Vernon Public School District history

The land now known as Mount Vernon was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, with William Abbe and Daniel Hahn as its original settlers.

The first evidence of a public school in Mount Vernon dates back to January 16, 1840, when a charter for public schools was granted to all Iowa communities.

Originally named Pinhook, the town was incorporated in 1847 and changed its name to Mount Vernon, choosing a more patriotic name for the community.

However the district built its first schoolhouse, a frame building, in 1852.

Written on the back of this photo: “Vernon School boys, Portland, Oregon, who have been learning ‘fantastic cookery.'” Courtesy Oregon Historical Society, file #1856.

Eventually the district purchased the old Methodist church, then added a brick building in 1867.

The community was then incorporated under the laws of the state of Iowa in 1869.

Vocational learning was introduced to students in the 1880’s; and activities at the time included Civics and Debate.

Vernon put in a bid to be the home of the Yuma County High School in 1907 but along with the rest of the bidders lost out to Wray.

Old Vernon opened as an eight-room school on September 15, 1908 with 324 students, many of whom were exports from Highland School (today’s Martin Luther King Jr.

On the right in this detail from a circa 1910 photo shot from Allison's field is the rear of the first Vernon grade school.

Maypole dancers from Vernon School won first prize at the Rose Festival in 1911.

Launched by Vernon School Principal William Parker, the program started in 1914 in a rented house at 4715 NE 24th (rent was $18 per month) where it ran under the supervision of Mrs.

Kennedy School on NE 33rd was opened in 1915 as part of this push.

After several feature-length stories in The Oregonian in the mid 19-teens, and many blurbs promoting upcoming community teas, fundraisers and social events at the house (all catered and staffed by eager students), newspaper references to the house stop in late 1918.

In the late 1920's the Vernon Grade School and Yuma County High School boards voted to fund a new building to house both the Vernon grade and high schools.

In the summer of 1921 the Yuma County school board approved a petition from Vernon residents to establish a branch.

Sanborn panel 533 from 1924 shows the area of today’s Vernon School prior to acquisition by the Portland School District.

The first graduating senior class in 1925 had five seniors.

An article in the April 14, 1926 edition of The Oregonian chronicles opposition from the Vernon Daddies’ Club, a position they developed and had approved at a school-wide parent meeting:

By 1927, the school board was on the hunt for property and wanted the city to carve off the southern five acres of Alberta Park on Killingsworth between 19th and 22nd for the new school site.

A late-night meeting of the school board on December 2, 1929 heard several hours of public testimony on the acquisition, and according to The Oregonian, spiraled into “a sharp verbal combat between the directors,” but ultimately resulted in direction to move forward on the Killingsworth property.

On April 8, 1930, after acquiring the Killingsworth property, the school board auctioned off the remaining abandoned houses.

The current school opened in September 1932.

An aerial photo from 1936 shows the footprint of the burned building and lots of open land.

Construction of new homes on the site began in October 1940.

He finished the last of the 18 houses on that block in the winter of 1944 with a pair of duplexes at 2210 and 2232 NE Wygant.

In 1947 the Vernon district was reorganized as District 4 consolidating districts 65 (Prairie Ridge), 66 (Pleasant Hill), 99 (Mount Hope), 46 (Glendale) and 43 (Vernon) with bus routes to transport outlying students to school.

In 1949 funding to build a gymnasium, school kitchen and lunchroom, indoor restrooms, lockers and a school stage was approved.

The teacherage was purchased in 1963 and moved to Wray where it was converted to apartments.

Young recalled that when he came to the school in 1966, there were 1,500 students in grades 5-8 attending the school, which wasn't quite complete for the first day of classes.

The current high school was then built in 2006 to give the community what it knows now as the three schools on the same campus.

"We're going to do that," Lee said, adding that the time capsule will be re-buried this fall (presumably after better water-sealing), to be re-opened in another 25 years, with items from the VCMS class of 2016.