Country School Legacy records

Collection

Identifier: MS-041

Staff Only

Content Description

These records are related to a grant-funded project to capture the history of rural schools in the US Plain States. The collection consists of the South Dakota records.

This collection contains records related to a grant-funded project to capture the history of rural schools in the US Plain States. The collection consists of the South Dakota records. The Finding Aids series contains the listings of The Country School Legacy papers in other repositories. The research materials were deposited in the state where the research was conducted.

The Historic Site Forms series consists of forms filled out by former county school students and teachers. This was a survey to gain information about schools. The forms are organized by county.

Correspondence and photographs that relate to individual schools are filed with the forms for the schools. The Maps series contains maps of South Dakota counties. The maps are marked with the location of country schools.

The Printed Materials series contains Booklets, Newspaper Clippings and Textbooks. Included with the booklets is the title Humanities on the Prairie which gives an overview of the Country School Legacy Project. The Newspaper Clippings cover various school topics and were presumably gathered for research purposes. The Textbooks are ones that were used in Country Schools. These textbooks may have been used in the traveling exhibit or research purposes.

The Researchers series is comprised the materials gathered by South Dakota’s three researchers Herb Blakely, Philip Brown, and Caroline Hatton. Included in this series are reports, research notes and correspondence. Philip Brown took photographs of various schoolhouses in Northeast South Dakota. His contact prints and a listing of the photographs are filed in this series.

The Typescripts series includes counties’ histories for South Dakota that are organized alphabetically by county. Also included are other essays about school and school related topics. Copies of the Country School Legacy Seminar Sites and Technical Manual are filed within this series.

The Ephemera series contains various teacher contracts and reports, an example of eight grade examinations and a school's textbook inventory listing. These items might have been used in the traveling exhibit. The Oral Histories series contains audio cassettes of interviews and biographical information about the interviewees. The cassettes and biographical information are organized alphabetically.

Dates

Creation: 1980 - 1982

Creator

Mountain Plains Library Association (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research without restriction. Researchers are advised to contact the Archives and Special Collections prior to visiting. Advance notice may be needed to retrieve items for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers must obtain a signed Permission to Publish Form if they wish to reproduce, broadcast, or otherwise disseminate information from published and unpublished works held by ASC. Permission to reproduce, broadcast, or otherwise disseminate information materials from ASC does not constitute permission from the holder of copyright or literary rights. The researcher is responsible for securing permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce content from materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

The objective of the Country School Legacy project was to secure and preserve the historical significance of rural schools in eight states: Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Funded by a National Endowment of the Humanities grant and sponsored by the Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA), Andrew Gulliford directed the eighteen-month grant during 1980-1981. Each state provided a team of researchers to collect oral histories, photographs, maps artifacts and other materials. Their findings culminated in a series of seminars, a traveling exhibit, research manuscripts and archival collections. South Dakota was represented by three researchers: Herb Blakely, Philip L. Brown, and Caroline Hatton. Mr. Blakely surveyed the southeast; Mr. Brown explored the northeast; and Mrs. Hatton researched western South Dakota.

Extent

6 Linear Feet (2 record cartons, 1 flat box 13" x 10", and 1 flat oversize box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

These records are related to a grant-funded project to capture the history of rural schools in the US Plain States. The collection consists of the South Dakota records.

Arrangement

The Country School Legacy Papers is comprised of ten series: Finding Aids, Historic Site Forms, Maps, Printed Materials, Researchers-Herb Blakely, Researchers-Philip Brown, Researchers-Caroline Hatton, Typescripts, Ephemera and Oral Histories. Due to the research nature of the collection, original order was maintained as much as possible in the Researchers series.