Shake Rag School - Warren County, MO - Unoccupied Buildings, Shacks, and Cabins on Waymarking.com

County of building: Warren County
Location of building: MO-a, apprx. 7 miles SW of Warrenton

This was once the Shake Rag School, best I can determine the school stopped operating as a school sometime in the late 1930s. It was used by local farmers as a meeting house, and such for well into the 1960s. Beyond that, I have hit a wall, and not much more specific information.

"Shake Rag School
A rural school in Camp Branch Township, doubtless so named for the Shake Rag Community." ~ Dr. A.W. Ebeling; Oscar J. Luelf

"Shake Rag Community
A rural settlement in the central-west part of Camp Branch Township, north of Grange Hall. This humorous or mocking name is one of the oldest names found in the county. Apparently it goes back to the very early part of the nineteenth century when it was customary for each community to have a nickname. In Montgomery County to the west, those who lived on Elk Horn Creek were known as "heel strings," those on South Bear Creek as "anaruges," and those on Camp Branch as "shake rags." It is significant that South Bear Creek and Camp Branch are also in Warren County, and doubtless the inhabitants in this county bore the same nicknames as they did in Montgomery County if they happened to live along the same stream. Since the Shake Rag Community under consideration is near Camp Branch (or Camp Creek), we can be reasonably sure that it received its strange name long ago. This conjecture is borne out by old settlers who declare that the name has been in existence ninety years or longer. In the early days when a frontier champion desired to test his prowess with that of another champion, he would become intoxicated and then announce that he could whip any "Shake rag," "heel string," or "anaruge" (as the case might be) on the ground. Immediately his challenge would be accepted, and the fighting would begin. Just why the name Shake Rag was given in Warren County, we can merely conjecture that it was used because the people in that section are known to have worn very ragged clothing and to have indulged in considerable dancing. The term has not been heard so much during the last thirty years as it formerly was, but it is still applied to this vicinity. This decreased use of the epithet is probably due to the fact that facilites for entertainment and recreation have improved so much that no modern youth has to taunt someone for amusement nor does he have to start a brawl for some exercise." ~ Bryan & Rose, page 76; Oscar J. Luelf; John Mason; Mrs. Anna Schaper; E.S. Aydelott