Redding school was housed in a rented building until the first schoolhouse was built in 1887. Two years later in 1889 a new two-story, three-room schoolhouse was built on the same site with John W. BEAMON, contractor. The first school was sold for $125 on September 16, 1889 to S. W. DERICKSON.

The school house had two classrooms upstairs and two downstairs, two grades to a room. It was located on the corner just south of the Methodist Church.

School was in session for 8 months - 3 months in the spring and summer, and 5 months in the winter and fall.

Before consolidation the highest grade was the 9th grade. A year of school was added each year until 12th grade graduates were awarded diplomas in 1918.

During the second decade of the 1900's, several school districts in Ringgold County considered consolidation. Although the citizens of Redding School District voted in favor of consolidation in 1913, the vote was cast out on a technicality. The following year Redding built a new two-story brick school. In 1915, another election was held in Redding and the citizens again voted in favor of consolidation. The residents of Delphos voted to consolidate; Maloy residents voted for consolidation in 1917; and the Beconsfield residents cast their vote for consolidation in 1920. Although the residents of Ellston voted to consolidate, it was annulled on a technicality when the bonding company realized that the election notice had been advertised solely by public notices and not published in the newspaper. A second vote was called which resulted in a vote against consolidation.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
January 28, 1916

The school board received a new piano Tuesday and it was taken to the new schoolhouse. The box supper Saturday night is to help pay for it.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
June 05, 1916

REDDING - Albert Cousand, of Ware, has been secured at principal of the Redding school for next year.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker

In 1917, a large addition was constructed to accomondate an increase in pupils attending the Redding School.

After the Redding School consolidated the district bought seven or eight horse-drawn hacks and established routes in which to pick up children for the school day. By the 1930's privately owned motor vehicles were adapted for the transportation of students to and from school. Students from surrounding country school districts could attend classes at the Redding School with their respective districts paying for their tuition. They did not pay for transportation, however.

Those who served as superintendents of Redding Consolidated School included C. D. KAISER, David WILLIAMS, John M. STOKE, Mr. BUTLER, Mr. WYRICK, John PARISHO, E. Claire HENDERSON, Joe KING, Mr. McKEE, W. L. EVANS, Bill BOWEN, Mr. COLLINS, Lloyd SAVILLE, Dale ALLEN, J. K. RUNYON, and Maurice CARR.

The Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
April 28, 1920
REDDING - Teachers elected by the school board for the coming year are Ferne SEATON, primary; Florence HOFFMAN, third and fourth grades; Gail HOFFMAN, seventh grade; Caryl WILLIAMS, eighth grade; and, Miss MAKEY and Miss CARR, high school teachers.

The faculty of 1925 included John M. STOCK, C. H. MARPLE, L. E. OMANS, Blanche ROBERTS, Sylvia WAUGH, Mildred TRULLINGER, Gayle WILKINSON, Florence HOFFMAN, and Ferne SEATON.

During the 1930's the Home Economics class prepared a kettle of hot food for the students. When the local P.T.A. was organized, they ran a school lunch program, this being several years before there was any federal school lunch programs. The P.T.A. ran the school lunch program until Redding Consolidated School closed in 1958. Officers of the P.T.A. in 1957 were Nellie NORRIS, Bertha OLNEY, and Martha McQUIGG.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 16, 1940

REDDING - During a meeting of the P.T.A. held Thursday night, the following officers were elected: President, Mrs. Guy STATON; vice-president, Mrs. R. B. ARNEAL; and secretary, Dayton NORRIS.

Members of the 1940 graduating class are: Dorothy ADAIR, Harold BAKER, Bob HENRY, Jack SHAW, Mary LaMOND, Dorothy SHAW, Barbara THOMAS and Ruth COX.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2015

From 1954 to 1958, Redding's graduating class averaged ten students. After the passage of a vote from the schools in Ringgold County, junior and high school students from the Redding district began attending classes at Mount Ayr in the fall of 1958. The Redding school was used as a grade school until 1970 when it was sold.

Mount Ayr Record News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 15, 1952

At Redding, commencement will be held May 16 with Dr. Roy A. CHEVILLE, acting president of Graceland College, Lamoni, the speaker. Members of the 1952 graduating class are Marvin AUSTIN, Jack BAILEY, Marvin LUNGREN, Harold MURPHY, Lucille PRITCHARD, Doyle PYLE, Darrell SHAW and Marilyn STAATS.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2012

 

Courtesy of Friends of Old Redding
Seated Left to Right: David LUNDGREN, Mary QUICK, Bill JORDAN, Shirley POWELL, Thelma OLNEY, 1953

Courtesy of Friends of Old Redding

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, April 01, 1954

Floyd FERTIG, veteran schoolhouse janitor, resigned his work with the Redding Consolidated school the first of the week, to take effect April 1. FERTIG took up the work as school janitor at Benton in 1919. After he left Benton, he came to Redding and has served efficiently in that capacity ever since. Floyd has a record that he can justly be proud of, in that he has never failed to be on duty every school day during these 34 years.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2012

BOYS' BASKETBALL

The first Ringgold County Boys' Basketball Tournament was held February 28 - March 1st, 1919, at the Mount Ayr high school gymnasium. Redding entered into the tournament for the first time in 1921.

Redding lost the championship to Diagonal, 46-21 on February 21, 1931. Redding's guard HERREN was named to the all-tournament first team.

Redding's TENNANT was named to the all-tournament first team during the 1934 Ringgold County Tournament.

Redding lost the 1935 championship title to Diagonal, 32-25.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, November 14, 1940

Norin MEREDITH, coach in the Redding schools for the past three years, resigned his position last week and went to Eldon, where he has accepted a teaching position. John PARISHO, son of John PARISHO, superintendent at Redding in 1937 and 1938, has been hired to fill the vacancy.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2015

Redding's HIATT was named to the 1939 all-tournament first team.

The Redding Panthers lost the 1949 championship title to Mount Ayr's Raiders, 61-32.

Maurice CARR coached the Redding Panthers to their first county championship title in 1952, defeating Kellerton's Indians, 32-28. During the semi-finals, Redding's Billie AUSTIN had to drop out of play due to a broken ankle. Teammates M. AUSTIN and HOWIE carried the Panthers through to a victory. During sectional tournament play, Redding lost 30-25 to Benton, coming in as runners up.

Redding lost the championship title of 1955 to Mount Ayr, 60-58. Redding's Bill AUSTIN was the star player for the Panthers during the final game played on Friday night of January 21, 1955.

  

 

Photographs Courtesy of Friends of Old Redding

 

Courtesy of Friends of Old Redding

SOURCES: Ringgold County History Compiled and written by the Iowa Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Iowa, Sponsored by Ringgold County Superintendent of Schools, Mount Ayr, Iowa. 1942.

AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past. . .Ringgold County, Iowa 1855-2005 Pp. 60-4. Paragon Publications, Inc. Mount Ayr. 2009.

Redding, Iowa: The First Hundred Years 1882 - 1982 Pp. 41-47.

1924 School Hack, Courtesy of Mike Avitt

Photographs contributed by Friends of Old Redding, July of 2010

Compilation and 2009 photograph by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2009; updated July of 2010; updated September of 2015; updated November of 2015

Courtesy of Friends of Old Redding

Redding's school bell sits in the park at Redding.
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News, July 04, 2013