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Original Central High School

Screened newspaper slick from the Kenneth & Virginia Rhoades Collection - Scanned 2008/Catalog No. HYS-0009a

Built: 1872-73
Located: 16th Street between South & Colfax Streets

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The original High School was occupied in a hardware store in 1869 at Grant and Walker Ave (16th & Grant). An addition was built in 1871. A new $15,000 building was put up in 1872. The building still was standing in 1930.

From Andreas’ History (1882)
Schools,–The first school taught in Blair, was in 1869, by Miss Sarah E. Kibby, though previous to the founding of the town, Miss Lida M. Newell, in 1868, taught in the same little log house. Since that time the schools have made great progress, and now Blair prides herself in having one of the finest high school buildings in the State, an attractive three-story structure, erected in 1872 at a cost of $15,000. She also has two good ward school houses, the last having been completed in February, 1882, in which, school opened on February 13, 1882, taught by Miss Louise Kemp.

From the Pilot Newspaper, Nov. 25, 1925 Blair, Nebraska
Last Thursday, a crack was noticed about half an inch wide on the west wall of the old high school building; now used as the Central School Building. The school board had Struve & Hines go down and look at it and they said it was an old crack that had been fixed before and the motor has fallen out of it. The building was built in 1873 and is brick veneered, so their is no damaged of the wall falling inward for the wooden frame.

Original Central High School

Printers Engraving — the tower may have never been built. Scan from Johnson’s 1880 History of Nebraska/Catalog No. HYS-0001

Original Central High School

Sanborn Map

Original Central High School

Screened newspaper slick from the Kenneth & Virginia Rhoades Collection – Scanned 2008/Catalog No. HYS-0009a

Original Central High School

This building sat north of the 1899 Central School Building. Halftone scan – Scanned from 1930 Blair Tattler Yearbook/Catalog No. HYS-0009

Original Central High School

The north side of the 1899 Central School is shown on the left. The original Central High School and annex building are shown on the right. The photo was taken close to the intersection of Colfax and Old Walker Avenue (today 16th Street). Digital Scan – Published Historic Calendar February 2002/Catalog No. HYS-0002.

Central High Schools

The north side of the 1899 Central School is shown on the left. The original Central High School and annex building are shown on the right. The photo was taken close to the intersection of Colfax and Old Walker Ave. (today 16th Street) Published in the January 2005 Historic Picture Calendar. Original Photo Post Card-Nathan Krämer Collection/Catalog No. HYS-0003