An initiative continues to gather more funding and progress about a small Greene County town making a large contribution to the Civil War.

The Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey Committee were recently awarded $45,000 from Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation to be used on two monuments that will be located in the Old Rippey Cemetery and the Greene County Courthouse grounds. The committee says the monuments are in honor of the 32 students and two teachers that fought in the Civil War from the Old Rippey School. 

As the final design of the monument is pending the Greene County Board of Supervisors approval, Greene County High School senior Lila Osterson is the lead artist on the front of the structure and she talks about the process it took to get to where it is now.

“It is a long process because my drawing is just a fourth of the monument. And then, there’s a whole other three sides that other people have worked really hard to figure out the correct wording, what makes it sound the best, and making sure all of our guys are on the right infantry list and things like that. There’s a lot of people helping.”

Humanities of Iowa also announced a $3,000 mini-grant to the initiative for a stage play that is commissioned by playwright John Busbee. According to Humanities of Iowa, the play will premiere this November and will feature local historicians, students and community members to tell the story of their part in the Civil War. Additionally, the committee is purchasing authentic Civil War soldier uniforms and other items from that era to utilize in various demonstrations and students will also march in parades in some of the communities in the county.

Mary Weaver, who is with the fundraising group, says other funding that they have received includes a grant of about $1,000 from the State Historical Society of Iowa, along with about $17,000 of private donations and $5,000 from Louis Dreyfus and the County Board of Supervisors. She adds that they have a grant application with the Iowa Economic Development Authority for $20,000 through the cultural affairs category that they will be notified by next month.