Pomerene
Arizona
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Pomerene School District
In 1911 School district No. 64, called Fairview, was formed. School was held in the John Proffitt home (the old Butterfield stage stop) that year and in the S.J. (Jodie) Johnson home the following year. Miss Anna Beauchamp was the teacher and on the first board of Trustees were S.J. Johnson, Chairman; J.R. Cosby, Clerk; and Parley P. Sabin, Member.
On September 24, 1912, a bond election was held in the Parley Pratt Sabin home for the purpose of raising funds to build and equip a school house. Eleven property owners voted in that election and the vote was unanimous for bonding the district. $1,000.00 was raised and Harry Eckerman, with the low bid of $700.00 was hired to construct the building. The remaining $300.00 was used to equip the school.
The building was completed in the spring of 1913. The building consisted of an anteroom where children could hang coats and leave lunch pails on a shelf. Beyond was a large room having a partition which could be lowered or raised. When lowered it would make two classrooms, and when raised it would create an auditorium or social hall, which served temporarily for church and social purposes. Willow trees that grew around the school provided ample switches to keep the students in order!
One school room served grades 1 through 4, and the other grades 5 through 8. Later another room was built onto the rear of the building for the lower grades, making three classrooms and a hall.
The school was equipped with a bell that could be heard throughout the community. A well was also dug on the north-east corner of the school lot in 1913. It was dug with a horse-drawn well machine owned by H.W. Etz of Benson with labor donated by the men of the community. Water was piped to some of the nearby homes, but many other residents would haul the water in barrels carried on wagons to their homes.
In September of 1913, Miss Anna Carroll (Tryon) took the place of Miss Beauchamp. She taught for 47 years and substituted for 6 more. During this time, she taught 3 and 4 generations of students from the same family.
In 1914, high school students began attending school in Benson. They were transported by a horse drawn wagon bus driven by Alvah Fenn. One story I was told is that since there was no high school up until that time, after the children would graduate the eighth grade they would continue to come to school the next year and the teachers would give them extra work to do. An education was so important to some of them; they would do this even though no certificates were given, at least none that we know of. In the 1920's, Mr. Robert McCall, owner of the grocery store in Pomerene, was elected as a trustee to the Benson High School Board and was influential in getting a motor bus to replace the horse drawn bus. Also, the name of the school district was changed to Pomerene school district at the time the first post office was granted to the little community of Pomerene. Pomerene had been called Robinson, but was changed because there were other post offices by that name. The school district name was changed to avoid confusion.
Bertha Barney recalls moving to Pomerene from Graham County in the fall of 1919 because the Pomerene School was said to be the best and was cheaper to attend. Thanks to the Bisbee mines, all Cochise County School teachers' fees were paid and lunches, tuition and books were free.
One story that has been told, and I am sure is true, is concerning a certain elixir. It seems that hot lunches were served at the school at some point in time after 1913. After this hot lunch was served, the boys were made to line up on one side of the room, the girls on the other, and with the spoon they ate their lunch, each child was given a dose of castor oil. I guess they felt this served as a good deterrent to any germs that might be floating around!
In March of 1922, a Pomerene Gopher Club was formed. The rodents were destroying the crops in the area, so 5 cents was offered for each gopher tail. The contest was underway for thirty days, closing on Saturday, April 15. As a result of the Gopher Club, over 500 gophers were caught. First prize went to Archie Judd with a total of 65 gopher tails! We don't know what his prize was, but he was proud to have the honor!
Sometime during 1940 the original school building was demolished and a new school was built on the same spot. Evidently, I am told, part of this new building was built after World War II had started and good materials were scarce. Builders had to use whatever they could get their hands on. In the late fall or early winter, after this building was built and they had turned the heat on, there began to be a bad smell permeating the building. The principal began to complain to the students, accusing them of walking through dog manure (or worse) and tracking it throughout the school, as there were brownish tracks all over the floor. All the children swore they were not tracking anything in, and upon investigation, they found the problem. It seems the glue used to lay the tiles in the floor was a very cheap glue, remember, it was the only thing the builder could find to use. And, after the heater came on, the glue would get hot, melt, and ooze up between the tiles. This glue had a horrible smell, and the children were tracking it everywhere!! I was never told how they got rid of the smell, perhaps it just had to fade away, but it really caused some problems for awhile.
