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Photograph of Lancaster School
Photograph by Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Lancaster School

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

From the record

“Lancaster School is a preserved 1881 two-story schoolhouse located in rural Keokuk County, Iowa, United States southeast of the county seat of Sigourney.”

Wikipedia article Lancaster School (Sigourney, Iowa), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 10 National Register listings published here for Keokuk County · listed in 1984 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. SE of Sigourney, Sigourney, 52591
  • When was it listed? October 1984
  • Category. building
  • Township. East Lancaster township
  • National Register reference number. 84000010 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

20 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 20 fires within 5 miles of Lancaster School between 2009 and 2020, burning about 219 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning13
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Equipment and vehicle use1
Smoking1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
24 September 2013Debris and open burning10 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
1 July 2017Smoking1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
2 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
6 April 2014Debris and open burning3.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 April 2013Debris and open burning40 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
1 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
31 March 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resources202ND AVE & 149 HIGHWAY, IOWA
30 March 2014Debris and open burning1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Every fire recorded in Keokuk County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Lancaster School: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
UnknownStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Keokuk County

Storms near this property

49 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sigourney, the town this property stands in, in 49 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 28 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 4 flood, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2010Flash FloodSigourney$100,000Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of several roads in Sigourney, IA during the morning of June 15.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindSigourney$50,000Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew a semi trailer over onto its side in Sigourney, IA around 635 pm on May 8. This report was relayed by the KCRG TV weather team.
August 1994Thunderstorm WindSigourney$50,000no account filed
April 2008Thunderstorm WindSigourney$40,000A roof was blown off a garage and another outbuilding.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindSigourney$40,000Large tree limb down
May 1999Thunderstorm WindSigourney$35,000Severe thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 mph by spotters destroyed one building and damaged others at the county fairgrounds. The roof and walls of the commercial exhibition building were torn off, scattering debris eastward into other buildings. 2x4 boards were driven into the roof of the main fair building. Damage at the fairgrounds was estimated at $30,000 to $35,000.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindSigourney$15,000no account filed
April 2008Thunderstorm WindSigourney$5,000A shed collapsed due to straight line winds estimated to be 60 mph near Sigourney. Delayed report.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindSigourney$3,000Large branches down
June 2018LightningSigourney$2,000Lightning caused a large tree branch to come down on power lines and block an intersection.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindSigourney$1,000Tree down
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A trained spotter reported that a large tree branch split from a pear tree. They estimated that the branch is about 6 inches in diameter.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A public report of 70 MPH thunderstorm storm wind gust.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A public report of tree limbs down The largest branch was 18 inches.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Numerous 2-3 inch diameter tree branches down with two large trees down.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Measured by Iowa department of transportation, RWIS.
March 2019FloodSigourney-Heavy rain and snow melt across the region caused the North Skunk River south of Sigourney to rise above major flood stage of 21.0 feet on March 15th. The river fell back below major flood stage on the 17th. The river crested at 23.01 feet on the 16th.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Broadcast media reported tree and power line damage in Sigourney.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A public report of trees down in Sigourney. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Iowa Department of Transportation road sensor measured this wind gust.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A trained spotter reported 3 trees were down in the town of Sigourney. The time was estimated by radar.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A trained spotter reported estimated 60 MPH winds. Half of a large four foot diameter tree was blown down. In addition, an anchored dog house was blown about 15 feet away. Pea to half inch diameter hail occurred as well.
August 2015HailSigourney-The Postmaster in Sigourney reported that hail about the size of a golf ball fell a half mile north of town. There were also dents in the siding of a home. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A 59 mph wind gust was recorded near Sigourney, IA at 1209 am CDT September 1/1109 pm CST August 31.
July 2014FloodSigourney-Heavy rain across the Upper Midwest and eastern Iowa during the last two weeks of June caused the North Skunk River near Sigourney to rise above its major flood stage of 21 feet around 1100 AM on July 1 and fall below major flood stage around 930 AM on July 5. The river crested at 23 feet around 11PM on July 2 and remained at the crest through 100 AM on July 4.
April 2014Thunderstorm WindSigourney-The Keokuk County Emergency Manager reported large power poles blown across a road.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindSigourney-The emergency manager reported widepread wind damage across Keokuk county which occurred between 10 pm and 1020 pm. Transmission lines were snapped near and east of Sigourney along with some buildings damaged.
June 2013FloodSigourney-The North Fork of the Skunk River began June above the major flood stage of 21 feet and fell below 21 feet in the late evening hours of the first.
May 2013Flash FloodSigourney-Law enforcement reported 20 roads closed across Keokuk county due to flash flooding.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindSigourney-A wind gust of 59 mph was measured at a mesonet site near Sigourney.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed in Sigourney, IA around 1115 pm CDT June 26.
March 2007HailSigourney-Spotter at Sigourney reported penny size hail.
March 2007Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Mesonet measured 60 mph wind gust.
March 2007Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Spotter estimated 55 to 60 mph wind gusts.
May 2001Flash FloodSigourney-Water over Highway 92 east of the Keota junction. Reported by law enforcement official.
April 2000HailSigourney-Penny-sized hail reported by law enforcement.
April 2000FloodSigourney-Street flooding reported by law enforcement.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Numerous trees down.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindSigourney-Numerous trees and power lines down.
October 2024HailSigourney-no account filed
July 2024HailSigourney-no account filed
May 2023HailSigourney-no account filed
October 2022HailSigourney-no account filed
August 2021HailSigourney-no account filed
August 2021HailSigourney-no account filed
August 2015HailSigourney-no account filed
April 2011HailSigourney-no account filed
May 2010HailSigourney-no account filed
May 1998HailSigourney-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Keokuk County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

4 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Hayesville Independent School4.4 miles2014
Keokuk County Courthouse4.5 miles1981
Public Square Historic District4.5 miles1999
Sigourney Public Library4.5 miles1983

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 84000010 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Keokuk CountyAll 10 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.