UPPER LAKE GRAMMAR SCHOOL
(1884 - 1931)
(Note old school building up behind the new 1931 school)
According to Napa County Board of Supervisor minutes, on April 7, 1856, the Clear Lake Township (present Lake County) was divided into two school districts; the Upper Lake area was #1, and the remainder of the Township was #2. But, about 1855 the North Methodist Church was built in Upper Lake, on the south side of present Highway 20 and a little west of Mendenhall Road. The church was also used as the first school. Mr. Norman, the Methodist minister was the teacher, with 12 - 15 pupils. This was the first school on the north side of the county
About 1864 a school, known as Pepperwood School, was built on the the bank of Clover Creek in a Pepperwood grove on, or near, the former Mat Johnson ranch. In the late 1860s it moved to a spot on the Dewell ranch north of town. This was located where the present day U.S. Forest Service station is now.
In 1884 property was acquired from C. C. Rice and a two-story building containing two rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs, was built on a small hill at the east edge of Upper Lake. The Pepperwood School then closed and the students attended the new Upper Lake School. Two of the first teachers were Mr. Crawford & Mr. Briggs. The first through fourth grades met downstairs, and the fifth through eighth upstairs. Later each room was divided, so the building contained four rooms, 3 classrooms and an assembly hall. There were over 100 students by this time.
In 1920 the Hammond School District and the Bachelor Valley School District consolidated with the Upper Lake District to form the Upper Lake Union Grammar School District. Clover Creek District was annexed about the same time, and Middle Creek District joined them in 1926.
With the consolidation of all of the outlying districts, the Upper Lake School building was inadequate, so in 1930 a bond election was held to finance a new school building, which was completed in May 1931.
School Trustees - 1867
C. C. Rice
D. V. Thompson
R. T. White
UPPER LAKE GRAMMAR SCHOOL TEACHERS (Years not given in most cases) -
Charles Corrine (probably the first principal of the school)
Jim Daly
Charles Gibbs
Carrie Ganter
Madison B. Elliott
Mr. Latin
Euville Howard and wife
William Reynolds
C. M. Crawford (principal from 1888 to 1898)
Miss Sherfeg
Miss LaFever
Mrs. Clark Boyd
H. E. Witherspoon
Lon Jones
Emma Elliott (Mrs. J. T. Butler)
Miss Maude Sleeper (Mrs. Maude Witherspoon)
Miss Johnson
Clara Alley Reed
Helen Lynn
Lucy Griffiths
Mrs. J. N. Herndon
J. P. Witter
Mr. Cuthbertson
Alice Hunter
Mrs. Newton
Ruby Jones
Mrs. Archie Keeling
James Allen
Mrs. Laura Toman
Gertrude Hunter Patterson
Fannie Scott
Rita Branscomb Wells
Gertrude Polk
Elizabeth Scott
Etta Finney
Velma Hanson
UPPER LAKE GRAMMAR SCHOOL GRADUATES -
1895
(E. Howard, teacher)| Maude Bucknell | Frank Palmer | Ernest Rice |
| Helton Howard | Percy Polk | Cora Riffe |
| Pearl Howard | Fred Reynolds | Alick Twiggs |
1905 - Mattie Gilbert, Hattie Pfeifer, Florence Reynolds
1907 - Leland Henderson, Lloyd Reynolds
1908 - Alton Carter, Dessell Gilbert, Harry Hollenbeck, Bert Reynolds, Grace Wheeler
1909 - (Rosaline Johnson, Teacher) - Tina Vann
1910
| Lewis Bates | Beulah Jones | Bessie Packwood |
| Sara Burke | Charlotte McCabe | Lill Tallman |
| Douglas Evey |
1912 - Marguerite Bucknell, Lillian Crabtree, Margaret Hullen, Bessie Vann, Lorid[?] Wilson
1913 - Lucille Brown, Charlotte Grigsby, Hazel McCabe, McKinley Reynolds
1914 - Etna Clayton, Earle Evey, Alma Ford, Robert Madeiros, Gladys Wheeler
1915 - Helen Clayton, Paul Evey, Thelma Fitzpatrick, Johnny Packwood
1916 - Blanche Boardman, Edward Pluth
1917
| Forbes Bynum | Ralph Meredith | Bernice Wheeler |
| Ruth Madeiros | Mina Phelps | Thora Wheeler |
| Florence Manker | Keith Sleeper |
1918
| Iva Applegate | Fannie Johnson | Lena Pluth |
| Frederick Boardman | Nina Knighten | Edith Rhodes |
| Genevieve Herndon | Lena Phelps | Marguretta Yows |
1919
| Camille Garner | Theodore Runk | Nevada Marie Tabor |
| Glenn McCabe | Claire Shirley | Roy Vann |
| A. Louise Rhodes |
1920
Mrs. Velma Hanson, principal
Mrs. Mabel Keeling and Mrs. Fannie Scott, teachers
1920 - Graduates not listed....".....the standing of the various pupils recorded in the book kept for that purpose...
1921
First School in Lake County to have graduation exercises for Grammar School
Mrs. Velma Hanson, principal
Mrs. Mabel Keeling and Mrs. Fannie Scott, teachers
| Perry Boardman | Doris Harader | Percy Polk |
| Reta Branscomb | Mildred Harader | Elva Robinson |
| Dora Crabtree | John Hibbard | Vivian Robinson |
| Vena Crabtree | Clifford Knighten | Carrol Sanborn |
| Freddie Crowell | Ethel Manker | Meredith Shattuck |
| Edwin Dodge | May Manker | Maxine Simmons |
| Jack Dodge | Carl Mason | Lenore Sleeper |
| Ross Graham | Thelma McCray | Herbert Sneed |
| Daisy Hall | Helene Polk |
1936
| Drusilla Barney | Jean Gott | Dean Scott |
| Forrest Belknap | Pat Henry | Phyllis Sleeper |
| Francis Betty | Marilyn Jones | Rose Marie Sullivan |
| Jean Boardman | Donald McCullough | Keith Summers |
| Pearl Davis | Bill Peterson | Keith Vasquez |
| Bill Gibson | John Respini | Jean Yows |
1940
This Class went to the World's Fair at Treasure Island and graduated there
| Apple, Pearl | Foster, Gene | Kainer, Louise |
| Bailey, Betty Lou | Gardner, Dale | Risdon, Philip |
| Barney, Zelia | Gauslin, Doris | Scott, Joe |
| Barton, Roger | Hall, Ned | Snow, Harry |
| Carner, Joyce | Keil, Betty | Treppa, Lester |
| Doran, David | Lee, Buddy | Valena, Mickey |
| Fasey, Hazeltine | Moser, James | Youngreen, Eugene |
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Anita Crabtree anitajc@pacific.net Last Updated 01/24/2009 |
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