It wasn’t until I had looked at this picture five or six times that I realized that the students are forming a question mark.
That leads me to believe that I must have shot the picture for a “What’s going to happen to Kage School?” story.
Since the school, which was established in 1880, closed May 20, 1966, exactly 112 years after its creation, that’s probably what it was.
One of the last one-room schools
The National Register of Historic Places Registration Form has fascinating factoids buried all through it.
- It was one of the last one-room school houses in the area, right up until it closed.
- It was unusual because of its racial and economic diversity. Enrollment included white children from well-established families, the district’s African-American students from as far back as 1889 or earlier and children from the County Poor Farm.
- Because of the need for children to work on family farms, the school term was usually only the three or four winter months.
- The current brick building was erected in 1880 for a low bid of $1,200. (Additions and changes brought the total to $1,600).
- The original log cabin school cost $180.25, including a $9.25 fireplace. After the new building was completed, the old one was sold to Henry Klaproth for $13.
- Electricity and lights were installed January 21, 1938, most likely as a result of a WPA project to upgrade schools.
The long, cold walk
The school started serving hot lunches in 1933 once a week. Later a makeshift cafeteria was created by erecting a partition in a back corner of the classroom. Times were tough and Kage was the first rural school in the area to serve a hot lunch.
One thing the school DIDN’T have was indoor bathrooms. Outhouses were used until the school closed.
Updated photos
Here’s what Kage School looks like today, including old initials carved into the brick walls.
This is a particularly interesting post for me since I live less than a quarter mile from the old school house on Kage Road. I drive by the school everyday and must say that the building looks pretty bad. The yard is mowed every week in the summer, but it seems nothing is done to keep the building in proper repair. Thanks again, for the interesting pictures and information.
When I was in high school (’56 – ’60) Kage School was used at night as a great place to take a date and “park.” It was not as crowded as Cape Rock Drive or Capaha Park. Also, you could see the screen from the old Star Vue Drive-In Theater from there.
Larry,
Sorry to hear that the school is looking shabby. I didn’t realize I had these pictures when I was back home in October, so I didn’t shoot a new version.
Paul,
Funny, I never recall hearing anyone using Kage School for that purpose. You must have kept it a deep, dark secret.
I thought about doing a Google Map with all the old parking places on it and then going back to see how many of them haven’t been covered with Wal-Marts and houses.
Of course, I’ll need input from other Centralites because I certainly wouldn’t have done anything like that.
Well, there was Twin Trees Park, Sherwood Park, Cherry Hill in Capaha Park, Cape Rock, and Three Mile Creek, Lover’s Lane off Bloomfield Street.
Margi,
I’m impressed.
Looks like I’m going to have to put this topic on my to-do list. I have a great Cherry Hill anecdote from when I was working the police beat at The Missourian.
Where on Three Mile Creek? I can think of a couple of places.
I’m trying to place Twin Trees and Sherwood Park.
I got onto this site while reading the 1960′s Tigers Newsletter that my wife gets (Ruth Riehn Sander class of 1960) I attended Kage school for two years 1947-49 before transfering to the Campus school for my third grade year. I graduated from College High School in 1959. My brothers and sisters attended Kaqe through the 8th grade before attending and graduating from College High School. I will need to search the archives for any old pictures we may have. I have good memories of my time there, even though brief. I do remember the outhouse. It was where the boys got in trouble for bad aim, missing the target, and had to clean it. I recall a school trip to the St. Louis zoo when I was in the second grade. Some of you may know my sister, Martha Frances Sander Sanderson. She would have more stories of experiences there.
Charles Sander
My Mother and I were talking tonight trying to recall if we knew anyone who had gone to school there.
If you got to this post, you must have seen the more recent one with the 2010 pictures, including the initials scratched in the bricks.
Do you know anything about that?
This is such an intriguing town and Missouri has such a fascinating history. Is Cape Girardeau , being in a borderline state, a town where there was segregation? It appears not so. Did the Jayhawk battles reckon in the upbringing of the 2 hatemongers from there, prominent and intelligent though they may be? I just saw “Mercine” the biopic about the French bank robber of the 60s. The only clue you get to how such a nice guy could become so crazy, so full of blood lust, is his accusation of his father, “You were a wimp. You worked for the Nazis and you never talk back to Mom. You have no honor.” I’m paraphrasing the actual words.
Alice,
It wasn’t all sweetness and light. When you head south out of Cape, you go down one last hill, called the Benton Hill. After that, you are in the South, in the sun-baked, cotton fields, segregationist attitudes South.
I’m sure things are better today, but I remember reading a book that said that “Cape Girardeau is the last bastion of civilization before getting into the Bootheel.” The author was talking about attitudes, not geography.
Here’s a post I made in the Terry Jones / Rush Limbaugh comments when the question of race came up:
Cape Girardeau had a small, but relatively well-assimilated minority community.
Kage School had black and white students attending the same one-room school at far back as 1889. (with a link to this story.)
A fortuitous fire at the one of the city’s black schools moved up integration in town. The City Fathers saw it coming and decided that it would be foolish to spend the money on “separate but equal” facilities.
My brother, 10 years younger, was light years ahead of me.
Adults frequently practiced discrimination in ways that kids didn’t, classmate Gerald Love told me at this summer’s class reunion.