By Michael Shannon

CHAPTER THREE

1899

Arroyo Grande Oracle: The Arroyo Grande High School class of ’99 will have no commencement this year. Arrangements were being made for the affair and undoubtedly it would have been a grand affair and would certainly have obliterated much of the ill feeling towards the school by our neighbors who dominate the school’s board of control. Certain comments by students and faculty in the Herald caused the ceremony to be declared off by Willis Buck, chairman of the Board of Control. Buck was quoted as saying, “If the students and teachers are not willing to work to build up the school they cannot blame those who are prejudiced for trying to wreck the institution and cause disbandment of the High School district.” Hypocrisy at its grandest, say we.

The Oracle, voice of the Republican party in Arroyo Grande published by Pete Olohan, Saloon keeper, was quick to place the blame.. The Oracle, spinning the coming closing of the school as somehow being the fault of the students and the staff who knew they would be out of a job come June. No one was going to teach at the salaries they were being offered and no one would apply to fill the vacant teaching jobs. The school would be effectively closed. The “Wreckers” put up a smokescreen blaming the blameless and not the miscreants themselves. Why do that? Politics is not a new invention by any means.

The graduates, misses Edith Jatta and Edna Conrad, who would become a teacher in Los Osos, Edith Carpenter and the two young men, the red haired Archer “Arch” Beckett whose father owns most of the western Arroyo Grande district which runs from the sea to the Methodist camp and is an opponent of the High School and Albert Ore who will Study at St Mary’s college to become a pastor. All will receive their diplomas from Principal A. F. Parsons at their homes on Saturday. This could quite possibly be the last class to ever graduate from Arroyo’s high school.

The winsome Miss Edna Conrad, Arroyo Grande High School, class of 1899. Family photo

And so it looked to be, at least for a while.The classes of 1900-1904 were likely to be canceled for lack of funds. Next, the schoolhouse where the high school classes were being held promptly burned down. Less than a month after the board of control apparently ensured the closure of the high school, the building where all classes were taught was destroyed. Now wasn’t that a piece of serendipity. The “Wreckers” were having all the luck.

Arroyo Grande Herald: Oct. 14, 1899. At 3 o’clock this morning the public school building here was completely destroyed by fire, only a very small portion of the furniture being saved.

The Arroyo Grande Union School, 1898. It was the largest building in town and citizens took great pride in it. San Luis Obispo Historical Society.

The loss is estimated at $ 11,00.00 and the building was only insured for $ 7,500.00. The pupils of the school lost all their books, etc. The cause of the fire is said to be a stroke of lighting, but there are some who strongly hint at incendiarism. There is no probability of the fire being caused by a stove in the building as none had been lit since last winter. Principle Parsons stated that all coal-oil lanterns had been extinguished at the end of the day. The schools lightening rod was found in the wreckage, undamaged. Lightning is a very rare occurrence in Arroyo Grande and this raises serious questions. There was no chance to save the building and the walls soon fell in. There is still $ 2,500.00 due on the bond issued to build the school just six years ago.

San Luis Obispo Tribune: Cambria has the wheel craze once more. There are quite a number of new wheels recently purchased and now it boasts over thirty within the city itself, then there are a great many on the outside. It is rumored that the war has caused even some people to have wheels in their head. But we don’t believe that.

On an outing, 1899. National Archives Photo.

The Board of Control was now faced with a problem unanticipated. Luckily, the citizens of the town were quick to rally around the school. A meeting was called for the evening of the 18th at the Good Samaritan’s Hall where over four hundred dollars ($14,780.00) were pledged. The County Schools Superintendent, Mr. Messer spoke and assured the crowd that the county would beg, borrow and steal to provide books and school supplies. William Ryan offered rooms in his hotel for classrooms. The Good Samaritan Hall, The Library and the Union Hotel* also donated space. Classes would be held in the Columia Hall too. A call was put out for all the benches, chairs and tables that citizens could spare. The planned re-opening would be in just ten days.

The Good Samaritan Hall. Site of the High School and Temperance Meetings. SCHS photo. Note that Arroyo Grande had few sidewalks just before the turn of the century and those were wooden. Branch Street was a dusty and muddy place.

Within a week the Board of Control, in a public meeting discussed plans for building a new school house. Public speakers wanted a new building and were suspicious the “Wreckers” on the board would seek to delay rebuilding. Patrick Moore, who owned three rock quarries offered to donate enough stone and the labor to put up the building without charge. Public speakers supported this but the majority of the board voted it down, saying the process would take too long. Within a few days, overheard in Pete Olohan’s saloon, a meeting of the “wreckers” was overheard saying that Olohan had plans to open a brickyard at his property on Bridge Street and it was said that he planned to put Patrick Moore’s quarries out of business.* Without a doubt this news quickly became fodder for discussion around town and further turned public opinion against Willis Buck and his gang. If Pat Moore took note of it, he never said.

Arroyo Grande Recorder: Died: Egan, near Arroyo Grande, Thursday May 19th, Mary Agnes beloved wife of W H Egan a native of Londonderry, Ireland aged 27 years. (Childbirth)

The board decided that using the blueprints from the burnt school would be the most expedient way to begin. Expedient yes, but in 1899 the plans for a building were rudimentary at best and the builders were quite competent in putting up a structure without them. Two of the quarry stone buildings built over the next three years were built using the simplest of sketches numbering two or three pages at most. There would have been a set of simple dimensions, notes on the location of the foundation and perhaps two or three elevations showing the eventual look of the building.

The Reverend Bell of the First United Methodist church who had designed the church on Branch Street was chosen to update and modify the burnt school’s blueprints.

The First United Methodist Church, Arroyo Grande. Photographer unknown.

