Rusk school was also known as "White Oak school".
"Other districts soon were organized and when the war came on twenty-three school houses had been built.
Among the districts organized in the 'forties were the Franklin school, near Castle Rock on Turkey creek,
with Charles Harris as its teacher; Peace Church school, later called Enterprise; Spring River school, Carthage;
the Black Jack in McDonald township; the Duval in the northwestern part of county and White Oak school, near Avilla."
A History of Jasper County, Missouri and Its People, Volume 1, by Joel Thomas Livingston, 1912.
"The original Rusk building was destroyed, July 4, 1898, by fire and the last structure, currently used for hay storage,
was constructed shortly after by Ralph and Irwin Bawbell, who also were the builders of the New Hope and Deer Creek
school buildings."
Marvin VanGilder, Press Historian, The Carthage Evening Press, September 22, 1973.
Voters approved a merger of the Blake, Henry, Arthur, Sunflower, Avillla, Rusk, New Hope and Empire
schools in October 1951. The new district would be named the R-13 District.
The Rusk school house is now gone.
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