The first schoolhouse, which was built in 1858, still stands. [It has now been torn down.] It was originally twenty-four by thirty feet in size, but it has been re-modeled since and used for a home. Before this there had been no school buildings; the children had met in different homes. The first teacher was Beulah Sylvester. She was very well liked by all the children and had perfect order all of the time.

A boy was appointed to come at six-thirty to make the fire so it would be warm when the rest arrived. There was no school during mid-winter. However, they went for nine months, which included the summer months. In 1860 there was such an overflow of people, numbering 25, that they were crowded together in the seats which were of different lengths, made of stout dressed walnut planks with open rail backs of the same material. The desks were huge four-posted boxes with hinged tops, and they were not fastened to the floor. It was so crowded that some brought chairs with them. After the school became this large, an assistant, Dora Houston, was hired.

Every few days they would have a clean-up day, and the children would come early. The boys would take the seats and desks, which averaged about four feet in length, outdoors and clean them while the girls cleaned the floor; when it was muddy they had to do this two or three times a week.

The first Christmas was celebrated in the new school building in 1858. The boys and girls spent several days decorating the Christmas tree. (Kreamer, 1939)

The need of schools was ever present in the minds of the settlers so in the spring of 1858 work was started on a school house. It was the first public building in town and was used not only for a school but as a court house and church services were also held in it. It was later converted into a dwelling and was still in use today. It was the main part of the house owned by Ray Andersen, town marshal, and was the second house north of the Locker Plant [now a vacant lot north of Mary Johnson's house].

The school was 24x30 feet and its original cost was $1,300 which was paid not in cash but in farm produce, labor, etc. Judge Harris realizing that times were hard and there was very little money in the county, devised a plan of erecting a school with only enough money to purchase glass for the windows and a little hardware. He planned it with the Treasurer so that a man could bring in wheat, corn, produce or lumber and the Treasurer would give him a receipt in full for what would ordinarily have been a cash tax for school purposes. The workmen took grain or produce for their wages. Thus work went on and a $1,300 schoolhouse was erected at an expenditure of less than $100 in money.

The school was furnished in the most primitive manner. The seats of different lengths were made of stout walnut planks with open rail backs. The desks were also walnut and were huge boxes with a hinged top and four legs. They were made up by Judge Harris and A B. Houston and they were far from handsome but they made up for it by being very substantial.

A stile was built out in front so the ladies wearing hoop skirts would not have so much difficulty in alighting from a wagon. In 1866 the first County Teacher's Institute or Convention was held in Exira... (1957 Centennial Book)

In 1871 four thousand dollars had been appropriated for a brick schoolhouse at Exira. But by some part of shuffling on the part of the school officers, the first warning that Exira people had, a contract was let to John Cannon for the erection of a frame school house at the cost of two thousand three hundred dollars. It was clear that Exira had been tricked out of their brick school house. A two-story, two-room pine box was erected on the present school house premises. [the site of the Dollar General store] It was not a thing of beauty, nor a joy. (H. F. Andrews, 1915)