This abandoned school was not a planned stop, but we happened to drive right by it and decided we should stop to shoot it. This abandoned country school is in northern Barnes County, about five miles southwest of Sibley, North Dakota. If anyone knows the official name of this school, please leave a comment below.
Update: a visitor has identified this school as Weiland’s St. Mary’s School
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Ghosts of North Dakota 
On 200 in Mclean county, either 2 miles east of the Turtle Lake cutoff or 6 miles west of Mercer is country road 29, locally called the Red Trail. 3 miles south from 200 is New Home # 4. My father and his brothers attending all 8 years there and I attended for 5. I’m going to ask one of my relatives to take a photo of it. One lives just a half mile from there. Also, at the intersection of 29 and 200, there is a farm owned by a family named Schlaffman. There used to be a museum there. Maybe it is still active.
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In the picture with the sky view it
looks as if someone in a yellow dress is standing in the doorway. Did anyone else notice this? Though I’m sure its just the walls. Its a little eerie just the same. Great pictures anyway.
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b, yes I did also notice it but did not perceive it as a yellow dress. I just thought of it as a pop of color that happened to be in the doorway (i.e. paint on a wall). As I was viewing it and just sort of quickly scrolling down the page, I perceived at basically the same time that the photo immediate below that one had quite a bit of a bright green paint shade which is exactly the same shade as the pop of color in the doorway, so I surmised that the pop of color in the doorway was some of that green paint on a wall showing through the doorway. If I were not looking at both pictures simultaneously as I was, I could see how you could come to the conclusion you reached. However, in case you don’t know, you can see the pictures much more clearly anywhere on this website by clicking on a photo, then on the next page that comes up, click the photo again, and then a new page will come up with the full-sized, full-quality photos, and you can see the details much more clearly. If you do that with this photo, you will see clearly that it is a painted wall rather than a yellow dress, as you supposed. Hope that helps.
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That is the “old Weiland School” or St Mary’s school. For many years there used to be an old piano or organ that was abandoned in the school. With your pics it is obviously not there anymore. This school is about 7 miles straight south of my husband’s family farm.
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In the school yard there was a playground with some small toys, a merry go round, etc. These were removed about 10-15 years ago. One of the pieces is actually on my husband’s cousin’s farm as my husband’s aunt and uncle helped to remove the pieces with the owner. The property was owned by Jack Weiland (pronounced Wee-land) and is still owned by the Weiland family. My husband’s aunt Lorraine Haugen (now Haglestrom) taught in the school for a short time. The piano/organ that I mentioned earlier was unable to be restored due to the exposure to the elements.
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This is an amazing website! Thank you for making it!
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My husband’s grand-father went to this school and we live close to it. He said it’s called Sibley Trail School. And Wieland is spelled wrong. Just so you know.
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This place has a beautiful tin ceiling! I could see restoring this for a residence
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