Boistfort High School
About this property
Boistfort High School is an historic schoolhouse located in Boistfort, Washington. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The Boistfort community began its educational pursuits by 1854, creating the first school and district in what was then known as the Washington Territory. The initial schoolhouse was the residence of a homesteader family. Due to the spread of settler population in the territory at the time, along with Boistfort's commitment to education, the town was the first proposed location of the University of Washington. A standard schoolhouse was built by 1874, replaced by a high school and campus in 1912. The facilities could not keep up with the growing rise of students in the Boistfort-Curtis-Klaber region, known as the Boistfort Valley, mostly due to several district consolidations. As a result, the historic Boistfort High School was constructed and completed in 1918. Due to the effects of the Great Influenza, the school was only temporarily opened later that year with a formal dedication and opening not held until April 1919. The facility, when built, was one of only two schools in the county meant exclusively for high school students. Boistfort High School, at the time of its NRHP designation, was considered to be in a mostly unaltered state. The building was home to a first-floor centralized gym and the schoolhouse contained original flooring, woodwork, and classroom layouts, including an assembly hall. It held six classrooms and when constructed, was noted for its modern educational amenities. The facilities became a central hub for the community and the grounds grew to become a campus. A detached gymnasium was built in the mid-1920s and the Boistfort Elementary School was erected in 1936 after another consolidation. Since its beginnings, the high school provided classes geared for college, or for students less inclined to attend a university and move from the region, a focus on agriculture and homemaking. Enrollment was considered high for the area but the student population was often recorded between 40 and 60 pupils. Financial difficulties, and calls for the Boistfort school district to consolidate with larger communities, began to materialize in the early 1970s. Failures to raise tax funds and increasing maintenance costs led to the end of the school's use as an education center. Boistfort High School closed before the start of the 1977–1978 school year. Boistfort High School has been recognized as a symbol of the community's pride, noted for its connection to the town's history of focus towards public education.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Boistfort High School listed on the National Register?
Boistfort High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1987.
What type of historic resource is Boistfort High School?
Boistfort High School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Boistfort High School?
The period of significance for Boistfort High School is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Boistfort High School?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Boistfort High School will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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