Round Top Schoolhouse
Dallas
DeKalb County
Constructed in 1878 by Willis Burton, the Round Top Schoolhouse in DeKalb County’s Dallas township is significant as one of Missouri’s few remaining octagonally-shaped structures and as a one-room, rural schoolhouse. The property has been determined to be eligible for National Register listing as a result of a local county survey conducted in 1979. The Round Top School remained in active use until 1953 when the school was consolidated with the nearby Pattonsburg school system. Although a remodeling in the 1920s removed a central chimney and changed some of the building’s window locations, the school house retains its unique octagonal form, which was in vogue in the 1870s. The owner remains open to find a “preservation savior” for this building and will allow it to remain on site. But without immediate assistance, this building will be another victim of neglect, as its roof leaks and floors are beginning to fall in.
