Bellingham's Historic Schools

Central School Buildingss, located between I and J streets c.1890s

Early in the territorial period, Whatcom County citizens formulated plans for future schools. In 1853, the first act of the Commissioners was the levy of a two mills school tax. This was in compliance with Federal law which made territorial status conditional upon an established school system.

The first Whatcom school teacher was Edward Eldridge who taught adults, not children. In the 1850s, he organized a night school for the Sehome coal miners who wished to learn to read and write. The mine management soon closed the school on the grounds that the thirst for knowledge curtail patronage to the company owned saloon.

The first public school in the Bellingham Bay area was erected in 1861 on the bluff near Sehome Mine. The first teacher was George Hall. There were fourteen schools in existence when Bellingham became a city in 1903-1904. This section focuses on five early schools and provides a picture of school life.