The earliest schools of Astoria were supported by private funds, yet
the payment of any fixed sum was not made a condition for entrance.
They were supported by private subscription for the benefit of all the
children of the town.
In 1854 District No. 1 was established, and included a large tract of
land bounded by Young's River, from the falls to its juncture with
Columbia, the Columbia River and a zigzag line starting near
Thirty-eighth Street, and connecting the Columbia River with the
Young's River Falls.[14] To this district, in October of the same
year, was paid the sum of $20, all the school money then
available.[14] The next year, under the revised law of 1853-54, the
county fund yielded more, and District No. 1 received $104.77. A part
of this amount was from tax, and the rest from fines.[14]
The first school taught after the district was organized, as near as
can be ascertained (there are no records in existence), was taught in
what was known as the "Old Methodist Church,"[15] a building erected
in 1853-54,[16] on a piece of land donated for church and school
purposes,[17] by James Welch, to the trustees of the Methodist Church.
J. W. Wayne was probably the first teacher in the district. Nothing is
known of the condition of the school, except that there were very few
in attendance, and the school was in session only a very few months.
Miss Liza Lincoln, Mrs. Hill, an English lady, and Mr. Moore, are
names associated with the early schools, but the exact time of their
service is not known, but all taught school some time before 1856.
In that year Judge A. A. Skinner took charge of the public school in a
building near Bain's Mill, known as the "Holman House."[18] He was
assisted by Mrs. Skinner, _nee_ Miss Lincoln. The next year the public
school was taught by Mr. Brown in the "old hospital" building,
situated between Ninth and Tenth streets, on Duane. Mr. Brown is
remembered for his skill in handling the large boys.[18] He was
succeeded by Mr. Maxwell.
Up to this time the district had been without a schoolhouse, but in
1859 a building was erected on the corner of Ninth and Exchange
streets. J. T. Maulsby taught the first term of school in it in 1860.
The school was now too large for one teacher and the following year
the board engaged the services of J. D. Deardorff and wife. He was a
man of ability in his line of work and was well liked by both parents
and pupils.[18] During the next term he was assisted by Mrs. Dr.
Owens-Adair,[19] and the year following by Mr. Williamson,[18] a
college bred man, who assisted much in building up the reputation of
the school. Under Mr. Deardorff's management a nine or ten months'
term was taught each year, and there were between ninety and one
hundred pupils in attendance.[20] Astoria was maintaining an expensive
school, and the money for its support was raised almost entirely by
tax and private subscription,[20] as the money from the county school
fund was inconsiderable at this time. This fund yielded to the
district $132.50 in 1861, $149.80 in 1862, and $92.85 in 1863.[21]
There is no record of tuition ever having been charged the pupils of
the district. While Mr. Deardorff taught advanced classes were formed
and pupils who had finished the ordinary grades of the school were
enabled to continue their education.[22] Later opposition to these
classes arose and finally the school board decided that only studies
of the grammar grade should be taught. When this order was carried
into effect, during Mr. R. K. Warren's term as teacher, a vigorous
protest was made against it, and its enforcement caused much
dissatisfaction.[22]
The Grace Church Parish School had just been organized, and, no doubt,
profited by the dissension in the ranks of the friends of the public
school. The increasing burden of maintaining the school and the
presence of the parish school ready to receive the advanced pupils,
gave strength to the position of those who were opposed to teaching
branches above the grade of the ordinary district school.
In 1865 there was an average attendance of one hundred and ten pupils
and a nine months' term.[23] This year the four districts of the
county received $460.72 from the county fund and raised $2,308.49 by
district tax.[23]
In 1868-69 the average attendance in the public schools had dropped
to eighty-four,[24] caused, in all probability, by the exclusion of
the advanced classes and their transfer to the Grace Church Parish
School.
