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Country School Legacy Project Records, 1980-1997


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 University of North Dakota was selected to house materials from North Dakota. 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.
Information gathered during the course of this project was used to publish The Legacy of North Dakota's Country Schools, edited by Warren Henke and Everett Albers and published in 1998.

There have been six additions to this collection.
Addition 1 acquisition records are unavailable; Addition 2 was deposited on September 8, 1986 (Accession 86-1471); Addition 3 was donated by Mrs. Lillian Dinwoodie, Minot, North Dakota (a teacher in McKenzie County, North Dakota), on June 6, 1986 (Accession 86-1451); Addition 4 acquisition record is unavailable; Addition 5 was deposited by Warren Henke, Bismarck, North Dakota, on May 9, 2001 (Accession 2001-2499); Addition 6 was transferred from UARCH 0057, Center for Teaching and Learning, Dean Vito Perrone Records in December 2004 (Accession 2004-2718)
The University of North Dakota was designated as the official depository for all North Dakota records created by the Country School Legacy Project.; Accession 82-955
America’s Country Schools by Andrew Gulliford
The Legacy of North Dakota's Country Schools, edited by Warren Henke and Everett Albers
The County School Legacy Project Records consist mainly of those materials generated by the Country School Legacy Project. The collection is divided into ten series as follows:
Series 1: Remembrances
Series 2: Correspondence
Series 3: Rural School Histories
Series 4: Teacher Contracts
Series 5: Historic Site Forms and Photographs
Series 6: Photographs
Series 7: Scrapbooks and Memorabilia
Series 8: Supporting Books and Documents from Rural School Teachers
Series 9: Accounting Records
Series 10: Miscellaneous
Series 1: Remembrances
Series 2: Correspondence
Series 3: Rural School Histories
Series 4: Teacher Contracts
Series 5: Historic Site Forms and Photographs
Series 6: Photographs
Series 7: Scrapbooks and Memorabilia
Series 8: Supporting Books and Documents from Rural School Teachers
Series 9: Accounting Records
Series 10: Miscellaneous