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Valley School No. 3

14779 Ferris St.
Douds, IA 52551
319-293-3209 / 641-936-4485
  • The Valley No.3 country school, originally located in Sec. 16 of Chequest Twp., was built in 1928, replacing one destroyed by fire in the spring of 1928.
  • The school continued to function until 1966 when the last of Iowa's country schools were forced to close and consolidate with neighboring districts.
  • Students listed as attending school in 1928-29 were:  Donna & Elizabeth Smith, Lewis Vineyard, Harold, Cleone & James Zeitler, Luzon & Russell Brooks, Grace Grubb, and Henry Hudson. 
  • Following closure as a school, the Chequest Township Trustees assumed ownership of the building and it continued to be used as an election polling place until 1990.
  • Faced with deterioration and lack of need, the trustees, on Sept. 21, 1995, deeded the school to the Douds Historical Preservation Assn., Inc.  The Association moved the structure 6 miles to land it had purchased in Memorial Park in Leando in the fall of 1995, preserving the structure for future generations to enjoy.
  • The new school's first teacher in 1928, Harold Harryman, Douds, and one of its first-grade pupils in 1928, James Zeitler, RR, Douds, were instrumental in saving this historic structure.