Historic Hood River
Back To School
Notes
The Museum’s archives are full of great pictures of schoolhouses. In the days before buses and good roads there were many small schools in every corner of the county. This one was right downtown on State Street, where the County Courthouse currently stands.
The note accompanying the photo tells its story:
In 1882 a one room school building was erected in the newly platted town of Hood River, later its capacity was doubled by extending the plan east, thus giving two rooms.
When the Park School was built in the early nineties, this original building was used for the primary department. Hood River County was organized in 1908 and purchased this building from the district for a Court House, adding more rooms.
It is still used as such.
September 1925
The dark colored board on which this photo is mounted has many barely legible notes scribbled on back in pencil. There is a note “Year 1884” and then several names: “Will Rand” is repeated several times, and there is a “Bert? Stranahan” and “? Olinger.”
Records note that Albert (Bert) Stranahan, born 1870 or 1871, attended this school for four or five years. He may well be one of the older boys in the picture. We saw him just a few years older in this picture.
William F. Rand did move to Hood River in 1884, but he was 25 years old. William Rand built the livery building we admired in the very first HHR post. Perhaps there was another Will Rand in the family, but I haven’t seen a record of him
The Olinger family lived in Hood River during the 1880s, though it is unclear which of the children might be in this picture.
l.e.
Looks like cut up oak limbs they are sitting on.
The lady sitting down in the middle of the picture seems to be of some importance. More than just a teacher. Is there a chance that could be Mrs. Coe?
Arthur
It seems like the woman in the center *should* be the teacher, but I’ve seen at least one account that the teacher at this time was one Mr. Coon. We’ll need to do some more research.
nels
The boy standing next to the lady in the chair is evidently holding a bat? If so it looks much longer – or he is shorter – than modern day bats? Three women have on white aprons, if that means anything.
Charlott
Yes, I noticed the aprons, but if you look there are younger girls with them on. It was in some cases just part of the every day attire. I have seen pictures of my own great-aunts in school pictures with their little aprons on. As we have seen in prior pictures, hats were seeming always in play during that era. It has always seemed to me that when a girl got to a certain age it was like a mark of adolecents or something to don a hat. Just like little boys going from knee pants to long pants.
Ellen Dittebrandt
There seem to be a young boy in front of the woman on the chair. Who has not been breached yet. He is still is wearing a dress. It could also be a girl with short hair.
l.e.
Reading history about early schools in HR.
"The old school building was becoming very dilapidated and school funds were not available to provide a new one, so an Educational Association was formed with stockholders contributing. E.L. Smith, C.H. Haynes and James Sanders were among the heaviest stockholders. The new building was erected on land donated by E.L. Smith and was a substantial two story affair. The directors were C.H. Haynes, E.L. Smith and H.C. Coe with Dr. Patton as clerk. School opened April 12, 1880, with twenty seven pupils in attendance and Mrs. Coon as teacher."
The students are listed and the Rand is E.J.
Arthur
We’ve recently uncovered the school board minutes and records from this era, and they substantially confirm the history l.e. shared. At the March 1880 meeting E.L. Smith reported on the construction progress; the March 1881 meeting was in the new schoolhouse.
By 1881 there were two teachers, one female and one male.
The "lack of funds" for the new building was a nice way of saying the motion to levy a tax for the building failed, so they took up a collection and received pledges of about $350.
I’ll share the entire document at a later date,