The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Christy Kienast, The Quill
Chalkboards, locker rooms, and kindergarten classrooms, these are a few of the
things we think of from our schools as we grow older. Memories and more
memories will soon be all that is left of the old three- story La Harpe school
building.
As this is being written, demolition of the school has not yet begun. But with the
arrival of the excavator last week it is surely just around the corner.
Over 80 years of memories have gathered in this building. From the teachers and
other faculty, graduates and all the way down to preschoolers, it seems everyone
you talk to has a memory of this beloved building and they love to share them.
Generations of families have passed through these hallways; all with the
recollection of their favorite teachers, classmates, best friends and high school
sweethearts.
While some people don't seem to mind that the old school is being torn down,
the majority of the alumni are saddened to see it go.
This is the second building to be built as a school on this land. The original
building was built in 1899 and destroyed by fire on December 5, 1927. The
present day building was erected in 1928 and connected to the old gym from the
original building that had just been added before it was destroyed.
The building hasn't been in use since 2009 when all classrooms, staff and students moved to
the current building (the former La Harpe High School) that was built in 1958.
During the demolition, there are plans to salvage the 1928 cornerstone, the
"HIGHSCHOOL" lettering above the gym doors and the "LA HARPE SCHOOL" blocks
on the front of the building.
Bricks from the demolition will be made available to the public at a later date.