Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society: Historic Homes and Places

Monona's current Nichols School stands on the same corner where the area's children have attended classes since 1869. To date, it has undergone several building replacements and many additions.

On October 29, 1851, the first meeting of the School District was held at the home of R. D. Frost. H. A. Tiffany, acting superintendent of schools for Blooming Grove, was elected director. The first structure was a modest building 14 feet by 18 feet, built in 1852 at a cost of $100.00. Eliza Skinner was hired as the first teacher at $1.50 per week, and she held the first session, which lasted only two months. In October of the following year the district officers extended the school term to eight months, but the term length varied over the succeeding years.

In 1869 a new one-room school was built at a cost of $750.00 on the present site. This building served the area through the rest of the century and the first two decades of the 1900's.

A two-room stuccocovered frame structure was erected in 1923 and by 1935 three more rooms were needed and a barracks was moved in to provide added space.

During 1935 the first part of the brick building which stands today was built directly behind the stucco building. Additions were made in 1940 and from 1946-1949.

In 1954 the "Nichols Primary School" was added to the west of the main structure. More classrooms were built in 1955 and the final addition of the gymnasium was dedicated in 1957 to bring to a close a "decade of building." Further additions and remodeling have been done to date.