A call for bids was posted. Builders from counties north and south responded with estimates on the cost of putting up a new school. David Blosser of Santa Maria who came in as the lowest bidder has relinquished his right to claim the contract, stating that he forgot to figure the cost of plastering and that he must withdraw. Will Terry was the next lowest bidder but the board decided to award the contract to William Smith of San Luis Obispo.

Arroyo Grande Herald: John Poole who lives near the Branch School house, has been very ill for several weeks. Thursday he was operated on by Dr’s Norton and Paulding who found a large cancerous growth in his side. The size of the growth is of such a character that there is no hope for him.

Smith took the job in hand and quickly order redwood lumber from the mill in Cambria. Oak floors were ordered from San Francisco and would be shipped down by train along with window sashes, kegs of nails, and roofing materials. Stains and paint were supplied by local hardware stores.

Arroyo Grande Herald: Born to Mr and Mrs. JW Bennett, April 17th, a son. Bennett, a son, died, near Arroyo Grande, April 19th, Aged 2 days.

Smith began foundation work on December 4th. The floors were quickly done as the school was built over the existing concrete work left from the destroyed school. Contractor Smith expects to have the school framed up and completed, ready for students on March 1st 1900. The board of control has sent the students home for ten weeks, using the salaries saved to buy new furniture for the building.

San Luis Obispo Superintendant of schools, Mrs Woods published a notice encouraging her district’s schools, the parents and pupils, donate any textbook or school materials they can spare. She stated that they should be dropped off at the county courthouse in San Luis where they would be collected and sent down to Arroyo Grande by train. She said the sign of a good community is the desire to help those less fortunate.

San Luis Obispo Tribune: Osgood Guilty. John Osgood was found guity by a jury in the Superior Court last evening on a charge of seduction. The jury took only two ballots. That will teach the beast.

School districts all over the county, including northern Santa Barbara county all pitched in. Slate boards, erasers, extra desks, paper, pencils, ink and pens came from everywhere. Citizens and parents quickly turned their attention from the plans of the “Wreckers,” though that wouldn’t last long.

Mister Clevenger, publisher and editor of the Herald has made a very generous offer to the students of the high school. Editorial and writing duties for the Christmas edition will be turned over to the students of the school. All the proceeds from the edition will be donated to the students for the purchase of a new telescope to replace the one lost in the fire this October. The students have heartily entered into the spirit of the enterprise and have organized and selected the following committee to manage the holiday edition. Editorial will be Archie Haskins, Amy Hodges and Albert Ore. The advertising committee is made up of Chance Dana, Fred Phoenix, Addie Gibson, Edith Jatta and George Runyon. Archie Beckett, Gay Parsons and Clarence Waterman who will staff the Literary Committee and local reporters are Robert Forkner, Clara Conrad, Phoebe Poole, Albert Fowler and Fanny Taylor.

Stephen Clevenger, wife Edith (Fanny) and son Porter. About 1895. Clevenger was the founder and publisher of the Arroyo Grande Herald (1886) and Santa Maria Times.(1882). Santa Maria Valley Historical Society.

San Luis Obispo Tribune: The Celestials are at War: Some of the celestials declared war and have proceeded to do battle. Yu Kee, a Highbinder from San Francisco fired a shot at a brother chink in the store of Wing Sang Wan on Palm Street. He succeeded in perforating a door. Marshall Cook was called and made a thorough search through the rookeries of chinatown but could not locate him. There are rumors of more trouble to follow in chinatown.

Arroyo Grande Herald: As a fundraising event the students of the high school have put together another party. Next Friday they plan to stage a masked ball to raise money for their school. The student committee has written the invitations for the event to be held at Columbia Hall. The young people expect a large turn out. Much money is expected to be donated towards the high school. The students are to be commended for their public spirit.

Arroyo Grande Herald: Objections by the board of Control have been issued forbidding the students of the high school to us the school name in connection with parties and other events outside the school. Invitations to attend a fund raising masquerade to be given next Friday have been issued by the “Entre Nous Club*. It appears the students will not be suppressed.

The pettiness of the majority on the Board of Control finally tipped the balance. Another citizens meeting was called at the Good Samaritan Hall. About thirty concerned citizens showed up and after some debate a committee was formed for the purpose of exploring the possibility of raising private funds to increase the school budget for 1900. The plan was to raise enough to keep the school in operation. Stephen Clevenger of the Herald was named chairman. Thomas Hodges and Aron Henry along with Clevenger were tasked with exploring the legal issues involved. Another group was tasked with writing a flyer representing the right side of the matter. The flyer would be delivered to every household in the district. That committee was to be chaired by a local school teacher of more than formidable resolve, Mrs E. L. Paulding, Clara to her friends, a woman who could take the measure of any man. It would prove to be a master stroke.

NOTES:

$14,756.00 today.

Arroyo stone, the particular light sandy/red colored sandstone was used in the IOOF Hall, 1903 and Mankins Building, 1904. A walk down Olohan’s Alley shows the rear of several brick and cast iron fronted building built of the same material. Pat Moor’s Quarries would not go out of business just yet.

The Good Samaritan Hall was located where todays City Council Chambers are on Branch Street.

The Union Hall on Bridge Street was across the street from the Odd Fellows Hall.

The grammar school was located on the old Nipomo road, Bridge St, where the Ford agency is today.

Entre Nous: Between ourselves.

Cover Photo: The Old Verde School once located at the head of Corbit Canyon.

Michael Shannon lives in Arroyo Grande, California and writes so his children will know where they came from.

Link to Chapter one: https://wordpress.com/post/atthetable2015.com/11202

Link to chapter two: https://wordpress.com/post/atthetable2015.com/11890

Chapter four: Clara Paulding goes to war. Coming next.