Paranormal Investigator Magazine Issue I | Page 27

Farrar School
tion has been featured on My Ghost Story twice
as well as some on-line videos/series.
~History~
The Farrar Schoolhouse got its start in 1919
when a local man named C.G. Geddes agreed
to donate 6 acres of his farm for a new school.
Built in 1922, Farrar Elementary School was
built next to a cemetery that is now 150 years
old. The only growing population in the town
would be the 150 year-old cemetery across from
the schoolhouse. Built on six acres of rural farmland, its old walls are beginning to crumble. The
cornerstone inscribed with the year 1921 was
set and the dedication ceremony commenced
on April 1 1922. The building itself is over 17,000
sq. feet including three floors and a basement.
The schoolhouse filled with citizens from miles
around. An orchestra played on stage in the
auditorium as a banquet served the hundreds
in attendance. Not all citizens were behind the
new building with its $100,000 price tag. One
citizen refused to attend the celebration calling
it a “monument to the arrogance and vanity of
the school board,” with its boiler heating, electric
lights, and indoor bathroom facilities.

The school-house was built to incorporate
several of the one-room rural school houses
in the area.   It started out as a high school,
until a new separate school was built.  It then
became an elementary school until it’s closing
in 2002.  Within the school, there are ten classrooms, a theater, and a gym-lunchroom. The
building became known as the Washington incorporated school district.  While in operation,
the school was a centerpiece of the town where
many events were held.  The school operated
for many years, although enrollment steadily
declined with the shrinking of the nearby towns.
The town of Farrar was eventually absorbed
into Maxwell, Iowa and a decision was made to
close down the school. On May 3, 2002 another
grand banquet was held in honor of the school
and its alumni, and the schoolhouse closed its
doors for the last time. The old school sat empty until December of 2006. The school has recently been purchased by Nancy Oliver and her
husband in an attempt to revive the old school

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