This is the second time we’ve visited the Munster country school, in Eddy County, a short drive northwest of New Rockford. We originally set out to photograph this place in October of 2012 under the assumption it was still intact, but 2012 was one of the driest summers on record, and when we arrived, we found the school had recently burned.
Almost three years later, we happened to be driving by after another potential site didn’t pan out. We weren’t really paying attention to exactly where we were, so when we crested a hill and saw the school on the side of the road, we were shocked at it’s condition. Once the fire consumed the wood support structure, the brick remains didn’t stand a chance, and in just a couple short years the site is well on its way to becoming a ruin, living now mainly in the memory of the students who attended here.
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See a photo of the Munster country school before it burned.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp copyright © 2015 Sonic Tremor Media
Ghosts of North Dakota 
I grew up around the school house. Sad to see it in such rough shape!
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Wow…hollow tile bricks… out house is constructed of those as well. It was built in Saint Cloud, MN in 1922.
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My mother, Irma (Bitter) Omoth taught in this school the first year of her marriage 1946-47. School boards still didn’t usually hire married women, but they were unable to find a teacher. Mom signed a contract for 47-48 but had to resign before the year started because she found out she was pregnant with my older brother. I remember her telling that my father would drive her to the school each day from Bremen and ‘bank’ the coal furnace for her at the end of the day when he picked her up. She was responsible for all custodial duties as well as teaching.
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Spentmany happy hours there starting in 1948 throuh 1956. We had all female teachers including Mrs Simms, Miss Sandlebach(sp) Mrs Trent ,Miss Allmaras, Mrs Hendrickson.went to schol via horse, tractor, sled and boat , and Alphonse Allmaras even flew Mrs Trent in and landed in a stubble field west of the school!
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