Coker School

Published Wednesday, Nov. 6, 1957 This one-room school (Coker School) is located in Cape County District R-4 in which voters will ballot Saturday on a $150,000 bond issue to erect a centrally-located school at Egypt Mills to serve the entire district. It is to have eight classrooms, a multi-purpose room which could be used as a community center, a cafeteria and other modern facilities. The new building would make use of six smaller schools unnecessary: Coker and Iona, the latter near the entrance to Trail of Tears State Park; the Brooks School on Bend Road; Egypt Mills; Indian Creek and Juden. (Missourian archives photo by G.D. "Frony" Fronabarger)

Out of the Past:

May 4, 1907

President John Holtz of the Coker School, seven miles north of the city, visits Cape Girardeau; he reports that the school board has appointed A.R. Alton, formerly of Mississippi County, teacher for next year.

February 22, 1921

Jane Hinote, county home agent, and Grace Rodgers, Red Cross nurse, inspected Coker School on Egypt Mills Road yesterday; Nell Holcomb teaches school and 18 pupils present were said to be above average; Rodgers made physical inspection of each child with view of ascertaining defects in sight, hearing, teeth, breathing, throat and nose, etc.; Hinote conducted nutrition clinic, testing each child as to weight and method of eating.

February 21, 1960

On a bid of $2,013.13, Alvin C. Rust of Cape Girardeau has purchased the Coker School on Upper Bend Road from the Nell Holcomb School District.

[Coker School stood at the intersection of County Roads 635 and 637. The building no longer exists. The school was closed and the district became part of the Nell Holcomb R-4 School District which opened in 1960. The R-4 district combined the small schools of Indian Creek, Iona, Egypt Mills, Brooks, Coker and Juden.]

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From the State Historical Society of Missouri: