the town school -- buildings
In 1856-7, Lydia Griffing taught school in her log cabin home, ¾ mile south of town. She had 15 students. There are no photographs of that building.
In 1862, stone masons Peter Foale and Wm. A. Griffing built the first school building. In a souveneir booklet from the dedication of the 1902 school building, a brief history was given: “The first school house in the Table Rock district was of stone, a very small structure erected in 1862, and it did duty until 1874, when the frame building with two rooms was put upon the block just east of what is now the city park." it was said to be the finest school building in southeast Nebraska. It was east of the southeast corner of where the Square would be located 20 years from then. There are no photographs of that building.
In 1874 was built a two-story frame building about 40 foot square, with a bell in the center of the roof. The primary and intermediate grades were on the ground floor, the higher grades on the second floor.
In 1884, the ten-year-old building was moved to a place near the present school site. A new addition doubled the building’s size.
In 1902, a fine brick building was built.
In 1933-34, an auditorium and gymnasium were added as a CWA project.
In 1965, the current school building opened. In 1966, the Steinauer high school closed and 17 Steinauer students came to Table Rock. The school became known as the Table Rock-Steinauer School. Later, the school merged with the Humboldt School, and has since been known as HTRS – Humoldt, Table Rock, and Steinauer.
In 1862, stone masons Peter Foale and Wm. A. Griffing built the first school building. In a souveneir booklet from the dedication of the 1902 school building, a brief history was given: “The first school house in the Table Rock district was of stone, a very small structure erected in 1862, and it did duty until 1874, when the frame building with two rooms was put upon the block just east of what is now the city park." it was said to be the finest school building in southeast Nebraska. It was east of the southeast corner of where the Square would be located 20 years from then. There are no photographs of that building.
In 1874 was built a two-story frame building about 40 foot square, with a bell in the center of the roof. The primary and intermediate grades were on the ground floor, the higher grades on the second floor.
In 1884, the ten-year-old building was moved to a place near the present school site. A new addition doubled the building’s size.
In 1902, a fine brick building was built.
In 1933-34, an auditorium and gymnasium were added as a CWA project.
In 1965, the current school building opened. In 1966, the Steinauer high school closed and 17 Steinauer students came to Table Rock. The school became known as the Table Rock-Steinauer School. Later, the school merged with the Humboldt School, and has since been known as HTRS – Humoldt, Table Rock, and Steinauer.
the bell
The bell from the old brick school built in 1902 was saved from the school's wreckage by Floyd Vrtiska. Given that the school built in 1874 had a belfry as well, there is a good chance that this bell goes back to at least that time period.
the school built in 1874, probably after it was enlarged in 1884
Photo 1443 -- the frame school built in 1874, from the cover of the 1902 souveneir booklet for the dedication of the new brick building. Given that this was on a 1902 booklet, this photographs is perhaps a picture of the frame school after it had been moved to the new site and enlarged. That building would have been present until razed for the 1902 building.
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the school built in 1902
Details from Photo 371:
Details from Photo 372:
THE GYMNASIUM ADDITION IN 1933-34
The picture below is the best we've seen that shows the relationship between the 1902 building and the 1933-4 addition. This view seems to be facing east, in a view now obscured by the gymnasium added in the 1960s.
Joyce Wopata Newton added: |
I don't remember that Larry, but looking at the first window to the left of the door-- we had the concession stand open in that room during basketball games-- we just set the "pop" in the sill of the window to refrigerate it!! Those cold Nebraska winters! |
demolition of the 1902 school, with re-purposing of the gymnasium of 1933-4
the school built in 1964
The school, now closed, is maintained by Tiger Pride, a non-profit group formed to preserve and use the buildings.