schools1

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Last updated December 2018

McKelvey District 12

This district was organized in May 1917 after JW Mc Kelvey presented a petition to the county superintendent requesting that the west part of district 81 be annexed to form this district. The original school was a one room framed building, later a block and stucco building was built, complete with running water, restroom and a basement. The district was discontinued in 1961 and is now used as a grange hall.

Location: 8 miles south, 1 mile E of Paoli.

Pleasant Prairie (Summers School) District 14 (picture)

In 1913 Mr. Summers presented a petition to the County Superintendent, requesting that 15 section of unorganized land be used to form this district. The first school measured 16 x 20 feet. In 1917, the school board voted to enlarge the building to 20 x 32 feet. The district closed in the 1940's and the was building sold and moved to Holyoke.

Location: 4 miles south 2 miles west of Holyoke.

Pleasant View (Owens School) District 15

Established in 1887, the school was built on land owned by Mr. Owens. The school was well constructed and elections were held in the basement. The district was dissolved in 1945. In 1949,the building was sold and moved.

Location: 5 miles west 2 ¼ miles south of Holyoke.

Silver beam District 16

This district was annexed from district 15. Before the annexation the district had two schools and school was held first in one school then the other for a period of 3 or 4 months each school. Very often the same teacher taught in both schools. With the division of districts a 4 mill levy collected to finance the new district. Sunday school and dances were frequently held at the school. The district was dissolved in 1950.

Location: 1 mile north 4 miles west and ½ mile north of Holyoke.

Sunnydale (Beal School) District 17J

This district was first known as Liberty Bell and was located near Amherst till 1917. At that time it was annexed in to district 2. District 17J was formed jointly with Sedgwick County in 1919 and was carved from districts 3, 4 and 48 in Phillips County and district 74 in Sedgwick. This building was two stories and had many modern conveniences for the time, such as a furnace, running water and the basement served as living quarters for the teachers. In 1960 the building was hit by a tornado and was completely destroyed.

Location: 12 miles north 1 mile west of Hwy 385.

Beachville District 18

Like many other districts in Phillips County, Beachville, organized in 1917 was carved from another district. The school was a framed building with a basement and heated by an oil heater. The early board member must have considered expanding the school as a foundation had been poured on the east side, but nothing was ever built.

A fund raising Oyster Soup meal was once held at the school. At the end of the night the money was counted and it was discovered that only a few of the families actually paid for their meal. This was the last fund raiser held at the school. At Easter the students from Beachville would go over to the Sunnyside School for a Easter Egg Hunt. The district was dissolved in 1944 and the building was sold.

Location: 7 miles north and 7 miles west of Holyoke

Grandview District 19

In 1920, District 19 was formed from portions of districts 2, 18, 41 and 48. One unique feature of this school was that the students were paid 75 cent to bring water for the school. The end of the school year always meant a picnic and everyone in the community was invited, whether they had children or not. The district was dissolved in the 1940's, and the building was moved to town.

Harmony District 26

District 26 was first organized in 1887. In 1904 district 8 was annexed to district 26 because they failed to comply with the laws. In 1909, district 26 was reorganized and continued to operate until it was dissolved. The school was a white framed building.

Like most schools of this time period, baseball was the game played on the school yard. The whole school was divided into two teams, the games continued thru each recess and the players would return to their positions on the field when the next recess came. Sometimes one game took two weeks to complete. The end of the school year was always a family affair, many times the men would stop planting, come to the dinner, visit, then return to the field to continue planting.

Location: 5 miles east 3 miles north 1 mile east of Holyoke.

Prairie Gem District 27

Prairie Gem was organized in 1914 by a vote of the residents of district 9. It seems as though this did not agree with everyone, as a writ of injunction was applied for, barring the formation of this district. The writ was dismissed and the County Superintendent established district 27.

Location: 5miles south 1mile east of Holyoke.

White Star District 31

Originally this district was organized in Logan County in 1887 and supported two schools. One school was known as West Bryant the other East Bryant. The school term for each school was three months. Sometime later the two schools combined and the new school was called White Star

Location: West Bryant 12 miles south and ½ mile west of Haxtun

East Bryant 13 miles south and 4 miles east of Haxtun

Highline District 36J

Established in 1887 was joint district with Sedgwick County. A large brick building was erected in 1923 replacing the little framed red school house. Local lore says that the teacher who lived in Amherst rode a hand cart to and from the school. District dissolved in 1936.

Location: unknown.

Holyoke District 39

In the beginning school was held in on the second floor of a 2 story building on east side of Interocean. In 1889 the Lincoln Land Company made a gift of one block of ground on which a 2 story brick building was erected.

The bricks, made by Conrey and Williams were fired at a brick yard west of town. The school had 4 rooms and a basement. A second brick building was built in 1920 and had many modern conveniences such as a Dunham vapor heater, an Aero Vacuum cleaner system and hot and cold running showers in the gym. This building was torn down in 1958 to make room for additional playground space.

Betty Lou (Lane) Gonzales