Mill Rock School is a historic one-room schoolhouse located south of Baldwin, Iowa, United States. It is one of over 217 limestone structures in Jackson County from the mid-19th century, of which 12 are school buildings. This school building was built in 1869 by Abner Hunt and P.A. Downer. The stone blocks that were used in the construction of this rectangular structure vary somewhat in shape and size, and they were laid in courses. The window sills and lintels are dressed stone. There is a brick chimney on the west elevation, and two entrance doors on the east elevation. Having two entrance doors is unusual for rural Jackson County schools.[2] A name and date stone is located in the east gable.

Mill Rock School
Mill Rock School is located in Iowa
Mill Rock School
Mill Rock School is located in the United States
Mill Rock School
LocationWestern side of 153rd Ave., south of Baldwin
Coordinates42°03′31″N 90°50′21″W / 42.05861°N 90.83917°W / 42.05861; -90.83917
Arealess than one acre
Built1869
Built byAbner Hunt
P.A. Downer
Architectural styleVernacular
MPSLimestone Architecture of Jackson County MPS
NRHP reference No.92000913[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 24, 1992

The school building was built in the town of Mill Rock, the first municipality established in Monmouth Township.[2] When the Midland Railroad was built to the northeast in 1872, the town of Baldwin was established and Mill Rock declined. A few houses and the school were all that remained by the 1890s. The school itself was abandoned in the first quarter of the 20th-century. The building is now owned by the Jackson County Conservation Board, and serves as a community center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Molly Meyers Naumann. "Mill Rock School". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-29. with four photos from 1991-1992