BOONE, Iowa—The De Shon Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) celebrated the recent announcement that the Cole School has been accepted to the National Register of Historic Places.  The rural school, northeast of Boone has been a project of the chapter since 2006.

Barb Mac Dougall told the Chamber Red Coats Tuesday that originally the idea was to relocated the school to property owned by the Boone School District.  That was not financially feasible.  At the time, the school building was owned by Philippe and Annette Meier.  Meier’s sold the building and property to the DAR for the restoration project.

Mac Dougall says the school was built in 1888 and operated until 1933.  She said the names of rural schools changed depending on which family has the most students.  Prior to being called the Cole School, it was also called the Ross School.  Mac Dougall said many rural schools have been moved from their original location, but the Cole School remains on the site where it was originally built.  The current address is 843 R Avenue.  She also said efforts were made to keep it as close as possible to the original structure.  The only newer features are electric lights and a small electric heater.

The Cole School is open Sunday afternoons 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. June thru August.

Members of the De Shon Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and the Boone County Chamber of Commerce Red Coats conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Cole School in honor of the building recently being added to the National Register of Historic Places.