Historic Hood River
Barrett School
8-31-2023
Notes
This is one of the negatives which was stored in the box you saw yesterday. It’s a good example of how a negative can age. “Silvering” is a process where silver in the emulsion migrates to the surface creating an opaque layer, which we see in the scan as white. You can see a small bit of emulsion peeling from the glass in the upper right, and a nice big fingerprint right over the word “School” in the sign. The oils in the fingerprint have had a hundred years to work at the emulsion. Despite all of this it’s a nice view of the Barrett School, probably shortly after its construction in 1910.
We have that “19 Barrett School 10” sign on display at the museum. Look up when you’re in the atrium.
L.E.
Looks like a well built school. Look at that stack of cord wood for the furnace.
I have some old photographs with marks like this, which makes me wonder if the original was a negative like this.
jnails
Is that the same school as presently in Oak Grove as a private residence? Is it presently occupied?
Cecelia
@jnails this school is not the one in Oak Grove. Not certain but think this one was on Barrett Rd somewhere near Methodist. What has been more confusing is that I think there were 2 Barrett schools.
Cecelia
Check the June 4, 2012, entry on this website. It’s where I remember reading about the “other” Barrett School.
ArthurB
Yes, there used to be lots of small schools sprinkled through the valley. The East Barrett school was on Orchard Rd, the Barrett School on Barrett Rd., and the Crapper school in Oak Grove. East Barrett: https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/tag/east_barrett_school/
Bill Boyce
I went to this Barrett school on Barrett Road in the early 1950’s. I recently read a book by Fredric Homer Balch of Lyle, Washington called “The Bridge of the Gods”. Balch was helped on the book by Mrs. Almeda Zibia Barrett a well known school teacher of Hood River. She was the one who came up with the name for the book. I wondered if the Barrett School was named for her. No, it was named for her husband, Dr. P.G. Barrett, who was very active in the building of schools in the area.