Introduction (continued): Most schoolrooms had some books, a Bible, and perhaps a globe or some maps. Students generally walked to their school and had to be responsible, in turn, for bringing in the wood to burn in a potbellied stove, starting the fire in the morning, getting the water, and, later in the day, cleaning chalkboards, erasers, the floor, and windows (which were sometimes the only light in the room). Education was very important for the children who would grow up to be farmers, store clerks, clergymen, and teachers.
Fun Fact: In 1913, half of the school-aged children in the United States were enrolled in one-room schools, which numbered 212,000.
Fun Fact: There were more than 90,000 one-room schoolhouses in the midwestern U.S. in 1918.
Fun Fact: By 1938, more than 19,000 one-room schools were abandoned near urban areas throughout the midwestern United States.
Fun Fact: The number of one-room schools decreased significantly as farms grew larger and the population shifted from rural areas to urban centers by the end of the 1940s.
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