Community Involvement in the Early Years

The new school district needed a name and after consolidation and a student vote the newly elected Board of Education (John Dawson – President, Willits Derbyshire – Secretary, O.E. Vedder – Treasurer, and Trustees Frank Rowe, and J. W. Talladay) approved the naming of the district after Abraham Lincoln stating “naming the district after Abraham Lincoln would be the fulfillment for which he stood – equal opportunity for all students.”  Henry Tape was selected to be the first Principal for all grades.

Thirteen REO buses were purchased transporting students of grades Kindergarten to high school to a new and exciting experience.

School and community activities were held to bring together this larger neighborhood of students and parents.  In the Spring of 1925, the community organized work parties to landscape the campus by planting trees and shrubs and laying out the athletic fields and playground.  The school was frequently used as a community center for local meetings, lectures, and entertainment.

Then disaster struck the school on the night of December 5, 1925, when a fire of undetermined origin destroyed most of the building, leaving only brick exterior mostly intact.

Residents approved a bond proposal to rebuild and while the rebuilding took place students were transported to neighboring districts and area churches.  A rededication at the restored building took place on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, 1927.