The first public school district in Black Hawk County was formed in Cedar Falls in 1853. The school board consisted of S. A. Bishop, J. M. Overman and E. D. Adams. The forty-one residents of the newly incorporated town subscribed to the building of a new school, which was erected on this site next to "Cattail Pond."

The 16 x 20 foot school house was a wooden frame structure with a belfry. In the belfry was a bell purchased in 1854 with the proceeds of a dinner given by the ladies of the community. The bell was cast by the Meneeley Foundry Company of New York, the same foundry that produced the original bells for the UNI Campanile carillon.

The original school house served until 1863, when it was replaced by two brick school buildings.