Photo circa 1888 |
The following is from the:
Yreka Semi-Weekly
Journal, July 22, 1863.
NEW SCHOOL HOUSE. — The funds
which the Trustees of Yreka School District are in hopes of being authorized to
raise are to be applied to a thorough refitting and remodeling of the public
school house of this city. Every person
is satisfied that the present building is not fit to have a school in, besides
not being capable of containing more than one half of the scholars within the
boundaries of the District. The plan of
the new building is so calculated as to remedy both of these defects. They propose to turn the present house around
so as to stand side to the street, and put an addition on to one end, equal in
width and length to the old house, which will give a room — by removing the
partition — sixty feet long, by twenty-four wide. This will be divided into two compartments,
by a sliding partition in the centre, which will give two rooms, each thirty
feet long, by twenty-four wide. These
rooms will easily accommodate one hundred and twenty five scholars, who are to
be seated, in each room, facing the centre partition. On public occasions, both rooms can be thrown
into one, by sliding the partition thus reliving the teachers and pupils of the
trouble and expense of fitting up a hall, where the benefits are only felt for
an evening or a day.
The front is to be
relieved of its barn appearance by an addition, projecting out ten feet by
twenty-four long. This will be divided
into an open hall with a room on each side which are calculated for the
accommodation of the scholars’ hats and over-garments. From these rooms, scholars will enter their
respective school rooms. By this
arrangement, the school can be graded and classified. The advanced scholars will form a grammar
department, while the small and less advanced, will form a primary department
The benefits arising from such a classification must be
apparent to all. Not only will the
children be benefited by the advantages of a thoroughly classified school, but
the parents by lessening the expense of schooling.
Let
everyone give it their careful consideration, and decide by their vote on the
1st of August next, that the youth of Yreka shall have a suitable school
room. The county has a first class Court
House; shall it not have a good School House?
A ground
plan can be seen at the Post Office.
Note: This building sat approximately where the Siskiyou County Library is located today near the corner of Fourth and Yreka Streets.