Country Schools Legacy Project Records

The Country School Legacy Project surveyed education in one-room schoolhouses in eight states comprising the Mountain Plains Library Association: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. In 1980, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a two year, $275,000 grant to the Mountain Plains Library Association, for a project entitled: “Country School Legacy: Humanities on the Frontier.” Andrew Gulliford wrote the grant proposal and became the project director.

The project gathered oral history interviews, textbooks, curricula and photographs of teachers, students and one-room schoolhouses. A variety of original school records were collected as well. A repository archive in each state was designated to house that state’s documentary records. The Pueblo City-County Library District was appointed for the state of Colorado. The project also produced two traveling community programs which included an exhibit, booklet and 26 minute color film shown at public seminars in each of the eight states.

The project was a success, and was granted an award of merit by the American Association of State and Local History in 1982. The project was also featured in many newspaper and magazine articles, and in presentations by the National Endowment for the Humanities to Congress, and both President Jimmy Carter and President Ronald Reagan. In 1984, Andrew Gulliford published America’s Country Schools, which covered not only the findings of the project, but examined the history and influence of country schools throughout the United States. This title is available in the Department’s collection as well.