The Woodburn Independent School had its beginning in two houses in the town. One housed the larger pupils - it was just west and across the street from the current building, and the other the smaller children - it was a house back of the old gymnasium on Vine Street. The first teacher in the lower school was Anna Tallman of Osceola, and O.P. Garris was the first teacher in the higher school.
The lower school moved to the Dr. Martin property in 1879, with the first teacher being Mary Rice. In 1880 the west section of the schoolhouse now standing on the hill near the Catholic and Christian Churches was built at a cost of $3,000. It contained two rooms, one below and one above. Seventy pupils were housed in each of the rooms with one teacher for each of the rooms. The teachers were employed for seven months. The first teachers in this new school were Arthur Hutchins, upper grades, and Mary Emerson, lower grades. In 1895, some of the children were housed in an old brick building on the east bank of Brush Creek, north of town due to lack of room in the schoolhouse.
Two additional rooms were deemed necessary, and were built in 1897. This forms the middle section of the present building. After this the brick school was discontinued and a room was added to the lower east end of the building. This became the Primary room. For several years school children went to Osceola, the county seat, for eighth grade graduation exercises. These were held either in a church or the Osceola High School.
Two additional rooms were deemed necessary, and were built in 1897. This forms the middle section of the present building. After this the brick school was discontinued and a room was added to the lower east end of the building. This became the Primary room. For several years school children went to Osceola, the county seat, for eighth grade graduation exercises. These were held either in a church or the Osceola High School.
In 1922, another room was built over the Primary room when the 12th grade was added. The school grounds of 1930 were covered with trees, being entirely surrounded by a row of great maples. J.O. Swan, school director, had overseen the planting of these maples. The grounds were enclosed by a high board fence and the pupils entered over a stile on the south side. The drought of 1934 and 1936 destroyed every maple tree and there only remained a few elms in later years, one of which was over 70 years old at the time of the drought.
The school closed in 1971 and was sold to Don Rodgers of the Woodburn Furniture Market.
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