Lone Elm School

One Room Schoolhouse Located Directly East of Museum

The Lone Elm Schoolhouse was originally located three miles east and two miles north of the intersection of Highway 47 and Udall Road in St. Paul, Kansas.

The first records of Lone Elm date back to 1884 when C. M. Light, the county superintendent, recorded its establishment in Neosho County records.

The land was originally given by the U. S. government to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which later sold the land to Nicholas George. George, in turn, sold it to John Bates, who sold it to W. F. O'Brien in 1912.

Lone Elm became a part of District 103 in 1947 when Irene Dent Smith was teacher. The last teacher at Lone Elm was Mrs. Frances Carter, and Joe O'Brien, Fred Beachner, and Jake Van Leeuwen comprised the last school board.

Lone Elm was donated to the museum by Cleo O'Brien, in memory of her husband, Joe. On October 15, 1986, the schoolhouse was moved to its current site on the Museum grounds. Their oldest son, Felix, was the last graduate of the school, which closed at the end of the 1950-51 school year. Cleo O'Brien, son Felix, and the sole surviving school board member of Lone Elm School, Fred Beachner, were on hand to witness its relocation and, ultimately, its rebirth.

As you can see in the picture above, the school was a dilapidated old building in a state of disrepair when it was relocated to the Museum grounds. To witness the beauty of the school today is quite remarkable. Volunteers have donated countless hours to restore the schoolhouse and numerous businesses have contributed in-kind donations of materials to make the project financially feasible.

The picture on the left is taken from the front of the classroom looking toward the back library area where books are stored. The picture on the right it taken from the rear door looking toward the front of the school. The piano, teacher's desk, chalk board, and United States flag are visible from left-to-right at the front of the room.

The Museum expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the many people and businesses who contributed to this project in any way. Without your support, another important part of our heritage would have been lost.