The latest issue of the State Historical Society of Iowa magazine, Iowa Heritage Illustrated, examines one-room schools through firsthand accounts of former teachers and students. Three brothers-Loren, Lowell and Harvey Horton, who attended a country school in Clarke County in the 1920s, '30s and '40s-compare experiences and the effects of the Depression and World War II.

Men and women who taught at one-room schools relate the challenge of teaching several students at different levels all at the same time. "Sometimes (to start the day) I read a chapter out of books like Winnie the Pooh, or Old Mother Westwind or Black Beauty or something. It had to appeal to first graders and eighth graders all the way up and down, but they liked that," recalls teacher Louise Kline.

The State Historical Society of Iowa offers grants that fund the preservation and maintenance of country school buildings. Although thousands of one-room schools have disappeared from the landscape, or now masquerade as farm storage buildings, housing and the occasional commercial enterprise, some have been lovingly brought back to useful lives. The State Historical Society's Country School Grant Program has assisted in this work.

Iowa Heritage Illustrated is published quarterly by the State Historical Society of Iowa, the historical division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Single issues cost $6 and can be obtained at the Museum Store in the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, or by calling (319) 335-3916. Subscriptions cost $19.95 for one year or $35.90 for two years. For more information, contact Ginalie Swaim, editor, at Iowa Heritage Illustrated, 402 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52240; gswaim@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu.