Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ainsworth Then and Now: The W.G. Haan School

1920s(?) and 2010.

Haanschool1920sfront
WGHaan2010front
Haanschoolback
Haanschoolback2010
(Click on images to enlarge)
The 1920s images are from a private collection.


The two older images are undated, but I believe they were taken around the early 1920s because the photo album they come from has a number of dated photos, all of which are from 1921 to 1923, and the vast majority of the undated photos in the album appear to be from roughly the same era.

What's most interesting about that back view is the barrenness of the land in front of the school. Where today there are closely built houses and well grown trees, as well as the paved and heavily traveled State Road 51, then there were only open fields crossed by a gravel road.

4 comments:

Janice said...

What happened to the hill it was built on? Looks like it flattened over the years!

Debbie said...

I went there in 1965-66, 1966-67 school years. I Loved that place. They added a kindergargen room in the basement while I was there.

Ainsworthiana said...

Janice -- it certainly does, doesn't it? Maybe they raised the road when they finally paved it.

Debbie -- The few people I've talked to who attended school there seem to have good memories of it. It must have been a nice school. It's still a lovely old building. And now it's for sale again, so I wonder what will be going on there next.

Carl A. Helsing said...

I completed the first grade there--1948--we lived on Palmer Road then--(now renamed Randolph street)
There were at least two busses for student's then.One day I got one the wrong bus.I had looked into the bus at the driver and he appeared to be the one I knew.---I wound up on the way to Valporaiso instead of home--I finally got out of my seat and explained to
the driver I must be on the wrong bus---He later turned around and got me to what is now an 8400 address on Randolph---Our old house is still there--hidden in the tree's--abandoned--b7jk9w@toast.net