The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-29
The Old quincy school Building Being

This was the first school building of
any size to be erected on the North
side and at this time il consisted OF
only the east and west wings, contain
ing four rooms, two downstairs and
two upstairs. The north and south
wings were not buf1t until some seven
or eight years later.
The first school house in North To-
peka. or as the place was then known,
Eugene, was 2 log building on west
Curtis street where the George KIM
merle house now STANDS. Charles W.
Parks, father of A. w. Parks, Santa
F,a dispatcher, now living in Emporia,
came to North Topeka in 1866 and with
Mrs. Parks opened a aIding house OPP
posite the present Union Pacific freight
depot which was then the Union Pa
cific passenger station. The building IS
now known as the Urion hotel:
Mr.. Parks was a member OF the schoo!
board and he thought that the log
school house was too far away Tor the
children and it WIS through his efforts
that William Cards, the grandfather OF
Senator Cherries Curtis, decided TO the
school. board IS feet OF ground on
what is l:ow Kansas avenue, at pEeSen'
occupied by the A M. Kent eoai oii y I,d
the W. II. Rutter furniture store ano
the H. NJ. Cline hardware store.
In the deed it was stipulated that the
property should be used for school pur-
noses. On this site was built a two
room frame structure. Here sehool
children. Senator Curtis and his sister
Libby Curtis, now Mrs Jerome GOWN
vent to school J. H. Foucht, the
North side hardware merchant was , IN
Of the early teachers. This bulIdlns
vas afterwards used as UnlVersahs'
church and a union Sunday school was
held in it every Sunday. Many peopie
from. the south side came over to heIk
the mission and 2t one lIiI4e
them an organ.
l.
moved from its first site to block 1loI
Van Buren, street, opposite the torlh '5i
v r Ki<tIer mr. nc ami there II Se9Ha
TO-DAY disuantIed and forlorn- Wiz
left bv the big flood of 1903: Inc sec
cn6 story of the Van Horn buildlng Oh
Norris aad Kansas avenue. now 49,
piei by the Citizens pank was "ise
used as Il school house ,,,, ,,as
In the meantime North Topeka Wa
growing and it was not long untll
these rooms were found TO De too
small to accommodate the INC Icr ed :lLLs
number of school children Previous
70 this time the school board mad pur-
cbased additional lots to the south OF
those decided to them by William Cur
it's The land purchased by the BOARD
included where the Proudht chop
house now stands, the A J. berry
arocerx and the Pratt Bros hardware
This site. however. did not suit
them for a school as Mr. Parks was
OF the opinion that North Topeka
1-o,,ld grow 20 the east and north and
II was thought that if a permanent
building were erected it should Dc
with the growing town MI RolllI
%ichols then owned twelve acre trac1
in this neighborhood which included
his home place. the present Thomas
Page home and the J. B. Belts home
| a trade was arranged with MI
Nichols whereby the board secured
an acre of his land and in exchange
| for II decided him the lots they hao
purchased with some 5000 or $500
addition Mr.. Nichols had hi:
garden planted and before the foun-
dation of the building could be lald 1
vas necessary to harvest his potato
crop. When finally the Quincy schoo