County receives Jones School title

Ownership of the Jones Schoolhouse has been turned over to Whitman County. The school was moved from its long-time site east of Dusty to the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds this summer to stand as a tribute to the county’s history of one-room schoolhouses.

County commissioners signed a memorandum of agreement between the county and the Palouse Empire Fair Foundation Monday. The agreement transfers ownership of the schoolhouse to the county, but future work on the building will be paid by the foundation.

The move of the schoolhouse from Dusty to Mockonema was paid for out of funds raised by the Palouse Empire Fair Foundation. The foundation typically turns over ownership of its improvements at the fairgrounds to the county.