On September 16, 1889 a community meeting was held to consider a new schoolhouse. The voters of the district later appropriated the huge sum of $10,000 to build the school. Ground was broken on March 24, 1890. The red brick building, on Regent Avenue (formerly College Avenue), contained four classrooms, two up and two down, a broad stairway at one side of the building and a winding narrow back stairway.
There was a rather large area in the center of the building where the pupils could gather to sing and salute the flag. Students ate their lunches in a dingy basement room with two small windows near the ceiling. Salamanders or the like were often seen in the basement as well. Rather than the usual outside pump and tin cup, the new school had a large drinking fountain on the inside. The principal’s office was on the first floor at the front of the building. Other spaces were used for storage.
The school was dedicated and opened for inspection by the townspeople on October 3, 1890. School started on October 8 with four teachers, about forty pupils, and two grades in each room. On June 5, 1891, an event (or “doings”) at the Town Hall raised money to get a flag for the school. A week later, flag-raising ceremonies were held, and parents were invited to attend.
A few years later, on February 21, 1896, another event (this time “an entertainment”) took place at the Congregational Church. A total of $38.40 was raised to purchase a bell for the schoolhouse. When school started on September 7, 1896, the town heard the bell ring for the first time.
In the wintertime families who had sleighs would bring children to school, bundled up under fur robes or heavy blankets. The merry sound of sleigh bells on the horses at the close of the day told you your ride home was waiting for you.
This material was gathered from the North Hennepin Post and the diaries of Ellen M. Bisbee, (sister of Mrs. J. P. Shumway and Nathan F. Russ). It was compiled and edited by Evelyn and Esther Shumway for a Robbinsdale Historical Society slide show in 1980. A few details have been updated since then.