History of Reardan School Buildings

Reardan has gone through a set of buildings and remodelings over the years. This leads some confusion as to what was there and when. Hopefully this time line will help to clarify this. Dates are approximate until better information can be found.

1881 Wood Frame School House

The first school house in Reardan was actually built in Fairweather before Reardan was platted (in 1888). It was a frame structure with only one classroom.

The location of this school house is hard to confirm. It is supposed to be "on the road to the cemetery." That would indicate the present day "Central Street." Some accounts have it on Broadway Ave, others seem to indicate that is is closer to the cemetery. One account says it is across the gulch from the present school>" Most of the references are to homes of owners who have long ago passed. The most left hand building in the 1905 photo on the right almost matches the above photographs. This would put the school house on Broadway Avenue.

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  Fairweather school sometime between 1881 and 1893. (Photo held by the Lincoln County Historic Society.)

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  Fairweather school nearer to 1890 with teacher identified at Mr. Beck. (Photo held by the Lincoln County Historic Society.)

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  1905 Possible location of Fairweather school on Broadway as left most white building. (Photo held by the Lincoln County Historic Society.)

1892 Brick Elementary School

The first brick school house was erected in 1892. The photograph of the school is dated 1898. The second floor was all one room.

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  Elementary school and student body 1898. (Photo held by the Reardan School District.)

1906 High School

The second building was built to be used as high school in 1906. The first building remained in service as an elementary school.

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  1906 high school under construction. (Photo held by the Reardan School District.)

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  1916 view of the assembly room on top floor. (Photo held by the Reardan School District.)

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  1916 view of domestic science room. (Photo held by the Reardan School District.)

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  1916 view of the chemistry and physics lab. (Photo held by the Reardan School District.)

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  Elementary and high schools side by side sometime between 1907 and 1930. (Photo held by the Reardan School District.)

1907 student body photograph showing many of the first graduates of Reardan High School.
Front Row: Clifford Solverson (1913), Otto Mahrt (1912), John Brommer, James Dueber (1912), Norman Raymer (1913), Ray(mond) Smith, Will King (1912), Stanley Rinker (or Albert Riha), Bruno Franke, Albert Kelso, ?
Second row: Bertha Leck, Irma Koeller, Iva Davidson (1910), Blanche Kelso (1912), Margaret Fitzgerald (1912), Ella Moriarty (1910), Josephine Lacy (1910), Myrtle Brown?, Charles Zeimantz (1909), Albert Ryder (1909), Will(ie) Shoemaker,
Back Row: Zoe (or Vona) Shoemaker, Grace Sullivan, Mary Schultz, Eva Chillis, Iva Lyle, Lulu Bentley (1911), Charlotte (Lotta) Dueber (1911), W.H. Padley (principal), Thea Bender (teacher), Mr. Stringer (teacher), Walter Ryder, Ernest Davidson (1909), Walter Hinkle (to become a long time and beloved janitor of the school.
(Photo held by Kirk Carlson.)

1911 Gymnasium and Auditorium

As the school offered high school subjects, a separate wood frame building was constructed south of the high school to house a gymnasium and a stage for theatrical productions and presentations. The gymnasium was heated with wood stoves which had to be avoided. This was build some time between 1911 and 1915.

There are several photographs of the stage. Some of these photographs are labeled as being on the second floor the Stevenson building, but they all appear to be the same stage. Reportedly there was a stage in the Stevenson building. Otto Mahrt's graduation ceremonies in 1912 were in the Stevenson building, so that indicates there was some school use of that building. One of the photographs shows roof rafters which indicate it was the gynasium and not the flat roofed Stevenson building.

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  Basketball players outside of gym some time between 1915 and 1930. (Photo held by the Reardan Memorial Library.)

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  Aerial view of Reardan in 1921 including view of first gymnasium and the stage extending out on the north side. (Photo from Dan Plaster collection.)

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  The right side of the background of a student body photograph shows the gym. (Original photo held by the Reardan Memorial Library.)

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  This 1911 shot of the stage shows roof rafters angling toward the stage which indicates that the audience would be seated in the court of the gym and the stage extended out the side. (Original photo held by the Reardan Memorial Library.)

1920ish Bus Garage

A bus garage was built to accommodate and service the growing bus fleet. A small structure is shown in the 1930 [Sanborn Insurance Maps](/general/old-maps-of-reardan.md). It is possible that the wood frame gymnasium was used for this purpose after the 1930 school was built.

