Vernon School

Van Buren County, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

Find out more

Located in the unincorporated community of Vernon, Iowa, Vernon School is a historic two-story brick building constructed in the Italianate style. Citizens began establishing the public school in May 1866, acquiring land the following January; local builder Riley Cass provided plans (likely from a pattern book) and oversaw construction, which proceeded slowly as funds permitted and continued through finishing work into 1873. The structure features characteristic Italianate details including a low-pitch roof, bracketed eaves, a square bell tower, and a fanlight crowning the main entrance. The school served its community until 1960, when district consolidation in Van Buren County led to its closure; thereafter it functioned as a community center and polling place until 1984. As the sole surviving 19th-century brick public school building in the county, Vernon School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.