Historic Hood River
Pine Grove School, 1900
Notes
Here is a nicely executed image of the Pine Grove School students and staff from 1900. It is sharp enough that you can see Abraham Lincoln’s face peering out from a book the teacher is holding. It’s amazing to realize that Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was as recent to these students as Jimmy Carter’s is to today’s students.
This image is also well documented, with everyone identified:
First Row: Rose Wishart, Elsie Wells, Jessie Wells, Albert Miller, Tom Mohr, Carl Mohr, Hugo Paasch, Clarence Robinson, Myron Wishart, George Winchell, Merle Sisson, Dean Sisson, Willie Wells, Don Crosby, Mike Mohr.
Second Row: Joy Mason, Hester Harbison, Ruth Harbison, Viola Miller, Mabel Feake, Mabel Robinson, Blanche Harbison, Zenz Miller, Marie Mohr, Gertie Crosby, Nellie Wishart, Charlie Lage, Alphonse Mohr, Elmer Boardman, Frank Henigen.
Last Row: Warnie Wells, Daniel Prather, Mabry Jackson, Arline Winchell, Minnie Paasch, Meta Paasch, Josie Mohr, Lizzie Mohr, Eva Hanigan, Effie Robinson, Ben Lage, Carrie Goardman, Mary Mohr, Lizzie Paasch, Ed Lage, Edith Winchell, Peter H. Mohr, Fred Henagin, Frank Boardman, Fred Paasch.
Hans Lage is on the horse, and the teacher is Mr. Sisson.
You may recognize Arline Winchell, later Arline Winchell Moore, from this photograph.
Charlott
You knew I would jump on this one……There are 4 of my relatives in this one photo.
This was the two room school house that was later jacked up and had two more rooms built under it., after the community grew out of what was known as the "board and batten school.
There are those of you who will wonder what the boy is doing with the drum. You were "drummed" into school each morning. Everyone would line up, then you would march into your class room to the beat of the drum. I assume that the drummer was Don Crosby. Later Dale Fike was one of the drummers.
There should be another teacher somewhere, possibly the one that took the photo.
Here you get a good idea of why it was named Pine Grove, because of all the pine trees that were around there.
Love all the hats and bonnets inside the door on their hanging pegs. The doors on either side of that hat area were the cloak rooms for the two class rooms, where they put their coats, lunches, boots or whatever else.
You can barely make out the bell in the tower. This is the same bell that is in the current school (which was taken away from us as a school un-necessariy…Personal opinion), which I got to ring when I was a student there. Story about the bell, big boys loved to ring it so hard that it turned over and then beings they had done it they had to go up the bell tower to right it…..
l.e.
Thanks for the info about the drum. I assumed there must be some type of celebration taking place.
My dad went to a two room school and he used to say that you couldn’t move to the big room until you learned your times tables.
The Mohr children who are listed, probably lived in the log home featured a few days ago.
I think Hans Lage is an ancestor of the Dickey family of Dickey Farms in Bingen.
Charlott
There are three Mohr children that were in the photo of the Mohr log cabin, Peter H., Marie and Josephine.
Three of Hans Lage’s sons appear in the photo: Charles, Bernhardt "Ben" and Edward "Ed."
Yes, Hans and Lena Lage had a daughter, Laura, who married Henderson. In turn they had a daughter Ruth, who married Dickey of White Salmon. Having had photos of Koberg’s Beach, Emma Koberg was also a Hans Lage daughter.
Charlott
Alphonse Mohr was also in the Mohr cabin picture.
Arthur
Yes Charlott, I knew you would enjoy seeing family members in this one.
You can get a good feeling for the size of farming families back then by the groups of kids with the same surname.
l.e.
Hans Lage donated land for a Pine Grove school, but I don’t know if it was this one.
Charlott
No it wasn’t this particular building. It was the one room school, known as "the board and battan" school, but sat on this property. It was later moved across what is now Wells Drive where it sat for many, many years. I have a picture of it with my grandpa who went to that particular school the first year of its existance in 1891. Too bad it wasn’t saved, but time marches on.
Charlott
Yes, Hans Lage donated land for a school, but not this one. He donated land that was discovered to be on the Feake place when it was surveyed, and was a log structure.
Virgil Winchell was the man who donated the land where the present day Pine Grove School and Pine Grove Church are. I do not know about the school, but do know that there were stipulations by Winchell, that no matter what, at least one church service must be held in the Pine Grove church per year or that had to revert back to his heirs.
Charlott
To clarify about the "board and batten" school. This was built on the property donated by Winchell. What was known as the Feake school was down somewhere on the north side of Van Horn Butte and Mason Road. I think it was on what is now the Ackerman property or in close proximity.
Marge Dryden
I think this photo may date closer to 1890.
This picture appeared in the book Pine Grove Memories by J. Patricia Krussow, p. 23. It says "probably 1900", not that it was exactly 1900. There is another photograph on page 22 of the same book, and Mabry Jackson (age 15) is in the back row. That photo is dated to 1891 and is the "board and batten school". Some of the other students are the same in both photographs. I compared a few of the faces and they don’t look 9 or 10 years older.
Arthur
Marge– Thanks for the comments on the dating of this photo. We have two prints of this image. One is mounted on board with the handwritten caption "Pine Grove School, 1900." Unfortunately we don’t know who wrote that caption or when, so we have to confirm with ages of children, as you have done.
