Central School to Chehalem Cultural Center: Part One

By Barbara Doyle

This is part one of a multi-part series on the history of Central School, look for new installments in the weeks to come! This and future installments in this series are adapted from Barbara Doyle's book on this topic: From Then 'till Now: Schooling in Newberg, Oregon.

Part Two
Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Newberg Oregon was just like many other small towns in late nineteenth century America. We had a one-room wooden schoolhouse with students that could vary between five and twenty years of age – with just one teacher. Erected in 1881, the building was located at the Northeast corner of Main and Illinois streets. Initially thirteen students attended this ungraded public school. Students progressed individually thru the educational program. Good spelling and penmanship plus competence in simple arithmetic and understanding the words and ideas in Readers [numbered 1-6] was often the equivalent of an eighth grade education. This building could accommodate thirty students.

Courtesy of the George Fox University Archives. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/newberg_photos/93/

School board members realized the growing community needed a larger building. Local resident N. E. Deskins sold part of his land on Sheridan Street – the site for the new building. The four-room two-story wooden fifty by sixty foot school opened its front door in October 1889 for one hundred and seventy-five students – spread around just three of those rooms . The building was designed to hold two hundred students. Not much growing room there.

This building was the first version of Central School. But it wasn’t called ‘Central’. It was just called the school – as the only public one in Newberg, it didn’t need a name.

Courtesy of the George Fox University Archives. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/newberg_photos/88/

It was more than a new building; it incorporated a new educational
philosophy – a graded school. That meant that a fairly small group of students [ideally 20-25], of the same age, studied the same specific subjects and after a fixed period of time, they collectively advanced to the next grade. That was a very big change for students. This new organizational structure gained national support. Some non-resident Newberg parents began to take their children out of nearby ungraded country schools and enrolled them in Newberg’s new graded school. And they willingly paid a tuition fee for each child.

By early 1892, Newberg residents demanded more classrooms – and they stated their willingness to pay for them.

Continue this story with:

Have you enjoyed these stories? Contact us about becoming a member!

Comments

Chapters or the Morris, Miles, and Company Building

The Morris, Miles and Co. building, erected in 1891, was the first commercial brick building in Newberg. At that time, Newberg had been an officially incorporated town for only two years. In this year, the fledgling Pacific Friends Academy added their college arm (later named George Fox University).Several businesses existed in the downtown and the Quaker settlement that had begun to take root was begining to flourish. The Morris, Miles and Co. drygoods and groceries business struggled financially and changed ownership several times thru the early 1900s. They sold a variety of materials, advertising their products in the Newberg Graphic. After Moris, Miles, and Co closed, Larkin-Prince managed a hardware store there for at least ten years thru the 1910s. Parker Hardware followed in the 1920s. There were times when the building was vacant and other times when it was divided into two separate stores. Then in 1944, Rolla Renne left his position as Superintendent of Newberg School

What's all this about Herbert Hoover?

By Britta Stewart If you’ve been around Newberg or George Fox University you may have noticed that the name Herbert Hoover comes up a lot. There is a Hoover building on the George Fox campus and a stretch of Highway 99W called Herbert Hoover Highway. It does seem unusual for a small town in the Willamette Valley to be seemingly obsessed with a president who is most often remembered by the economic turmoil of the Great Depression. However, a deeper look shows that this fascination is not that strange. Herbert Hoover actually called the Willamette Valley home for six years during his childhood. Hoover, or Bert as he was often called, was born in West Branch, Iowa in 1874. Unfortunately, he was orphaned by the time he was nine and subsequently moved to Newberg when he was eleven to live with his uncle and aunt, John and Laura Minthorn. Dr. Henry John Minthorn (John) and his wife Laura had recently moved to Newberg to teach at a school called Friends Pacific Academy. This was

The Mysterious “E. Wright”

By Chuck Zickefoose Why mysterious? His name shows or has shown up on sidewalks around Newberg. The sidewalk faces have a distinctive white paint-like appearance not seen on other walks in town. Also he is associated with two “Union Block” buildings, one in McMinnville, the other in Newberg. It is supposed that the “E” in his name stood for either Elsia or Elza according to Polk’s Directory of 1912-13 for McMinnville, Oregon. His occupation is listed as a cement worker. Other sources name him as a contractor building sidewalks in McMinnville as well as a harness maker. There are three sections of sidewalks in Newberg that are presumed to have been laid by Wright, these are: West side of S. College St south of First St West side of Blaine, E. Sheridan and south on Washington West side of Main St. north of Hancock to Franklin St. The distinctive markings are evident on each of the above stretches of sidewalk: Sheridan and Washington Sts. West side of S.

The Precedent for Unprecedented Times: The Spanish Flu in Newberg 1918-1919

by Rachel Thomas Ch eck out Part 2: The Spanish Flu and Pacific College/George Fox University! Note: Clippings in this article are from the Newberg Graphic which can be accessed through the University of Oregon Historic Oregon Newspapers project . Newberg Graphic, October 17, 1918. In the winter of 1918-1919 an epidemic swept the globe. The Spanish Influenza as it was called, arrived in the last few months of World War I. In Newberg, schools were closed, public gatherings were cancelled, and many fell ill. Newberg Graphic, January 9, 1919. Spain protested the moniker "Spanish Flu" - it was not theirs! News from London, New York, and other major cities spoke of a major epidemic. The Newberg Graphic published articles answering questions on symptoms of influenza, how to care for oneself, and the importance of avoiding gatherings. Outdoor exercise was recommended. Newberg Graphic, October 17, 1918. Newberg Graphic, October 10, 1918 Advice gi

Central School to Chehalem Cultural Center: Part Four

By Barbara Doyle This is part four of a multi-part series on the history of Central School, look for new installments in the weeks to come! Installments in this series are adapted from Barbara Doyle's book on this topic: From Then 'till Now: Schooling in Newberg, Oregon. Part One Part Two Part Three Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part 4 - A New Building The 1932-33 school year began just like the previous one – short on cash, struggling financially in the Great Depression. But the long view was more promising. In early 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president and his new Democratic government promised financial help. Newberg went for a $50,000 project – a new grade school – with residents taking on $35,000 bonded indebtedness and the federal government providing a $15,000 grant. The least costly plan was to build right on the existing site. The project moved forward – slowly. Thursday, January 24, 1935 was the last day of classes in the old school that

Ewing Young History

Courtney Walker and Ewing Young A young 22 year-old Courtney Walker first came to Oregon with Nathaniel Wyeth. Wyeth was an American businessman in Boston’s ice industry. In the 1830s, he became interested in the Oregon Country thank s to Hall Jackson Kelley a nd the Oregon fever breaking out along the eastern seaboard. In 1834 Wyeth outfitted and led an expedition, with plans for establishing fur-trading posts, a salmon fishery, and a colony on Wapato isla nd near present-day Portland Oregon. Courtney Walker joined this expedition and stayed in Oregon despite the fact Wyeth’s operation was doomed and abandoned. It could not compete against the British Hudson's Bay Company ne arby at Fort Vancouver. Courtney Walker met Ewing Young at this time. He even sold him a cauldron that Wyeth was going to use for pickling salmon. (Ewing Young planned to use it for his whiskey operation.) After working with Ewing Young a few more times, he settled as a farmer near Dayton. He was a surveyo

Newberg Area Historical Society

Search This Blog