Kansas City Region
Mt. Gilead still teaches a one-room school day
At Clay County's Mt. Gilead School, McGuffey readers and writing slates turn a surviving 1870s schoolhouse into a late-1880s class.
At Mt. Gilead School, a class can open a McGuffey reader, write on a slate, and practice penmanship and arithmetic the way a late-1880s student might have done. Clay County says the one-room school was built in the 1870s. Its four-hour field-trip program can take as many as 30 people.
The Mt. Gilead Church stands beside the school at 15918 Plattsburg Road near Kearney. It also dates to the 1870s and is still used for gatherings. Together, the church and school show how one rural corner once handled worship, lessons, and community life.
Clay County Historic Sites handles access, field trips, and church reservations. Check the county page before visiting.
Where to see it
- Clay County Historic Sites
Use the county page for Mt. Gilead Church, school, access, and program details.
References
More from Clay County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: July 16, 2026.