The one I used as the "yardstick" is Arline Moore. We know her birth date (November 30, 1887, verified by her gravestone) and have many pictures to verify her ID. She is the third from the left, back row- the tall girl with a bow around her neck. From the hi-res scan I can verify she is the same woman as in the huckleberry picture linked in the description. I’m not great at guessing women’s ages, but she must be at least 13 in the picture. My guess would be 15.
I’ll need to take a look at that 1891 photo to see if it helps resolve this mystery.
Charlott
I personally question that Warnie Wells is in this picture. My reasoning with this is the photo of the board and batten school of 1891. Both my grandfather and his brother, Warnie are in that photo. Now in this photo which is much later I see the name Warnie Wells. Uncle Warnie would have been 19 years old in this photo. If this photo is 1900 the individual listed as Warnie would definitely be he younger brother Charles Walter Wells.
Jeffrey Bryant
The Hood River Glacier, February 3, 1899
The voters of Pine Grove school district, at the special meeting last Saturday voted to build a school house to cost $1,000 and levied a tax of 9 mills. The district advertises to borrow $500. This is a good investment for any one having money to loan.
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The Hood River Glacier, June 16, 1899
The foundation for the new school house at Pine Grove is completed. L. D. Boyd will begin the frame work next week.
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The Hood River Glacier, December 8, 1899
Money for a new bell is the absorbing topic in Pine Grove school just now. An entertainment and basket social will be given at the school house, Friday evening, dec. 15th, for the benefit of the fund.
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A box social will be held at Pine Grove school house on Friday evening, Dec. 15th, to raise money to secure a bell for the new school building.
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The Hood River Glacier, January 12, 1900
School Report "“ Following is the report of Pine Grove school for the month ending Dec. 22, 1899: Total enrollment for the month, 49. Average daily attendance, 41. Number neither absent nor tardy, fifteen, as follows: Carrie Boardman, Elmer Boardman, Don Crosby, Gertie Crosby, Blanche Harbison, Eva Hennagin, Fred Hennagin, Edward Lage, Daniel Prathar, Effie Robinson, Mabel Robinson, Perry Wells, Warren Wells, Edith Winchell, Myron Wishart.
C. M. Sisson, Teacher.
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The Hood River Glacier, January 19, 1900
The members of the East Side church are moving the old school building at Pine Grove to the piece of land donated for church purposes by V. Winchell. F. H. Stanton is using his cables and stump puller to draw the house to its new location. This building is hardly adequate to the present needs of this growing church, and it can safely be predicted that a new structure will take its place within a few years.
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The Hood River Glacier, February 9, 1900
Following is the report of Pine Grove school for month ending Jan. 26, 1900: Enrollment for the month, 43; average daily attendance, 39; Pupils neither absent nor tardy are, Blanche Harbison, Hester Harbison, Ruth Harbison, Frank Hennagin, Charley Lage, Ed Lage, Alphonse Mohr, Marie Mohr, Daniel Prathar, Clarence Robinson, Effie Robinson, Mabel Robinson, Dean Sisson, Merlin Sisson, Warren Wells, George Winchell, Nellie Wishart.
C. M. Sisson, teacher.
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The Hood River Glacier, February 16, 1900
School closed at Pine Grove last Friday and will not be resumed until some time in March. During most of the winter about 50 pupils have been in attendance which is clearly a greater number than one teacher unaided can do full justice to. Prof. Sisson, however, faced the situation surprisingly well and our children have all made good progress in their studies.
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The Hood River Glacier, June 1, 1900
Prof. Sisson has had photographs taken of Pine Grove school house and its pupils grouped in front of the building. It is a picture every pupil will be pleased to refer to in years to come when the ones who compose the group will be grown to manhood and womanhood and the recollections of the days passed at the country school will be the fondest in memory.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Sun, September 28, 1899
The old Pine Grove school house was sold Saturday at auction sale. After some rather spirited bidding it was "knocked down" to Mr. Hennegan, for $23.50. It will be fixed up and used for church purposes.
Our beautiful new school house is rapidly nearing completion and will be a very creditable structure. Mr. L. D. Boyd, the contractor, deserves much credit for the efficient manner in which he has conducted the work. This makes the third plastered school house he has built this summer, the others being in the Mt. Hood and O’Dell districts.
G. Whiz.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Sun, October 5, 1899
Pine Grove school opened Monday, with quite a large number of pupils in attendance, which will be considerably increased when the older pupils of the district have finished the rush of fall work.
Saturday the directors of the Pine Grove district "“ Capt. F. M. Jackson, G. D. Boardman and Edward Hawks, accepted the new school house, which had just been completed by Contractor L. D. Boyd. The building was erected under the supervision of the directors, who have the thanks of the entire district for their commendable enterprise. School will open on Monday, with Prof. Sisson as teacher.
G. Whiz.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Sun, November 23, 1899
Pine Grove school district is now holding school in the new building, the seats having arrived and were put in last week. There is now an enrollment of forty-five, and more yet to come.
Cindy Smith
I was happy to run across this picture with Dale Fike. His father, Wilson Fike was a brother to my great-grandmother. I’ve been trying to find out information about Wilson and his family members in the Pine Grove area.