The Oak Grove School Historical Society . . . . . . . ABOUT US

The Oak Grove School Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was formed in 1992 to oversee the restoration, maintenance, operation, and improvements of the school.

The board consists of the following non-paid volunteer positions:

President - Julie Johnson (Parsons, KS)
Vice-President - Jim Baker (Wichita, KS)
Secretary - Patty Alexender (Springfield, MO)
Treasurer - Roger Pruitt (Houston, TX)
Public Relations - Dave Oas (Parsons, KS)
Historian - Cary Pruitt III (Tahlequah, OK)
Education Program Specialist Gwen Adamson (Pasco,WA)

Our mission is, "To provide education and enrichment for future generations"

We're a member of the Southeast Kansas Museum Alliance, and open to the public.

The Historic Oak Grove School does not charge admission fees and we don't sell merchandise therefore, we rely solely on donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Please consider supporting Oak Grove School with a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation.

** HOW TO DONATE **

Click the "BECOME A DONOR" button below to go to the Parsons Area Community Foundation website donor page, and click the "$ Donate" button near the top of the page.
Complete the "Contact Information" form and scroll down to "Donation Amounts". Select "Oak Grove School Endowed Fund" from the "Select a Fund" drop down menu.
Click Add Fund to Cart >> , enter the amount you'd like to donate and click Continue to Next Step >> to be taken to a secure PayPal Payment Portal.
If you have a PayPal account you'd like to use for making your donation, select Log In (to PayPal). Otherwise choose, Pay with Debit or Credit Card to complete your checkout as a guest. (no PayPal account is required)

All donations directly support the maintenance, preservation, and enhancement of the historic Oak Grove school and the provisioning of the Kansas history of the field trip program for the benefit of southeast Kansas school children.

You'll receive a receipt for your TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation - THANK YOU!

If you prefer to support Oak Grove with a check, make it out to, "Oak Grove School Historical Society" and mail it to:

Oak Grove School Historical Society

16602 Canterra Way

Houston, TX 77095

If you have any questions about supporting the Historic Oak Grove School, please contact our Treasurer, Roger Pruitt. (click his name, at left, to send him an email)

(The only instant payment app we are currently able to process is PayPal)

Become a Donor

A Brief History of the School and Surrounding Area

A representative depiction of the first Oak Grove

The First School Structure

Just a few years after the end of the Civil War, School District 20 was formed in Neosho County. In 1868, the first school building was constructed out of logs in a low-lying area prone to flooding and snake infestations. Additionally, the railroad claimed ownership of the land the school was built on.

It was decided to build a new and bigger schoolhouse about three-quarters of a mile to the southwest - where the Oak Grove Schoolhouse stands today.

NOTE - This image only represents what the school may have looked like.

Master stone mason from Parsons, George Clark "G.C." Osgood

The Master Stone Mason

The school district hired a master stone mason from Parsons named George Clark Osgood to rebuild the Oak Grove School out of nearby sandstone at its current location. Completed in 1877, the first class was held there that fall.

"G. C." Osgood owned land on the east side of Parsons where he manufactured brick and quarried stone. He purchased a quarter section of acreage from the Parsons Town Company minus twenty acres that the town company set aside for the Oakwood Cemetery.

In 1882 George Osgood sold a small portion of his farm back to the City of Parsons for a public fairground, which is now known as Marvel Park.

A modern-day view of the Oak Grove Schoolhouse from the Osage Trail

The "New" School

The "New and Improved" Oak Grove School sat atop a hill (no more flooding), located where it still stands today. The primary route used by travelers to cross the Neosho River at Trotter's Ford was called the Osage Trace, which passed directly in front of the school as it continued southward.

Oak Grove was ideally situated as a central hub among the towns of Osage Mission (Saint Paul), Hertha, Galesburg, Jacksonville, Island, South Mound, Ladore, and Parsons. This made Oak Grove School the perfect spot to hold social and political gatherings for the surrounding communities.

Rough and Tumble Times

Seven outlaws rode into Ladore, about 8 miles west of Oak Grove, in May 1870. They attacked and robbed several people and molested two teenage girls. The townspeople formed a posse that caught and hanged five of the outlaws.

In 1871, the Bender Family built an inn along the trail from Osage Mission to Independence, KS, about 18 miles southwest of Oak Grove. The Benders were suspected of killing more than 20 travelers in less than a two-year period.

On March, 26. 1874, 52-year-old Anthony Amend was killed by his son-in-law, John Pierce, during an argument in Jacksonville (about 1-1/2 miles southeast of Oak Grove). Pierce was soon hunted down and hanged by vigilantes.

Historic
Oak Grove
School

The Oak Grove School Historical Society . . . . . . . ABOUT US