There is another "smelly story" that Leora Farnsworth told me that happened during the mid 1940's. It seems there was a young man who attended the school who liked to hunt skunks. Every week you could see him out along the road and in the fields hunting these skunks. The smell would saturate his shoes. He would then wear these shoes to school and disturb everyone with their smell. The principal warned him repeatedly to not come to school with that smell on his shoes, finally going as far as to threaten him with expulsion if he continued to wear his "skunk" shoes to school!!! One day, not long after this threat was made, once again the smell was penetrating the school. The principal went straight to the boy and checked out his shoes. The smell was not coming from him! The principal then began to smell the shoes of all the children, but could not find the source. After going into the cloak room and smelling all the coats, he found it! It was a nice little red leather jacket. He put the red jacket on the end of a stick and carried it into the classroom demanding to know whose it was! Leora was mortified as it was hers!! It seems that they had had a rash of skunks getting under their house and her mother had put out poison to get rid of them. The night before one had evidently eaten some of the poison and had died under Leora's bedroom floor. During the night her parents had had to get her up and take her to her aunt's house as the smell was so bad. Leora had not realized the smell was soaked into her jacket! She had to take the jacket out to the bus barn and was not allowed to wear it into the school again until the smell was gone.!!
The Pomerene School's first marching band was formed in 1948. By 1949 they were marching in the Tucson Rodeo Parade and at Benson High School basketball games at half-time. In 1967, Pomerene invited then Senator Barry Goldwater to speak at their graduation ceremonies. Senator Goldwater did attend and was so impressed with the Pomerene School Band that upon his return to Phoenix he sent a sousaphone for the band.
Pomerene continues to grow, and years after the school was built in the 1940's, it was evident that more room had to be appropriated. At this time, the old LDS Church was vacant. Less than a block from the old school, it proved to be ideal. It was converted into school rooms and is still being used today. During 1996 funds were allocated by the state to build still a new school. This new school has been built on the sight of the original building built in 1913 and the one built in the 1940's. Pomerene School now consists of two separate campuses, the north campus and south campus. On November 21st of this year a dedication will be held at the new school building, or the south campus.
On September 24, 1912, a bond election was held in the Parley Pratt Sabin home for the purpose of raising funds to build and equip a school house. Eleven property owners voted in that election and the vote was unanimous for bonding the district. $1,000.00 was raised and Harry Eckerman, with the low bid of $700.00 was hired to construct the building. The remaining $300.00 was used to equip the school.
The building was completed in the spring of 1913. The building consisted of an anteroom where children could hang coats and leave lunch pails on a shelf. Beyond was a large room having a partition which could be lowered or raised. When lowered it would make two classrooms, and when raised it would create an auditorium or social hall, which served temporarily for church and social purposes. Willow trees that grew around the school provided ample switches to keep the students in order!
One school room served grades 1 through 4, and the other grades 5 through 8. Later another room was built onto the rear of the building for the lower grades, making three classrooms and a hall.
The school was equipped with a bell that could be heard throughout the community. A well was also dug on the north-east corner of the school lot in 1913. It was dug with a horse-drawn well machine owned by H.W. Etz of Benson with labor donated by the men of the community. Water was piped to some of the nearby homes, but many other residents would haul the water in barrels carried on wagons to their homes.
In September of 1913, Miss Anna Carroll (Tryon) took the place of Miss Beauchamp. She taught for 47 years and substituted for 6 more. During this time, she taught 3 and 4 generations of students from the same family.
In 1914, high school students began attending school in Benson. They were transported by a horse drawn wagon bus driven by Alvah Fenn. One story I was told is that since there was no high school up until that time, after the children would graduate the eighth grade they would continue to come to school the next year and the teachers would give them extra work to do. An education was so important to some of them; they would do this even though no certificates were given, at least none that we know of. In the 1920's, Mr. Robert McCall, owner of the grocery store in Pomerene, was elected as a trustee to the Benson High School Board and was influential in getting a motor bus to replace the horse drawn bus. Also, the name of the school district was changed to Pomerene school district at the time the first post office was granted to the little community of Pomerene. Pomerene had been called Robinson, but was changed because there were other post offices by that name. The school district name was changed to avoid confusion.
