Raffurty Schoolhouses, Polk Township, Macoupin County IL

This Raffurty Schoolhouse is located at the corner of Finch Road and Rinaker Road, Section 6, Polk Township, Macoupin County, Illinois 2009. Private property.  Picture facing NW.
Picture from Lloyd Konneker.
"Complete with water pump and storm cellar.  I peeked inside.  Its pretty rough but the blackboards are still there.  How long before chalk is just a memory?"

Jim Frank states,
"There were two Raffurty schoolhouses in Polk Township. One has been moved to the Macoupin County Historical Society Grounds.
This rural school house building still standing in section 6 of Polk township at the corner of Rinaker road and Finch road was the Raffurity School District 91.  It was the first school district organized in Polk township.  A part of the district was also in Chesterfield, Bird and Western Mound townships.  The old school house is on the James Wheeler farm and had been in miscellaneous use as a farm storage building following the closing of all rural school districts during the consolidation of the rural schools in 1948.
More information on the Raffurty school house at Rinaker road and Finch road.  The old school house building standing there now is the newer Raffurty school house built to replace the old school house.  When the new building was erected, the old school building was moved to the Charles Barnstable farm and used as a chicken house. It is this building that was donated by Mrs. Charles Barnstable and moved into the Historical Society grounds in Carlinville and restored.   Raffurty School District was known as the Union School District until 1913 when the named was changed to Raffurty, named after the owner of the farm where the school was located.  At that time there were four other schools in Macoupin county by the name of Union, thus the reason these school named Union were changed.  The yearly school reports turned in to the County Superintendent of Schools by the teacher teaching at the school each particular year spell Raffurty with the ur instead of er.   Interesting!"

From Sue Raffurty McMurry:
"The Macoupin County Enquirer, November 4, 1869. "Chesterfield  Items.  Union School House in the neighborhood of James Rafferty's has been enlarged, newly covered, repainted and renovated generally and is now a credit to the district."

Sue writes, "The spelling of Rafferty/Raffurty is incidental.... all the same family. The only branch of the family that used the Raffurty spelling is my line - from James Raffurty - his father & brothers, nephews, etc spelled it with the "er". My James Raffurty changed his because 3 James Rafferty's received mail at the same PO."


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