The school was one of the first services in a community. The people of the community got together to build the school. The first schoolhouses consisted of one room. Grades one to eight were taught by one teacher. Most of the students walked to school. Some rode horseback. Others came with a horse and buggy.

The school did not have good lighting and it was cold and drafty in the winter. Equipment included a blackboard, chalk and brushes, teacher's desk and chair, desks or benches, slates and a few textbooks.

The school was not only a place for education. Religious services were often held at the school before a church could be built. The schoolhouse was a gathering place for meetings, dances, concerts and plays.