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Scottsdale Historical Museum
Chaplain Winfield Scott could
see that an educational system would soon be needed for the small
community that was growing around what would become Scottsdale,
after the chaplain, in 1896. Mrs. George Blount, whose husband was
the principal of the Phoenix School, was teaching children at her
ranch near the Scott Homestead and had been for the previous seven
months. The chaplain met with a number of people on August 3, 1896
to talk about building a new schoolhouse, with the chaplain, John S.
Tait and Frank Titus being asked to serve on the school committee.
They met again at the Titus ranch on August 20 and started
organizing the school district, named in honor of the chaplain, it
would be Scottsdale, and three lots were picked by the southeast
area of what is now Brown Avenue and Main Street. Some people from
the community built a 16 by 18 foot wooden structure, and the school
year started with 14 students; which was the total for all 8 grades;
and Hattie Green became the new school teacher, being paid $45.00 a
month. The next year had another addition of 12 feet put on the
north side to take care of the additional students, and this
building was used until 1909; when it was necessary to enlarge it
ever more. In May of 1909, a bond issue was brought up to build
another building by the first with the $5000 bond passed. That was
named Scottsdale Grammar School, which today contains the Scottsdale
Historical Museum, with two big classrooms, two small rooms for
supply storage and books, put up over a full basement. Besides being
used for the school, it would become the social center for the young
community, with Sunday school and church being there, a Farm
Improvement Society, Red Cross bandage rolling room and polling
place for the community that would be used the next election that
would help decide if a new Scottsdale High School would be
constructed or not. Once the new high school and new elementary
school constructed, the old brick schoolhouse would be used for the
Mexican-American students. The old schoolhouse would become the new
incorporated town's hall and county court office. When the city grew
too big to be handled in the old schoolhouse, it would used for the
city library, and in 1968, it was slated to be demolished to
accomplish the develop of the Scottsdale Mall. The next year, 1969,
was when the destruction would begin, but the Scottsdale Historical
Society was formed and by many different avenues of funding, they
were not able to get enough money to refurbish the structure. The
Chamber of Commerce said they would help get the necessary funds if
they could use the offices until they got a place of their own. In
1972, the chamber signed a lease with the city and held their
meetings in the basement for many years, with a small display on the
main floor. In 1991, the chamber moved to the close by civic mall
and the historical society opened their historical museums in the
same year. The museum had many marvelous photographs of the old
days, a picture of the classroom from 1910 and other exhibits that
displayed the life in the city and the southwest. The
permanent exhibits include one about the life of Winfield Scott,
another is the schoolhouse and all about it, a barber shop pole and
chair from the former Hebron's barber shop in the city, a beautiful
stained glass window that was done by Joe Moss, one of the early
tent kitchen's, a parlor, the Goldwater's chandelier and the
school's bell.
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