Steve Rye of Mesa, Az. (formerly from one of Iowa's small towns-there are 900 of them) writes:

Julia Casey writes:

Higgins Museum Curator George Cuhaj writes:

Pete Smith writes:

George adds:

For more information on the Higgins Museum of National Bank Notes, see:
https://thehigginsmuseum.org/

Barbara Bailey writes:

Coin is a small unincorporated community in Kanabec County, Minnesota, about midway betweenMinneapolis and Duluth. It was given the name by postmaster and storekeeper Ole E. Olson in 1896during the Free Silver debate and era of William Jennings Bryan. The community had a post office brieflyuntil 1904. In 2023 there are a few scattered houses nearby but no community services.

The original one-room schoolhouse was built in 1898 and named Calhoun School, serving grades onethrough eight. The local community was small but the school served the surrounding rural area. Withincreasing enrollment, a second room was added in 1911. At about that time, enrollment reached 58students. In 1913 the name was changed to Coin School.

The original building had no indoor plumbing. In the 1930's, a basement was added under the building inan attempt to provide more space and a play area for the winter. The high local water table and waterintrusion made the space unusable.

The school was the last rural school in the county. In 1970 the district was merged into the Mora districtand the school was closed. The building had been on the National Register of Historic Places but fell offthe list when it was moved.

The building was bought by Robert Blase, Jr. (1923-1993) who intended to use the building as a museumfor his collection of musical instruments. His wife, Evelyn Bergman Blase (1919-1984), was born inKanabec County, lived on a farm in Brunswick Township, and attended Coin School. The remote locationmade the museum impractical and Blase paid to have the building moved to Mora.

Robert Blase was president of the Blase Manufacturing Company in the tool and die business in Stratford,Connecticut. His son John completed the move after the 1993 death of his father. Robert and Evelyn areburied with her family at rural Riverside Cemetery about five miles from Coin.

The school building was moved about ten miles north to property adjacent to the Kanabec History Centerbetween 1993 and 1995. They are located in the county seat of Mora, Minnesota. The original school bellhad been taken to the Blase home in Connecticut but returned to the bell tower.

The building was available for rent so a local coin show could have been held there. In February eachyear, the building hosted a This did not involve stones, either polished or rolling. It was arocking chair marathon and fundraiser. A Christmas Boutique was scheduled for December. Now withholes in the floor, the building has been closed for public activities for a few years.

The Kanabec History center runs a summer program at the Old Tyme Country School. Students dress incostume appropriate for the 1920's. (That was a hundred years ago, if you are keeping track of time.)However, these programs utilize the old Whittier School, moved to the location in 1987.

Regional radio station WCMP mentioned the school last month:

There are also communities named Coin in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky and Nevada. I have not foundevidence that any of them had a Coin School.

A Minnesota E-Sylum reader came across the Coin School while killing time and driving around Mora.He called our attention to the school and suggested it as the topic for an article.

Julia adds:

Some links Julia and I found:
Coin's Financial School(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin%27s_Financial_School)
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?lookfor=coin%27s+financial++school&searchtype=all&ft=ft&setft=true
William Hope Harvey(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hope_Harvey)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE LIBRARY OF COIN, IOWA(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n18a34.html)
THE COIN SCHOOL(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n27a20.html)