone.[2] The building served as a school until 1966 when the area's school districts were reorganized. It served as a church until 1968, and it is now surrounded by a park.

Canton School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	South St. Canton, Iowa
Coordinates	42°09′40″N 90°53′47″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1877
Architectural style	Vernacular
NRHP reference No.	79000898[1]
Added to NRHP	July 24, 1979

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1] As of 2016 a group called Friends of Canton School is working to restore the structure.[3]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. M.H. Bowers. "Canton School". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-29. with three photos from 1979
3. Alma Gaul (October 9, 2016). "RI County has no preserved one-room schools". Quad-City Times. Davenport. Retrieved 2016-10-09.