Schoolhouse

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cast blocks from a concrete company. We also sealed the roof off and put a new roof on. There had been some leakage. We put in new walls — there was not much left. There had been some damage to the ceiling, which we fixed. We insulated it when we put the heat in. We also had to scrub down all the walls, because they burned oil or coal, so we had to get all that residue off.”

“We very carefully put the electrical work in so we didn’t have to redo the walls.”

They hired out for the electrical work, heating and cooling system, siding, and roofing. Everything else they did themselves.

“We reused a lot of materials, as opposed to getting new,” said Loren.

They purchased a lot of their materials from the Habitat for Humanity ReStores in La Crosse and Eau Claire, which sell reusable and surplus building materials, furniture, and appliances to the public.

“We also had some neighbors remodeling and they would have stuff sitting out by the road, and we would ask, ‘Can we have this?’ and they said, ‘Sure.’ So that helped a lot,” Loren said.

The Andersons made an effort to preserve the original finishes, not wanting to create something new but rather bring it back to its original beauty — and simplicity.

“The school changed colors — it started out white and then was painted red. We decided to keep it red,” Loren said. “We also kept the inside colors what they were. We kept the maple floor but sanded it down. We kept the interior finishes original to the building. We wanted to keep the image of a school.”

The Andersons finished trimming out the schoolhouse a week before it was first opened to the public, which was during the Spring Into the Arts Tour, April 25-26, hosted by the Clark County Economic Development Corporation and Tourism Bureau. The Andersons’ daughter-in-law, her roommate, and her aunt all had artwork displayed there.

The Andersons also had an open house May 24 and played cards there the weekend of May 31.

Now, they are exploring other uses for the building, whether it’s to play cards again, host a musician, or just have a family get-together. They plan to have a little lending library in the foyer of the schoolhouse, for people to borrow books or contribute books for others to read.

“We’ll just see where it goes,” said Loren. They are happy to have the schoolhouse on display as a visual reminder of a simpler time and a point of interest for people driving by.

“A lot of people at Rock Dam would see us working on it and stop by to see how it was going. Now that it’s all done, they say it’s a nice addition to the lake area,” said Loren.

The Andersons are hoping to compile more historical information about the school so it can be added to the file they have.

“We would appreciate any more information people have about the school,” said Loren.

Anyone with information can contact Loren at a724la@gmail.com.

MAKING THE MOVE - The 1907 Church School was carefully moved a few miles from its original home along Highway M to its current location along Lakeside Road at Rock Dam in February 2022.

SUBMITTED PHOTO.