This was torn down in 1939 to make way for the Vocational Agriculture building.

1925ish Football Field

Reardan started a football team in 1925 and of course it required a field to play on. This field was located to the south of the then existing school buildings. This may have moved again when the 1930 grade school was built.

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football team on field around 1947?.

1930 Grade School

Building 1930 built and used as a grade school. This building has a gymnasium in the basement and an auditorium on the second floor. This building was used as an elementary school until 1953 when it began life as a high school.

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1930 grade school beside high school

Building 1930 replaced the 1915ish gymnasium and auditorium. Building 1890 is abandoned and torn down.

1939 Vocational Agriculture

Building 1939 is built to house the Smith-Hughes vocational agriculture program. This was built on the site of the 1920ish bus garage, which was dismantled.

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exterior of vo-ag building.

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vo-ag classroom around 1965.

/home/kirk/Documents/reardan-library-files/school/yearbooks/1950/1949-09-football-south-of-tennis-courts.jpg /home/kirk/Documents/reardan-library-files/school/yearbooks/1950/1950-baseball-shop-old-high-school-in-background.png

1939 Bus Garage

The first bus garage was dismantled and a new larger bus garage was built south of the east side of the 1930 grade school to accommodate and service the growing bus fleet.

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football team on field around 1947?.

1953 Grade School

Building 1953 was built to be used as a grade school. During this period, the vocational agriculture building 1939 is expanded to have more shop space. The grade school was built on the existing football field.

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north face of grade school building.

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south face of grade school building.

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interior classroom.

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interior multi-purpose room.

Building 1930 is converted to be used as the high school.

1954 Football Field

The second football field is built south of Summit Street and the 1953 Grade School building playground. This field included a baseball diamond with a backstop and two dugouts and a second practice baseball backstop. A wooden bleacher was built to accommodate football spectators. About 1970 a house was moved beside the field to serve as storage and concession stand.

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football team on field around 1955.

1940s Tennis Courts

Three outdoor tennis courts are built with an asphalt surface immediately south of the 1930 building.

There was a tennis program in the 1910s. It is not known where they played...in the gymnasium or on outdoor courts. It is also not known if the tennis program was offered every year.

1960 Gymnasium and High School Remodel

A new stand alone gymnasium was built. It had larger bleachers to accommodate more spectators. It was used primarily for high school basketball, altough it found service in middle school and high school physical education.

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exterior view of Smith Gymnasium.

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interior view of Smith Gymnasium.

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interior view of Smith Gynmansium.

The Gymnasium was renamed the Smith Gymnasium in 1990 to honor long time coach Gene Smith.

Building 1930 was remodeled to add three class rooms over the old gymnasium, now used as recreation room.

Aerial view of school around 1960

Note: - Gym [now Smith Gym] is present - shop part of ag building is present - tennis courts next to 1930 building are present - bus garage on east side of block is present with seven buses - baseball dugout and bleachers present on athletic field - tether ball poles are present on grade school playground - barely visible are swings, slide and merry-go-round on primary playground - near top center is the town library (near where post office is now (c1970-2020)

1974 Football Field, Track, and Tennis Courts

{{<figure src="1980-aerial-view-playground-and-tennis-courts.png" comment="Areial view of grade school expansion (1980) playground, tennis courts, storage/restrooms/concession building and part of track (1974)">}} In the summer of 1974 the football field is expanded to accommodate five tennis courts, a track and a baseball field (which conflict with track and football field). This is now known as the J. B. Johnson Playfield.

1979 High School

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1980 aerial view of gyms and high schools looking south

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1980 view of high schools and gyms looking north

Buildings in pictures 1. Bus shop 1981 2. Vocational Agriculture 1980 3. Gymnasium 1980 4. High School 1980 5. Elementary addition 1979 to Elementary 1953 6. Elementary 1953 remodeled to remove window walls. 7. Playground 8. Heating Plant (1980?) 9. Ag Shop (1939 and 1953) and Greenhouse (1971) 10. Elementary (1930-1953) and high school (1953-1980) 11. Smith Gymnasium 1960 12. Tennis Courts 1974 13. J. B. Johnson playfield 1974

2001 Baseball Fields

Two baseball fields are built east of town.

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baseball fields.

Around 2019 Remodeling

A Commons is added between the grade school and the high school. The Smith Gymnasium is remodeled. Names are added to the buildings to assist visitors in finding the right place.