Yes, the LaBarque Schoolhouse is still standing and it's being used as a garden-tool shed for the series of 1990s "I deserve an estate" type houses, on big rolling lawns, built around it. The painted words "LaBarque School" are very faintly visible above the door; so very faintly that the camera eye could not capture them for you, but trust me, in the sunlight, in person, they are there. This building stands near the intersection of Hwy FF and John McKeever Road, behind a fence and some trees which partially obscure it. I have lived here 10 years and never noticed it until someone told me where to look for the old schoolhouse.A commentator on this blog said he has a 1906 photo of his mother at this school, so the structure must have been built before then, but my guess is that the building was rather new at that time. Also the stucco coating is recent; on a piece of wall where it is chipped away, you can see that the original building, or at least its foundation, is native stone.
6 comments:
Wow. Thanks for this find.
Amazing.
Not sure how I can post my 1907 picture to this blog....how can I do it?
Jeff
Jeff, so glad you came back and found the photo! You would have to email it to me to post directly on the blog, or you could put it online, say at flickr.com, and let me know its URL so I could link to it. Divine
OK here are links to pictures...
First of my grandmother, siblings and classmates LaBarque School, Oct 19, 1907 (she is holding the small chalkboard). Few old pictures locate a place and time so well. Looks like back then, the school had wood siding. They took this photo outside in front of the windows. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10006747@N07/4931354006/
The second is of article on the Labarque school sent to me by someone at the Eureka Historical Society. I think this was written
in the 1950's after the school closed...it shows a small black and white photo of the school, probably from the 1940's.
The school was more ornate, with a bell tower, etc.
I have found reference to this school dating to the 1850's....so the building is at least that old.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10006747@N07/4931354252/
Thank you very much for the links. The images are treasures. I would like your permission to use the photograph on the blog. You would have to email it to me as a jpeg file. I would put a copyright to your name on it.
Divine
Please do use them, I give my permission. Perhaps others might have relatives in that picture.
Please email me the photo files, at clrankov@juno.com. On flickr.com they are "All Rights Reserved" and I find they are not downloadable. Divine
Post a Comment