There are countless reasons for gaps and holes in the Rural School Records. The Center for the History of Rural Iowa Education and Culture (CHRIEC) holds records from 88 of Iowa’s 99 counties. These records were transferred to UNI from their Area Education Agencies in 2007. Two AEAs were unable to transfer any records: AEA 9, (Mississippi Bend – Clinton, Jackson, Scott, and Muscatine) had previously transferred their records to the Davenport Public Library; AEA 14 (Green Valley – Adair, Adams, Clarke, Taylor, Montgomery, Ringgold, Decatur, and Union) lost a majority of their records in a fire at the AEA building, and, as far as we know, are no longer available.
Due to the nature of the rural school system, a good number of records never reached the AEA offices. Many of these were kept with the schoolhouse or were taken home by rural teachers or administrators and thus remain in private hands. CHRIEC is happy to see these collections of rural school material make their way into the archives through donations made by like-minded community members who may own or happen across them. We are always looking for and accepting donations of such materials.
