Arnegard
School History and Facts
On March 24, 1914 a special election
was held in the city of Arnegard for the purpose of voting on the erection
of a new school building. The voters cast an affirmative nod and land was
purchased the following month. In the May 28, 1914 issue of the Arnegard
Call, bids for the well, stone for the foundation and the building itself
were called for.
In the August 20, 1914 issue of
the Call, the following was reported:
"No city large or small can
prosper without Schools and Churches and Arnegard is not behind in this
respect as we have a fine modern up-to-date School building under
construction at the present time. A two story brick and stone structure,
which when completed will reflect a lasting credit not only to Arnegard,
but the surrounding territory as well. It will require the services of two
1st Grade certificate teachers, one for the Primary class, and the other
one for the higher grades."
That winter, the end of the
school’s Christmas vacation was extended from January 4, 1915 until
January 11 to allow the carpenters time to do the finish work to the
interior of the building. On Friday, January 29, 1915 an open house was
held to celebrate the opening of the new school building.
Starting in June of 1936, an
addition was built on to the school which is now called the "Little
Gym". This addition had, in addition to the gym and locker rooms, 4
classrooms, a library and the Superintendents office. There is also a fine
stage located in the gym itself. Some people complained at the time this
addition was built that it was much too extravagant in size.
In 1954 the community decided
that the school needed a new larger gym as the athletic programs had
garnered a fair bit of notoriety for it’s success. The "Big
Gym" as it became to be called, was built for a cost of less than
$35,000 which included an 80X100 foot steel building with 10 foot
sidewalls and a floor made of #1 maple tongue and groove flooring. This
building, if it was to be built now, would have a price tag of $250,000+.
In 1963, due primarily to
declining enrollment, the county elected to close the high school.
Elementary classes were held at the school until 1976 when the school was
closed for good. A short time later, the building was deeded over to the
city of Arnegard. Some time after that, the city deeded the building and a
portion of the school grounds to a group known as The Friends and Alumni
of the Old School. During the period that this group owned the facility,
there was a roller skating rink, rural library and meeting areas located
within the building.
In 1998, the building was sold to
the current owner, Milton Hanson, who has close ties
to the community. It has undergone a great deal of restoration and
renovation for the purpose of housing a Bed & Breakfast.
