Former pupils of Gibbs School, up on Bell Road on Chehalem Mountain, discuss the restoration of their school house with Sherwood author and Sherwood Historical Society President
June Reynolds. The area did not have electricity until 1941. If there was a snow storm, kids were brought to school by horse drawn wagon. Then they would huddle around the wood stove all day long and read by kerosine lamplight.
Two of June's history students interviewed and videotaped the folks. The school was named after the second governor of Oregon,
A. C. Gibbs, whose first priority was "...to elevate the standard of education, in Oregon, as much as my limited influence and acquirements will permit." (1862 Inaugural Address)
6 comments:
When was the Gibbs School built?
What is the source record that stated that the school was named after an early governor of Oregon? Could it have been named after one of the families that lived in the area?
The School that is standing now was built in 1886. Before that there was a log cabin school. Addison C. Gibbs did own land in the Bell Road/Mt. Home area. He was the second Governor of Oregon.
He also owned a house in Portland.
Members of the community named the school and nearby cemetary after the governor.
We know this from archives at the Yamhill Historical Society and from material from the Gibbs Community Club.
Even in the 1940s, not all of the roads in the area had names. But soon after, Bell Road was named after the Bell Family at the bottom of the Road. Leander Road was names after Leander Winters.
Thanks Lilly. I wasn't aware that Addison Gibb owned land in the area.
Gibbs's Inaugural Address is interesting. He puts "education of the masses" at the top of his agenda. (Click the name "A.C.Gibbs" on the posting.)
For more on the life of Addison Gibbs, go to:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5954240
Hmmm. Sorry, I tried that URL and it doesn't all seem to be on the page.
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