Students and their teacher pose for a class photo on Rapp School’s front steps, sometime in the 1950s. OCHS photo.
Everyone invited to visit historic Osage County one-room school house
Rapp Township, in conjunction with the Osage County Historical Society, will host an open house at Rapp School, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. The school, located about four miles west of Osage City, will be open for all to enjoy. Children are welcome to play on the playground, and everyone is encouraged to bring their own sack lunches for a fall picnic on the school grounds.
The building is a rare, beautifully preserved example of a 20th century rural one-room school. Rapp built the school in 1929. A model rural school, it featured electricity, a full basement, coal furnace, and a cistern with an indoor pump. (Please be aware that in 1929, “modern” rural schools did not include indoor restrooms. It is recommended you “go” before arriving.)
The school closed in 1959, and remains the property of Rapp Township. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Rapp Township partners with the Osage County Historical Society for administration and events at the school.
Rapp School is located at 10324 US-56, Osage City, KS 66523.
For more information about events or field trips at Rapp School, contact Osage County Historical Society at 785-828-3477, or email Lynsay Flory, museum director, at osagecohistory@gmail.com.
Information thanks to Osage County Historical Society.