Mr. Finlayson and wife and Professor Robb were the teachers between
1865 and 1869. From 1869 to 1873 very little change in the condition
of the school is noted, except that there was a slight increase in
attendance due to the return to the policy of providing instruction
for all who had finished the grammar grades. In 1872 the state school
fund became available and District No. 1 received $110.80 in coin and
$111.95 in currency.[14]
In 1873 Prof. W. L. Worthington, a very able instructor, was elected
principal, and remained several years. More than one hundred children
were in attendance in 1873,[25] and the citizens of Astoria were
justly proud of their school. The _Astorian_ in its initial number[25]
says: "We notice that the school is well supplied with maps, charts,
dictionaries, gazetteers, atlases, etc. We doubt that any common
school in Oregon is better supplied with such articles. * * The public
school affords every opportunity for getting a good English
education." The teachers were Professor Worthington, principal; Miss
Watt and Miss Lawrence, assistants.[25]
The history from 1873 is concerned chiefly with the rapid increase in
the school population, the division of the district into six separate
districts, the subsequent consolidation of all these districts, the
final readjustment of the boundaries, so as to include only the
schools within the corporate limits of Astoria, and the establishment
of the high school, as the completion of the city's educational
system.
District No. 9, the "Upper Astoria" district, was established in
1868, but no school was taught here until 1874. Mrs. W. W. Parker, who
taught the first term of school in the district, had a school of
fifteen pupils, and received as compensation $75 per month and
board.[26] T. P. Powers organized the district, and when over seventy
years of age taught a term of three months in this district in order
that the right to draw school money should not be forfeited.
The population of Astoria in the two years between 1874-76 nearly
doubled, owing to the rapid growth of the fishing industry, and the
schools were not able to keep pace with this growth.[27] In 1878 there
were over two hundred pupils in actual attendance at the "lower
schoolhouse." Professor Worthington, the principal, was assisted by
Miss Brown, Miss McGregor, Miss Neale, and Miss Hewett.[28] In the
first, or highest grade, algebra, physiology, and natural philosophy
were taught.[28] The _Astorian_ says of the school: "The public school
of Astoria is divided into three grades, with three classes in each
grade. There has been a written examination in three of the grades
[probably classes]. In this examination great care has been taken to
make it impossible for the pupils to derive any assistance from
text-books or from friends."[28]
This crowded condition lasted until 1880 when a temporary relief was
afforded by the establishment of District No. 9 and the building of
two of the six rooms of the Shirely school. A ten-mill tax was levied
for this purpose.
The sudden increase in the school population brought with it such a
large proportion of the county and state school fund that the money
from this source, amounting to $1,953.67,[29] paid the entire cost of
the school during the year 1876, the six-mill tax not having been
used. "The district is now out of debt, and has $250 cash on
hand."[30]
The erection of a new school building was the main question before the
taxpayers at the school meeting of 1882. That it was a necessity was
admitted by all. The _Astorian_ said editorially: "There are three
things Astoria needs--and we place them in their relative
importance--a new schoolhouse, a flouring mill, and a new
theater."[31]
At the meeting held April 24, 1882, four mills for current expenses
and five mills for building purposes were levied and a new schoolhouse
ordered built.[32] The present McClure is the result of that meeting.
District No. 26, known locally as Alderbrook, was established in 1890.
By a legislative act of 1892 the four districts, now included in the
city schools, together with the schools at John Days and Walluski,
were consolidated into one district of the first class. This
arrangement proved unsatisfactory, and in 1899 the boundaries were
again changed so as to exclude the two districts lying outside the
corporate limits of the city.
During the fifty years that the public school system has been in
existence the school population has increased an hundredfold. The
distance between "upper" and "lower" Astoria, the rapid growth of the
town during the seventies, made the division of the district almost a
necessity. The gradual growing together of the two parts of the town
making the interchange of classes possible and the consequent
improvement of the schools with a lessening of the expense of
maintaining them led to the consolidation in 1893 and the readjustment
of the boundaries in 1899.