NEOSHO COUNTY — Oak Grove School was originally built in 1868 as a log along the Osage Trail; today, it stands restored after nearly a decade of work, preparing to become an educational tool for local schools.
Lieutenant Governor David Toland visited several project locations in southeast Kansas, including Oak Grove School.
Roger Pruitt, whose father attended the school, has been a major participant in its restoration. He noted that the building was moved a short distance to its current location in 1877, where it has remained since.
“I’m really glad that this is still here, this is such a unique asset,” Toland said of Oak Grove’s educational potential.
Toland said that while there are many old schoolhouses across the state, not many of them have been restored or put on the National Register of Historic Places, like the Oak Grove School.
Toland asked what the secret ingredient was to making such a restoration possible. Some attendees said Pruitt was the secret ingredient. Pruitt said the work was done with the involvement of many community members.
“The secret ingredient is the history of the school. We are sitting in Neosho, Labette County, and Crawford County in this area on a historical coal mine.” Pruitt said. “One of the parallel efforts that we’re pursuing right now is working with Southeast Kansas Tourism Council to apply with the Department of Commerce to establish the Osage Trail Historic Byway in this region. It would bring lots of tourism.”
Pruitt highlighted that the Osage tribe was here prior to the Civil War. The nearby Trotter’s Ford was a well-documented river- crossing, a notable site in many journeys throughout the region, including the journey of the Ingalls family of “Little House on the Prairie” fame, according to Pruitt.
“Now that we have this historic site, that’s right here,” Pruitt said. “It’s a place where we can now take advantage of it.”
Pruitt highlighted the Rural School Days program offered by the Kansas Historical Society, which offers educational materials to teach youth about rural, historic schoolhouses, based on the state’s educational standards. Pruitt said these materials will be tailored to the unique history of Oak Grove for future visitors.
“The whole idea is for fourth and fifth grade school classes, when they learn about Kansas history, for the first time, they will come out on this field trip program,” Pruitt said. “They have just a great time.”
Pruitt said during their day at Oak Grove, students participate in bucket races, scavenger hunts, and learn about what Kansas Schools looked like in the early days of the state’s history. While no full classes have come through, young family members of historical society members have been invited to test out some programs.
“The best way to teach is to make it enjoyable, and if you make an impression emotionally, it sticks with you,” Toland said.
To make trips like this possible, Pruitt said he would like to apply for a tourism attraction grant to help fund the building of a bathroom facility and a pavilion, on which the school bell can be placed. He also hopes to turn the former coal room into a hands-on learning room.
The original bell, which was added to the school in 1916, is currently on display at the Parsons Historical Museum.
Pruitt says he hopes the first official class of students can visit in the fall of 2027.
“We’re trying to make this restoration a museum for kids, so they get the feel for what it was like in the 1870’s,” Pruitt said.
James Baker attended the school from 1951 to 1958 through eighth grade.
“I’m a big fan of the project. I help Roger all I can,” Baker said.
District 7 representative Dan Goddard was also present during Toland’s visit and said it was his first visit to Oak Grove, and said he enjoyed the visit, and described the site as “cool.”
“This will be a great opportunity for kids all over southeast Kansas to actually experience history firsthand. Schools have changed so much throughout the years,” Superintendent Lori Perkins, of USD 503, said. “What an experience to come see a one-room schoolhouse, just literally right in your backyard.”
Neosho County Commissioner Paul Westhoff said this could make a good tourist spot, which could bring in revenue to the county. He called Pruitt an inspiration and highlighted that he is one of many good people that he has met as a commissioner.
“This is something special, definitely,” Westhoff said of Oak Grove.
Toland said the site is fantastic.
“What an asset for Neosho County, Labette County, and the whole region,” Toland said. “Being able to have a high-quality, well-preserved example of a one-room schoolhouse so that young people today can immerse themselves in what it was like in the 1870s, up to the 1950s in Kansas — It’s part of the educational experience. In a period where all you have, so often, is screens and tablets, it’s nice to be able to show what life was like when you had slates and blackboards.”
