The former Elysian school is fairly typical of the facilities which replaced the one and two-room schoolhouses that dotted the rural countryside. In Le Sueur County, however, the red brick landmark – complete with bell tower –the first of its kind and drew regional attention. But the grand two-story brick school was not well received by the conservative public who had their own ideas of what a school should be.

A public vote to build the school was held in 1895. The local newspaper, The Elysian Enterprise, came out in support of the project. “The school house site is a bone of contention between some of our citizens,” The Enterprise wrote, “but we hope to see them fall into line and not as some propose to try to kill the whole project.”

“The ladies are entitled to vote upon the question as well as the men,” The Enterprise said, “and they should be interested in seeing that their children shall have all the modern comforts at school equal to any other town…”

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Voters approved a $3,000 bond to build the $5,000 brick school house on land purchased by the district for $600. E. Mahlke & Co. of Mankato was awarded the bid to build the school in June of 1895.

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Amazingly, the school was scheduled to be ready for students in the fall of 1895. Problems acquiring building materials delayed progress, but classes commenced in the new facility in October.

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In 1921 the Elysian school was wired for electricity. The Mankato Free Press filed this report on Dec. 23 of that year: “Large electric arcs will now permit class study at any period and at all hours, and the pupils fully appreciate the lighting system. The ladies had taken particular pains to make their surroundings bright and cheery, while the high school department contained a fireplace and ceiling festoon of a geometry design worked out by one of the scholars. At this time the convenience of the playgrounds and cement sidewalks leading to the building were noted by the visitors as fine improvements.”

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The Elysian school board voted in July of 1937 to cut out the two years of high school and transport high school students to other towns. The Waterville school board voted to have Elysian students attend high school there and requested bids for a bus to transport students.

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Classes continued to take place in the red brick school until 1965 when a new school was built in Elysian.

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The Elysian Enterprise reported on a July 14, 1964 special meeting of the Waterville-Elysian school board. The purpose of the meeting was for “Negotiations … for the transfer of the old brick school building and the frame structure used for used for kindergarten classes at Elysian. The transfer will be made from the Waterville-Elysian school district to the Le Sueur County Historical Society.”

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“It is believed the project will have unlimited possibilities,” the Enterprise went on to say.

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Proceedings of that same special meeting were filed by Clerk Al Fredell. “The Board of Education met with Le Sueur County Historical Society members H. von Lehe, Mrs. Block, James Hruska… By Invitation, Mr. Von Lehe conducted the meeting.”

Wordings in the proceedings are a little unclear. Fredell says the Society decided to consult with their attorney. However, later in the proceedings, he wrote, “The plan met with the approval of the Historical Society ― a quorum being present.”

The proceedings state the meeting lasted well over an hour ― so a fair amount of discussion must have taken place; but no details were provided.

The new LCHS museum was opened to the public in 1967 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

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Over the years, the museum building started showing its age and the Society decided to close the museum to the public in the name of safety.

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Thanks to efforts by LCHS Board Members Ruth Collins and Bonnie Reak, major grants were obtained from the Minnesota Historical Society and the Schmidt Foundation to begin restoring the iconic red brick landmark. The entire restoration will take place in three phases and the Society hopes the first phase will be completed by Thanksgiving.

The museum’s soffits and rain gutters are being rebuilt and restored to function properly. The bricks near the top of the building and chimney will be replaced. Finally, the entire roof will be replaced with new shingles. An extra layer of drainage and air circulation will ensure extended life of the new roof covering. 

 

All work on the museum is designed to restore the building to its original condition – including materials and colors used in the school’s construction in 1895.

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Owatonna People's Press Article

Owatonna People's Press Article on Meeting

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