Bertha Barney recalls moving to Pomerene from Graham County in the fall of 1919 because the Pomerene School was said to be the best and was cheaper to attend. Thanks to the Bisbee mines, all Cochise County School teachers' fees were paid and lunches, tuition and books were free.
One story that has been told, and I am sure is true, is concerning a certain elixir. It seems that hot lunches were served at the school at some point in time after 1913. After this hot lunch was served, the boys were made to line up on one side of the room, the girls on the other, and with the spoon they ate their lunch, each child was given a dose of castor oil. I guess they felt this served as a good deterrent to any germs that might be floating around!
In March of 1922, a Pomerene Gopher Club was formed. The rodents were destroying the crops in the area, so 5 cents was offered for each gopher tail. The contest was underway for thirty days, closing on Saturday, April 15. As a result of the Gopher Club, over 500 gophers were caught. First prize went to Archie Judd with a total of 65 gopher tails! We don't know what his prize was, but he was proud to have the honor!
Sometime during 1940 the original school building was demolished and a new school was built on the same spot. Evidently, I am told, part of this new building was built after World War II had started and good materials were scarce. Builders had to use whatever they could get their hands on. In the late fall or early winter, after this building was built and they had turned the heat on, there began to be a bad smell permeating the building. The principal began to complain to the students, accusing them of walking through dog manure (or worse) and tracking it throughout the school, as there were brownish tracks all over the floor. All the children swore they were not tracking anything in, and upon investigation, they found the problem. It seems the glue used to lay the tiles in the floor was a very cheap glue, remember, it was the only thing the builder could find to use. And, after the heater came on, the glue would get hot, melt, and ooze up between the tiles. This glue had a horrible smell, and the children were tracking it everywhere!! I was never told how they got rid of the smell, perhaps it just had to fade away, but it really caused some problems for awhile.
There is another "smelly story" that Leora Farnsworth told me that happened during the mid 1940's. It seems there was a young man who attended the school who liked to hunt skunks. Every week you could see him out along the road and in the fields hunting these skunks. The smell would saturate his shoes. He would then wear these shoes to school and disturb everyone with their smell. The principal warned him repeatedly to not come to school with that smell on his shoes, finally going as far as to threaten him with expulsion if he continued to wear his "skunk" shoes to school!!! One day, not long after this threat was made, once again the smell was penetrating the school. The principal went straight to the boy and checked out his shoes. The smell was not coming from him! The principal then began to smell the shoes of all the children, but could not find the source. After going into the cloak room and smelling all the coats, he found it! It was a nice little red leather jacket. He put the red jacket on the end of a stick and carried it into the classroom demanding to know whose it was! Leora was mortified as it was hers!! It seems that they had had a rash of skunks getting under their house and her mother had put out poison to get rid of them. The night before one had evidently eaten some of the poison and had died under Leora's bedroom floor. During the night her parents had had to get her up and take her to her aunt's house as the smell was so bad. Leora had not realized the smell was soaked into her jacket! She had to take the jacket out to the bus barn and was not allowed to wear it into the school again until the smell was gone.!!
The Pomerene School's first marching band was formed in 1948. By 1949 they were marching in the Tucson Rodeo Parade and at Benson High School basketball games at half-time. In 1967, Pomerene invited then Senator Barry Goldwater to speak at their graduation ceremonies. Senator Goldwater did attend and was so impressed with the Pomerene School Band that upon his return to Phoenix he sent a sousaphone for the band.
Pomerene continues to grow, and years after the school was built in the 1940's, it was evident that more room had to be appropriated. At this time, the old LDS Church was vacant. Less than a block from the old school, it proved to be ideal. It was converted into school rooms and is still being used today. During 1996 funds were allocated by the state to build still a new school. This new school has been built on the sight of the original building built in 1913 and the one built in the 1940's. Pomerene School now consists of two separate campuses, the north campus and south campus. On November 21st of this year a dedication will be held at the new school building, or the south campus.