Maryville School District
The first school opened in Maryville was in 1847 and was done so in the old log courthouse. The building was used for 10 years, it had approximately 20 pupils, and was split up into two rooms. At Fifth and Market street a new building was constructed in 1857 and had an expanded curriculum that included higher mathematics, English, French, Latin, and Greek. Over time this building became too small for the growing attendance of the school, and the Washington School was built at First and Vine Street, and was a two story brick building. The first Washington School was constructed at a cost of $7,000. It had four rooms and during the next 15 years, additions were made which left the building with a net worth of $16,000. It housed all grades and the curriculum included penmanship, Latin, declamation (public speaking) and composition, and surveying.
The salary of a grade school teacher was $40 per month, $60 per month for a high school teacher, and $90 a month for the superintendent. By 1882, increasing enrollment had made the existing school structure obsolete and a $43,000 bond was passed to build a new structure. The second Washington School building was opened in February 1883, with classes held in local churches until the building was ready. Photographs show the new building to be a large, two-story building, with an iron railing around the roof, and a cupola mounted on top. This cupola held a large iron bell, which was mounted on the cast side of the third Washington School. It became a victory bell for the athletic teams and also was rung by the students on the last day of school.
Photo Courtesy of Nodaway County Historical Society
Students in Washington Middle School
Photo from Maryville Daily Forum
The second Washington Building was heated by steam, and there was no basement under the building, so the boilers were housed in an large depression under the school. This caused a custodian, Will Robey, to lose his life when he was scalded by steam and hot water while checking a leaking steam pipe. Classes were convened and dismissed by an electric bell with restrooms housed in a small brick structure to the north of the building. This second building housed grades 4 through 12, and the lower grades were taught in a small white house that stood to the northeast of the main plant and was used until ward schools were built in 1892. The Douglass School, located at the corner of East Jenkins and South Water Street, taught the Black population in Maryville. It was built in 1870 and was used until 1881, when classes were discontinued because the daily attendance was fewer than 10 pupils. Classes were resumed after six months and continued until 1921.
In 1892, three ward schools were built for the three lower elementary grades. These buildings were located in different parts of the town and were used until 1931, when the present Eugene Field Building was constructed. They were the Garfield School, located at West Thompson and South Mulberry street; the Jefferson School, located at East First and North Charles street; and the Franklin School, located at the junction of North Main and Seventh street. The Garfield School was torn down, the Franklin School was demolished and later turned into Franklin Park, and the Jefferson School was used as a community center after 1931 and also served as a WPA canning center during the Great Depression. Some classes were also held there while the Washington Building was being repaired after an F2 tornado hit Maryville in 1934.
Eugene Field faced some barriers when it was initially built: people were evicted from their homes to build the school, poor drainage caused the site to look like a swamp in rainy weather, and the school was set to be built across from the town dump. The election for a $165,000 was close; there was a total of 2,536 votes, 1,958 were for the bond and 578 were against, a margin of 74 votes over the necessary two-thirds majority. Increased enrollment led to the need for a new high school, but the school board had trouble in winning approval of this proposal, as the first three bonds failed. After hiring a new architect on Jan. 2, 1963 a new site was proposed in the Crestview Addition southwest of the city and on March 28, 1963, a fourth bond for $850,000 was presented to the voters. This bond was passed by a substantial majority, as the bond was much lower in cost and voters preferred the site of the proposed school.
The high school opened in 1965 and was divided into three sections: the practical and fine arts area; the gymnasium and cafeteria center; and the classrooms, office, library and heating plant area. The school also came with improved vocational agricultural facilities, a music center, and a large gymnasium, which also served as an auditorium. With the completion of the new high school, there came a slight reorganization in attendance centers: grades kindergarten through 4 would attend classes at Eugene Field; grades 5 through 8 would attend classes at the old high school, now renamed Washington Middle School; and grades 9 through 12 would attend the new high school.
Students in Eugene Field Elementary School
Photo from Maryville Daily Forum