can even take in the massive front face of the building, its cheerful owner, Milt Hanson, is stepping outside to greet you, welcoming you inside, and it is here that the school embraces you in its historical charm. Lingering chalk dust, the echo of the period bell ringing across school grounds, and youthful voices bouncing off hallways and hardwood floors seem to resonate. The atmosphere of the cavernous building is thick with memory and experience.

Coined 'Old School' by Hanson, the Arnegard public school, originally serving elementary through high school students, spires three stories high. ('the tallest building in town' he would say). It encompasses 25,000 square feet, including classrooms, hallways, a library, break room, two gyms, and a massive staircase.

Trophy cases and dozens of class pictures dating back to the thirties line the hallways and walls of Old School. As one enters and looks up the main staircase, which cuts up through the center of the building, it's daunting to think what it would take to actually transform this school into a welcoming way station for weary travelers.

But that's what Hanson saw as he walked across honey-colored hardwood floors and through rooms where his name may even still be scrawled under a desk now used as an end table.

When asked how many hours, buckets of sweat and money he's put into the school, he chuckles, looking around his new home.

"A couple years ago, I figured I had put in the neighborhood of 10,000 hours of my own time since the fall of 1998. I will never really finish, because in a building this large, there will always be things to do..."

The initial monetary investment in the school at first was quite reasonable. One might even say a steal.

"One dollar," Hanson says, straight-faced. And then smiles, "but there were conditions..."

Originally from Arnegard, Hanson and his former wife had been living in South Carolina when a trip back home at Christmastime proved fortuitous.

"My ex-wife and I had been looking for an old home to buy and renovate," he says, remembering the first spark of inspiration. They had driven around, checking on some property Hanson owned in the southwest corner of the state. On the way there, they drove by Arnegard, town of his youth, and spied the school, off by itself on a lonely piece of land.

"We stopped by ... and looked up the only person I knew who had an interest in the school." Mrs. Ada Murie had been Hanson's neighbor growing up and was resident keeper of the school and its history.

On a whim, he tossed out the idea of turning the lonesome school building into a bed and breakfast. Mrs. Murie let him canvass the building and property, but wanted some time for both Hanson and herself to mull over the proposal. She wanted to make sure he was serious and temporary homesickness hadn't taken him over.

Not having discussed a purchase price, Hanson had a figure of $10,000 in his head as a price he could live with.

"When I asked Ada how much it was going to cost," he mused, "she said 'it's yours... (for a dollar), but we (the Friends and Alumni of the Old School) have four conditions we want you to abide by.'" 1.) The building cannot be torn down and salvaged unless it is made unusable by an act of nature. 2.) Hanson could not change the exterior of the building unless plans were first approved by the former owners (F&AofOS). 3.) He could not turn the building into a bar. 4.) Hanson had to keep the building available for public functions.

"These were all conditions we could live with,' Hanson nods. "So, the first part of March, 1998, the building was deeded over to us."

And the great task began.

A roof that was initially thought to be intact, ultimately needed to be replaced. And not just any roof, but a steep-pitched massive affair that eventually cost $80,000. The hardwood floors had to be sanded and resurfaced, a kitchen remodeled, walls knocked down and others constructed, seemingly miles of wiring and plumbing installed, and thousands of nails and board feet of wood consumed.

"There has been in the area of $250,000 put into the project," he says, the figure lighting his eyes as if he can hardly believe it. "A lot of personal funds...and a lot of borrowed money."

The first guests were welcomed in May of 2004 and since then there has been a steady stream of B&B aficionados, curiosity seekers, and even producers from HGTV's program If Walls Could Talk.

They've all come for the same reason: What is it like to sleep in class and get away with it?

There are four rooms, converted from original classrooms, featuring a Jacuzzi tub, private baths, 12-foot high ceilings, Select Comfort Sleep beds, and a mix of new and antique furnishings.

Hanson also cooks and serves the breakfast for guests, his specialty being French toast.

Travelers along Interstate 94 or Highway 85 who yearn for something different from roadside motels would do well to get off the beaten path and seek out Old School Bed and Breakfast. The beds are comfy, the food satisfying, and the innkeeper warm and cordial. And he's preserved the past while opening up the future for a forgotten school house. Milt Hansen has become "the keeper of the history and legacy of Arnegard, which is both exciting and sobering."

Indeed, he's been that and more.

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