Scraps From History Make A Surprise Visit

In the foreground is parts of the original foundation to the old Oskaloosa Junior High building. The excavator is sitting on the spot where the offices would have been. The floor that would have been above that spot would have been the history department and the third floor would have contained the math department.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Remnants of history came to light once again when a contractor started digging.

The remains of the foundation of the old Oskaloosa Junior High School starting rising to the surface with the aid of an excavator. The property located on the corner of B Ave E and N 1st St will be home to a new duplex that is being built by Mike Sereg.

Besides large chunks of the foundation, they have also found abandoned water and sewer lines, parts of an old sprinkler system, and a collection of interesting bottles. Mike’s is working on getting the property cleaned up and making it right.

So far, nothing had been found that would identify the location as belonging to the junior high, but they have found a lot of bricks with Oskaloosa on them during the digging process. “If I didn’t know that the Junior High set here, I’d just think it was an old building, an old structure that was here,” Sereg said.

The pieces from the foundation have been hauled away and put into a ditch. Mike says there are some bricks here and there and to stop by, look around, and remember. If you’re lucky enough you just might walk away with a piece of history.