A pair of monuments to the Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey will be dedicated Friday, Oct. 23. The first dedication is slated for noon on the south lawn of the Greene County courthouse in Jefferson.
Greene County High School students in Civil War dress will gather at the historical museum at 11:30 am and march to the noon dedication ceremony. The ceremony will conclude with music by the Weary Ramblers, the award-winning folk music duo of Chad Elliott of Jefferson and Kathryn Severing Fox of Creston.
The second dedication will take place at 2:30 pm at the Old Rippey Cemetery, 2025 300th St, in Washington Township.
The monuments are identical 9-foot tall, 5,600-pound granite obelisks that tell the story of 34 students from the Rippey school who went with two teachers to serve in the Civil War . Eleven of the students died in service.
The Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey memorial committee raised more than $61,000 to pay for the monuments, which were produced by Jefferson Monument Works.
The monuments were designed by Greene County High School students as part of a project that sprouted from a presentation by Chuck Offenburger to teacher Dena Boyd’s Iowa history class in April 2025. The project has grown to include more than 60 high school students.
Students have researched the Schoolboy Soldiers and have appeared in parades and Memorial Day events dressed in replica Civil War uniforms.
The Schoolboy Soldiers will end the day presenting the colors at the Rams’ home football game at 7 pm at Linduska Field in Jefferson.
