A school was conducted in the new Grand Island community by private subscription for some time prior to the formal subscription in 1868. At that time the district was formally organized, the first board chosen was composed of Fred Wiebe, Henry A. Koenig and W.H. Platt.

The first public school on Second street opposite the City Hall block. Gov. O.A. Abbott, Sr., bears the honor of having taught the first public school in that building. The children of Wiebes, Koenigs, Michelsons, and the Thorspeckens were the patrons of this early school. The parents and residents in general turned out and built this little 16 x 20 school house. Govenor Abbott tells of having worked with a hatchet and saw to prepare the quarters in which he was to teach.

A new one-story frame building was built on block 81, the Dodge school site, and for- mally opened on September 19, 1870, by a dedication that took the form of a dance with a supper at the Railroad hotel. George McKenzie became principal of this school at a salary of $784 a year. The building cost $2,895, and the district incurred a total indebtedness of $3,000. To cover this debt Governor Abbott prepared written school boncs, which were sold to Seth Lee of Cameron township.

In 1874 it bacame necessary to provede for the increasing demand for school privileges and an addition was built to this building. In 1878 this addition was moved to Block 20, where the Howard building now stands, and in the summer of 1884 it was moved to Lot 10, blk 7, Evans addition, and named the Evans school. In 1912-1913 the addition to the Lincoln being completed, it was abandoned and later moved to the Platt grounds as an annex. The main part of the old building on the Dodge site was sold to the Presbyterian people and by them moved to Front street where their church now stands. It was occupied by the society for many years and finally sold to Fred Sears and by him moved to Front street, between Walnut and Spruce, where it is used for business purposes.

It appears that the law then in force did not give to a school district of te class of Grand Island authority to vote bonds. Therefore, the erection of a first brick building was considerably delayed, until the necessary authority could be secured from the state legislature. Accordingly the passage of an act of the legislature was secured empowering the district to vote $15,000 in 20 year 10% bonds. The proposition to issue bonds for building a school house received 141 votes. O.A Abbott, C.E. Lykke and John Wallichs were elected trustees in April, 1878, and William Anyan, T.J. Hurford and B.C. Howard were appointed to act with the trustees as a school building committee. Thereafter these bonds were sold at 90 cnets on the dollar, refunding at 6%. Immediately after the sale of the bonds the district contracted for the erection of a two-story and basement brick, eight room building on Block 81, which was completed in 1879. This building cost the district $20,000 and at that time appeared to be large enough to provide for the needs of the district for many years to come. The new school-building and the old courthouse, built in 1872, were then the only brick buildings in town. They were referred to as evidences that the people were here to stay and of the substantial faith they had in the future of the county.

The Union Pacific Railroad Company having donated this Block 81 to the district, this building was given the name of "Dodge." In the chapter on railroads a more detailed explana- tion is given of the important part that General Grenville M. Dodge played in saving this route and permanently establishing the Union Pacific Railroad, and it was only fitting to honor in this way the man who as much as any one individual carried a big burden in the development of this western country.

EXTENDED FACILITIES NECESSARY

As early 1880 the capacity of this building was overtaxed and rooms in the basement and outside rooms were fitted up and occupied temporarily for school purposes. During the years 1883 and 1884 a four room addition was built to the Dodge building, costing $7,600, and a new eight-room, two-story and basement building known as the Howard School was built on Block 20, on Fifth street, between Sycamore and Kimball, costing $20,000. It was likewise appropriate that the name of this second substantial school building should be selected in honor of a man, Blake C. Howard, who devoted his spare energies and time from his railroad duties as master mechanic of the Union Pacific shops

and mechanical departments, to the upbuilding of Grand Island's school districts.

In 1886 the Wasmer school was built, on West Division between Monroe and Jackson streets, at a cost of $5,125. This school was a one-story and basement brick, two room building, and was named after the man who laid out the addition in which it was located. The Platt building was given that name in honor of Nathan Platt, member of the board at that time, and for some years its secretary. The main part of the Platt building, located on a site owned by the district at the corner of Cleburn and Seventh streets, was built in 1888. Six years later a two- room addition was added, making a four-room and basement building. In 1890 additions were built to the Dodge and Howard buildings, costing respectavly $11,900 and $9,874.

The Handy school was located on the Platt site and moved to its present location on North Madison betwwn Fifth and Sixth streets. The Lincoln school is a four-room and basement building on the corner of Eighth and Beal streets. The Jefferson is now the largest ward school in the city, an eight-room and basement building on West Jefferson and West Seventh street, and is soon to be enlarged by a new addition. The Evans school, as heretofore stated, was that part of the Dodge building which was moved to the Howard site and later in 1884 to Lot 10, Block 7, Evans addition.

In 1919 an issue of $350,000 of school bonds was authorized at a special election. This is to be the foundation of an extensive program for bringing Grand Island's school facilities up to an adequate basis. The program includes the building of a two-room school in West Lawn, now under construction at the corter commonly known as "Five Points." An addition to the Jefferson school is to follow: and new buildings are to be erected, at Charles and Cleburn for a South Side Junior high school between Fifth and Sixth, and between Elm and Cleburn streets of a new high school building, and the conversions of the present high school building into a North Side junior high school building.

To the greater majority who have attended the Grand Island schools, and especially those who graduated and became alumni, the thought of "high school" will bring memories of the old "Dodge" building, which housed the high school for a quarter of a century.

The Dodge building eventually became so crowded that even after primary grades had been crowded into unsanitary and unfit basement rooms, it became necessary to erect a special high school building. For several years the board had such a building in contemplation, but felt that the bonded indebtedness should be reduced before beginning so large an undertaing. Consequently it was not until March, 1904, that the initiatory step was taken towards the erection of a high school building. It was decided by the board, after an examination of other high schools of the state, to ask the taxpayers for an issue of $60,000 high school bonds. In November, the question of the isunce of $60,000, 10-20 4 1/2 per cent bonds was submitted and authorized by the voters. The bonds were issued and sold for a premium of $314 and acurred interest deliverable in install- ments of $10,000 at the option of the district. F.A. Henninger prepared the plans for the build- ing, and J.H. Wagenkneckt of Wathena, Kansas secured the contract for $47,127. The firm of Wirth & Winterbottom of Falls City, Nebraska, secured the contract for a plumbing and heating plant at $9,500. The excavatiing was begun on October 9, 1906, the building was completed and occupied January 20, 1908. Farewell excercises to the old high school rooms of the Dodge building were held in the old rooms in the afternoon of Friday January 17.

The building has a frontage on North Walnut street of 140 feet and a depth of 85. It has two stories and a basement with an elevation of ten feet above the grade line. It is steam heat- ed and electric lighted, and well ventilated. There are fourteen well lighted, commodious recitation rooms, chemical and physical laboratories and lecture rooms, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 240, a gymnasium 40 x 60 feet and offices and emergencies rooms in the building.

The school census, sworn to on March 17, 1872, by Fred A. Wiebe, showed the following families with children of school age then residing in District Two (see list below).