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One year into restoration, Indianola looks ahead
INDIANOLA, Neb. - One year into its restoration, Indianola’s one-room schoolhouse has shifted from preservation effort to public asset, with plans now forming for how it can be used and shared.On the corner of D Street and Main 4th sits a quaint one-room schoolhouse and a blacksmith shop that the entire community has come to be proud of this year.
Pat Schaffert, the longest-running member of the historical society at 17 years, said the building was District 27, around five miles south of Indianola. Griff Malleck had purchased the building with the hope of keeping that part of history alive. In 2024, his widow, Vickie, gifted the schoolhouse and the blacksmith shop so they could be enjoyed by the public and, ideally, serve as a source of education about Indianola’s history.
Both buildings were carefully moved this March by Star House Moving of Grant, Nebraska. Tom Manker, a local carpenter, restored the schoolhouse.
The schoolhouse was originally built in 1905 and was closed in the early 1960s. Shaffert said that of 71 one-room schoolhouses in Red Willow County, this was the only one restored. It was commonly known as the “Malleck School” because half the students were Mallecks.
Community members helped make sure it was equipped with authentic school supplies, like the chalkboards, desks, a stove, a crock for hand washing and everything else a student would need. The inside now looks as if it was frozen in time. Except for the air conditioner.
Shaffert said now that they have the buildings in place, one project they would like to get going is hosting area fourth graders for Nebraska history celebrations so the students can experience what it was like to attend school during that era.
“Right now we can’t do that because there are a few things we need to do to get it up to code,” Schaffert said. “And there’s nowhere to send them out to recess.”
Marcy Rodriguez, society secretary, said with the few code requirements that need to be completed, it may take away from the visual authenticity a small amount, but it is something they are still required to do.
Behind the school is the blacksmith shop. The massive sliding doors are newly restored. Inside the building, everything a blacksmith needs to do his job is ready for work, such as a forge, a lathe and a trip hammer, all functioning by an engine-run belt system from above. The machines were donated by the estate of George Fidnarik, a relative of the Malleck family.
On display is an anvil that belonged to blacksmiths Merwin Grafton, his father, Odell, and Odell’s father, Walter, in Lebanon, Nebraska. The line shaft, also donated by the family, is on display, as well.
Schaffert said that Tony Howard, a Kansas blacksmith who once worked with Malleck, is hands-on familiar with the equipment and is willing to put on more demonstrations now that the shop is relocated. Other blacksmiths have agreed to follow suit.
Rodriguez said she’s proud of everything Indianola has to offer history-buffs, including the hidden gems.
“We had bicycle tour riders stop here on their way through this summer,” she said. Around 300 riders from across the country made their way through town, many stopping at the buildings for ice cream churned by a belt-run machine and taking in some history while they were at it.
“Some of them decided to stay here for the night instead of going on to McCook,” she said. “We’re excited to be able to get this going and to be able to share a part of Indianola’s history. There’s so much here people don’t know much about.”
Some of that history was on display this year during Old Settler’s Day in Indianola and Heritage Days in McCook, where they won the Vintage Car Award. Members found a 1939 World War II-era Army truck by chance in a junkyard in another town. The truck had been used at the prisoner-of-war camp in Indianola.
The historical society recently became members of the Chamber of Commerce and had a ribbon cutting earlier this year. There are 65 historical society members to date.
Rodriguez said they are grateful to those who donated funds at The Big Give, and the money will be used for upkeep and for their future plans. In regards to plans for the two current buildings, Rodriguez says they need to make sure everything is up to code, and heating is also on the list. Another project Schaffert felt could be a possibility is something that could earn Indianola an even bigger star on the map. Lying in wait are a plethora of historical items that could potentially become the makings of a museum building in the future.
“That’s something to think about down the road,” she said.
All of those items they’ve collected from Indianola’s history are currently displayed in a 40-foot container on another property.
Tours are always welcome at the buildings. Contact information can be found on their website at bestlittlecityoutwest.com.