Yesterday's post, "The 1920s roar into Lucas County - fueled by coal," mentioned in passing the fact that a new school building in Williamson was another product of those years of optimism in the south of Iowa. And here it is, in its most recent incarnation as a tea room, still going strong a century later, too.
Williamson dates from 1913 when a depot was built there at a station along the new Rock Island Railroad tracks and named Williamson in honor of George Williamson, major landowner at the site. In 1919, as more and more coal miners and their families flowed into Lucas County to work the mines that the new railroad had facilitated, the Central Iowa Fuel Co. bought more land from Williamson and began building houses. By 1924, the population stood at several hundred, headed up to about a thousand before peaking.
That meant a new school was needed --- the left wing of the structure above. Here's a story about that building from The Chariton Leader of Aug. 21, 1923:
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One of the completest and best arranged school buildings, now nearing completion, in Lucas county, is the one at Williamson, in process of construction by D. A. Enslow & Son, of Chariton, which will cost not far from $16,000, not including the furniture, plumbing and heating plant, which is being put in by G. W. Ensley.
The building is a sightly structure and the architectural plans were furnished by W. L. Perkins of this city, and certainly the arrangement could not be improved on for convenience and availability of space. There is a full basement, the west side, a space 25 by 50 feet being reserved for domestic science and manual training departments, and the balance for coal storage, furnace room and toilets, the entire floor being well cemented throughout, and leading to this is a cement stairway.
The dimensions of the building is 50 x 50 feet, two stories above the basement. The walls are of the best hard brick, the same quality and color as used in the construction of the new Charitone hotel building, with tile inside work and re-enforced by steel. In fact, there is but little wood used in construction, the joists resting on heavy steel girders, resting on solid pillars reinforced by steel uprights, besides the walls being strengthened by pilasters resting on the heavy base and extending to the roof.
There was certainly nothing slighted in the building with drainage to a filtering basement which is already completed. The building has been wired and the new electric line is completed from Chariton to Williamson, so electrical fixtures are being put in for lighting and other purposes.
Upon the second floor, the first above the basement, there are four school rooms, all well ventilated and lighted, the windows now being inset in steel sash. Running north and south is a good wide corridor reached by an easy stairway, and later a superintendent's office will be erected to the south of this. There are fire escapes convenient, all rooms have connections for emergency purposes, and electric call bells are conveniently placed.
The second story above the basement is to be given entirely over to the high school, as they are to have a prescribed three year course. The assembly room is 25 x 50 feet, with north light and ten-foot ceiling. Just south of this are two other rooms, which are almost square, which may be used for classrooms or whatever purposes may be desired. Back of the stair landing the space may be used for office purposes or for whatever may be suggested for the convenience of the school.
It is a complete building in every respect and will stand for many decades, and is so constructed that it may be added to without interfering to any extent with its arrangement, should future demands require. This will probably be the sequel as Williamson is a growing town, and certainly it is an investment that will pay dividends greater to be valued than mere dollars.
The building lacks considerable yet of being finished but the workmen are pushing matters as fast as possible and it is believed it will be ready to turn over for school to begin on September 10.
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As Williamson continued to grow, it became evident that more space --- and a gymnasium-auditorium --- were needed. So the right-hand wing of the school building was added in 1929.
The last class of seniors graduated from Williamson High School in 1944 and in 1959, it became an attendance center for the consolidated Chariton Community School District. The school district sold the building to the Williamson Historical Society during 1996 and a museum was developed there, but it failed to gain enough momentum for long-term survival and eventually the structure was sold into private hands.
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