Yountville Elementary School

A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUNTVILLE SCHOOLS

John Wichels

As late as 1854, there was not a public school in Napa County, which at that time, icluded the area known as Lake County. There were some private schools endeavoring to instill knowledge in the minds of the young students. In 1855, the first public school in the county was erected, by subscription, in the City of Napa. In 1857, there were only 911 children in both Lake County and Napa County, which were only one at that time.

Just when the first school building was erected in Yountville has never been definitely determined. We have read the narrative of Ida Waite Porter, who lived in the vicinity of Yountville before 1860, when her father, Dan Waite, leased land from George Yount. She attended school during the period when the War Between the States took place. As she tells the story, "...I attended the Yountville School when there were few "Union" pupils, so many others were "Secech....," implying that they were from families who entertained a sympathetic feeling for the Confederacy at the time.

It is presumed that the school builiing was on the present site. We do find that, during the 1860's, Samuel H. Grigsby transferred the site on which the stuccoed building presently stands, to the Buchanan School District #8 of Yountville. To this he added 60 feet to the south, with the privilage of using it as a right-of-way to his land to the east.

The Name Buchanan School District was, no doubt, taken to honor President James Buchanan, who completed his term of office in 1860.

In 1880 the teachers in Yountville School were M.V. Chapman and Miss N.S. James. In 1884, it was Mr. Anthony and the next year it was Mr. Tenney. During the early 1890's Julia and Lou Peston were the two teachers.

There was a building on the site before 1881, because during that year, a large, square building was completed as an addition to one erected some time earlier. When? Who can say? To date, research has failed to reveal this much desired information. After 1881, the two buildings, joined as one, served as a country two-room school, and remained as such until the late 1920's, when the present stuccoed building was erected and the old two-room school was demolished.

Up to the year 1903-1904 Yountville had nine grades, after that time, it was reduced to eight grades.

For a number of years in the early days, a shed, open on three sides, existed for the accomodation of those who wished to stable their horses. Horses and horse-drawn carts were the only suitable ways of traveling during the winters.

There was, of course, no running water. A hand pump in a 30 foot well served the purpose of raising water for drinking. There was no indoor plumbing; no air conditioning. Heating was accomplished by stoking a wood stove in the center of each room with 2' lengths of fire wood. There was no artificial lighting; electricity did not arrive in Yountville until 1913. Winter days were, necessarily, dark days in the old two-room school.

It appears that in 1858, there was no public school in Yountville. However, there was a school on Silverado Trail, in the early days referred to as Grigsby School. The records indicate that Yount School District, embracing the area along the Silverado Trail, had a public school population of 141 in 1858. In 1865, Buchanan District School had 106 pupils, and Yount had but 36. In 1881, Buchanan School had 97 and Yount had 47. The total number of pupils varied from 141 to 144.

The first school house in Yountville is assumed to have served its purpose for 20 years when the addition was completed in 1881. This two-room school served until the late 1920's, or for 48 years. The stucco building, currently the City Hall, replacing the old structure, served its purpose until 1976, a period of 50 years. This included the extension which was erected in 1949.

Yountville Neighbors : Yountville, California

Yountville Elementary School

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