Sunny Dale School - District No. 26 - Sand Creek Township (also part of District No. 71 & 82)

District #26 was organized May 8, 1886. It disorganized January 6, 1946, and became District #77, then this district disorganized and became #82. District #82 and #Jt.18 unified in 1965, and then became part of 225 (Meade.)

The first school in District #26, was the Two-Mile School commonly known as the "Little Red Schoolhouse." It was located, on the section line between the homesteads of Thomas J. McKinney (section 35) and H.L. Woodruff (section 34) T34-R26.

Our best guess is that the Sunny Dale school was built around 1906, on the SW/4 of the SW/4 of Section 27-T34-R26. The district unified in1965, but the last teacher listed in Sunny Dale was the term that ended the spring of 1958. For over 50 years this building not only served the school district, but was the hub of community activities in the southeast corner of Meade County.

Sunny Dale schoolhouse was used as a community building for ice cream suppers, oyster suppers, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas programs, and the Literary Society. It was also on the Methodist church circuit for several years in the early 1900's. It was used for church and Sunday School in the early 1920's. Sunday School at this time was started by Mrs. Charles McKinney from Englewood and it continued there until the school closed. Even after the school closed, the building was still used for several years as a community center for Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas programs and elections.

The Meade County Historical Society acquired the school in 1977, and it was moved to their "farm lot" a half block south of Hwy 54 on Pearlette St., then in 2016, it was again moved to the lot just north of the Museum on North Meade Center. The building is now a museum exhibit to be enjoyed as a tribute to all the rural schools that dotted Meade County from the 1880's to the 1940's and beyond.

Haver, Mary - 1924 - 1926

Craig, Vona - 1926 - 1928

Pemberton, Ana Mae - 1928 - 1929

Tillery, Blanche - 1929 - 1931

Landrum, Anna Mae - 1931 - 1932

Thomas, Anna - 1932 - 1933

Harper, Norma - 1933 - 1935

Baragree, Alice - 1934 - 1935

Harper, Norma - 1935 - 1936

Wyatt, Elizabeth - 1936 - 1937

Carttar, Velma - 1938 - 1939

Lyon, Katherine - 1939 - 1940

Nobel, Bessie - 1940 - 1942

Robinson, Marjorie - 1942 - 1944

Rogers, Lydia - 1944 - 1945

Surnames of students at Sunny Dale #26 school:

Alexander, Austin, Brown, Butler, Cagle ,Carlson, Chandler, Cook, Covalt, Craig, DeVore, Ediger, Edwards, Embrey, Epp, Fuhrman, Greenstreet, Haepe, Haney, Horner, Hughes, Kelley, Kimes, King, Little, Mayberry, McKinney, Moore, Murphy, Painter, Powell, Reinert, Rogers, Shepherd, Smiley, Stacy, Stalder, Stith, Thiessen, Ware, West, Whetstone, iens, Woodruff, and Woods.

Surnames of students at Sunny Dale #82 school:

Cornelsen, Bailey, Dunn, Ediger, Finlay, Fuhrman, Gowens, Greenstreet, Gumpenberger, Johnson, McKinney, Painter, Reinert, Rogers, Specht, Whetstone, and Woodruff..

Surnames of students at Two Mile school:

Butler, Curtis, McKinney, Smith, and Woodruff.