Dad and I have traveled many times down to the SE corner of Minnesota,
the area where he grew up on his parents farm, but never had I seen this little gem ....
My dad sprung this one on me, it was almost an afterthought on his part.
A little brick school building on the corner of Otterness road and Co 19,
between Blackhammer and Spring Grove.
As we were driving along dad pointed out his passenger window and said,
"that's the school that your grandma and her sister attended for a few years" when they were little girls.
I quickly applied the brakes and made a U-turn in the middle of Co. 19.
Are you kidding me, dad....
The loosely secured fence was easy to enter through, and there was not a
"no trespassing" sign anywhere! There was no holding me back.
BEST PART EVER.... The front door was UNLOCKED.....SCORE!!!
I think I squealed with delight,
I live to enter the unlocked doors of old churches, schools, barns and abandon houses.
I can hardly stand the anticipation of what lies inside.
As we entered we saw this straight-up staircase to the attic.
With a knee that's still heeling, I opted-out of climbing up to explore.
It was surreal to enter the little brick school house that my Grandma Blanche and
Great Aunt Ester attended as little girls.
The room was filled with old furniture
The old chalk boards were filled with someones writitngs,
probably from others, like dad and, I who dared venture in to explore.
the wood burning stove still stands.
I'm guessing they didn't have TV's like this one back in those days.
Dad replaced the old board that went between the handles of the two doors.
Dad says," it's important to leave things how you found it".
This outside door led to the basement.
The stairs were a little scary so we didn't dare go down, but peeked in the windows.
It housed utilities, and looked like an area for more storage.
As we were leaving a farmer was passing by on his tractor, he pulled over to investigate
these two city folk wondering on his uncles property. Dad explained that he grew up on a farm nearby, so we were checking out this old school building that his mama once attended.
He didn't seem to mind that we were there...
just wanted to make sure we secured the gate as we left.... and we had!
How fun! I love that it was open for you! And that Great-Grandma went there, so crazy to think back that far.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I would have been just like you, squealing with excitement. Rare is it to find open doors. What a great surprise. So glad your dad mentioned the importance of this old school and you were able to explore. I am seriously jealous.
ReplyDeleteAnd you, my friend know how rare it is to find an unlocked door :)
DeleteI am seriously jealous. I would have been squealing and exploring right there alongside you. What a great personal discovery.
ReplyDeleteYah , my dad doesn't squeal, so It would have been so fun to have you with me to squeal and enjoy :)
DeleteYou have to wonder about that TV and the chairs and the messages on the blackboard. What an interesting story you've shared here in images and words. Squeal, squeal.
DeleteSo cool that you found this place and that you got inside!
ReplyDeleteyep, almost drove right by it. :)
DeleteThis is so cool Jackie! Thank goodness your Dad said something before you drove too far off. :) My favorites are the door handle and the wood burning stove. I'm so glad you got to go inside. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel, my dad's hand on the door handle is my favorite too!
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