[comments from the compiler are in square brackets.]
[comments from the compiler are in square brackets.]
[send us your memories of going to school at Apiary and we will include them with your byline.]
SOME HISTORY OF THE APIARY SCHOOL
Vol. 10, page 54, of "Columbia County History," mentions that Nettie May Jones, a school teacher from Muskegon, Michigan, arrived in the vicinity of Clatskanie about 1887, joining her parents who had moved there the year before. In the fall of 1890, when the first school opened at Apiary she became its first school teacher.
At Apiary Nettie met William C. King, member of the school board. They were married January 6, 1891. On July 20, 1898, Will King was killed instantly while logging near his home at Apiary. His gravestone can be found in the Apiary cemetery.
--
[At this time not much is known about this early school, where it was located, etc.]
NEW SCHOOL PLANNED FOR APIARY
April 25, 1918
Notice
School District No. 8, Columbia Co. Oregon. Will receive
sealed bids for the erection of a school house at Apiary, up to and
including Saturday April 20. Plans and specifications may be seen
at the residence of the Clerk, Homer Kellar.
The board reserves the right to reject any, or all bids.
Homer Kellar, Clerk.
[Editor's note: Orris Kellar was the contractor and drew the plans.
Orris and his brother Homer built the building. (They built an
identical structure for the Stehman school district the next year,
the building that burned in 1963.) I thought Marvin Kellar,
grandson to Homer, would enjoy this story. I added a note about a
possible conflict of interest for Homer since he was also the clerk
for Apiary.
Marvin replied that he didn't think there was any conflict, as
well as he could recollect Grandpa Kellar had two pair of glasses.]
Aug 27, 1926
F. H. Neinstedt found water for the school on the playgrounds.
Sept 3, 1926
George Forster, Harvey Headlee, and Mr. Cornett dug the well on the school ground last week.
Apr 4, 1940
NORTHWESTERN ELECTRIC PLANS APIARY EXTENSION
.. electric service to 12 new customers, including the Apiary school. Customers to be served are Carl Danielson, Logan Kellar, J. L. Mooney, Owen P. Kellar, Joe Cook, Carl Erickson, Albert F. Burns, H. Kellar, William Drost, J. R. Headlee and William Brown.
..
Nov 21, 1940
The Apiary school house has the wiring and fixtures for electric lights completed and the teacher and pupils are happy to have light at their command.
TELEPHONE PLANNED FOR APIARY
Aug 5, 1948
The Apiary school board met Sunday afternoon, August 1, and planned a great deal of work to be done on and around the school. First item on the list is the installation of a telephone, which involves setting ten poles.
INDOOR PLUMBING FOR APIARY SCHOOL
May 4, 1950
Work has begun at the Apiary school on the installation of indoor restrooms. This work is being done by Mr. McCaskey of Rainier. This work and ground clearing and fencing are the last two items on the program of standardization begun three years ago.
NEW WELL NEEDED AT APIARY SCHOOL
Nov 9, 1950 The Apiary school well will have to be drilled or dug deeper as the inside plumbing isn't much good without water. With all the rain coming down, you would think the thing would be running over, but it isn't!
Nov 16, 1950
The Apiary school well is no longer dry. Wilder Brown traced the vein that fed the well and it crossed right through it so he started digging. The well was already about thirty five feet deep so we lifted the dirt out with a windlass -- Oh, my aching arms. --
After digging out about two feet of mud and sticks, Wilder hit the shale bottom of the well. About two feet into that he hit the water vein. The water came up 18 inches before he was pulled out. I thought it would be easier to let him float up, but he didn't agree. Anyway, the well is half full of water now.
Sep 21, 1972
CLOSING APIARY SCHOOL CONSIDERED
The question of continued use of Apiary School was a matter
for discussion at a special meeting of the Board of Directors of
Rainier Administrative School District Tuesday evening, Sept. 12,
[1972].
The matter is of concern, says Superintendent Wendell Curry,
because of a reduced enrollment at that school. Apiary School has
one class with a total of nine pupils in grades one through three.
The school is one of five attendance units for elementary students
in the Rainier district.
The question of school closure is complicated by the existence
of greatly over crowded eighth grade classes at Rainier Elementary
school. The Board wishes to determine, says Curry, if the two
classrooms at Apiary School can in some way be utilized, until
better facilities exist, to achieve normal class sizes throughout
the district.
The Board has requested that a thorough transportation study
be made to aid directors in making decisions as to the possibility
of transporting pupils from other areas to make full use of the
Apiary facility.
--
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
By Otto Hackenberg
Oct 5, 1972
Editor: ...The last interesting item: "Closing of the Apiary School
considered."
For about 80 years the people of Apiary ran their school and
did it in a good and satisfactory manner until some new laws were
passed that gave people of other school districts the right to vote
us out of our district, take control of our money and property and
force us to accept their debts. For this situation there seems to
be no remedy.
It is little comfort to me to have someone tell me that they
do worse things in Russia. Perhaps they do, but why should we have
to compete or try to outdo Russian despotism.
The only suggestion that I can offer the administration and
board is to turn the Apiary School into a school for us taxpayers
to attend and study how we will be able to pay our taxes. Perhaps
such questions as these could be answered there.
If our taxes double in two year's time, and I am reasonably
certain that mine will more than do so, what will they be like 10
years from now?
If and when this happens, we won't need any school. The timber
owners' and managers' children will no doubt go to school in
Seattle, Longview or Portland.
I don't know what Patrick Henry would think of the mess we are
in, but he might offer us two possible solutions: Give the country
back to Queen Elizabeth or to the Indians. I suggest that District
13 be included. I feel certain that they could find better
solutions for the situation that we in Apiary have got into through
no fault of our own, and can't get out of, than our school
administration and board will even look for.
Otto Hackenberg
Route 1
Rainier, Oregon
APIARY SCHOOL TO BE SOLD
June 14, 1973
At a special meeting on May 22, 1973 the board found that the
Apiary School would during the coming school year house only six
students and that these students can be satisfactorily accomodated
at other schools, and that it would be economically impractical to
continue the operation of the Apiary School with such a small
number of students.
In view of the fact the board unanimously voted that the
school would no longer be required for school purposes. They
instructed the superintendent to investigate the various aspects of
sale of the property and report to the board.
This action concurs with the recommendation of the Oregon
State Department of Education "to give serious consideration in
regarding the continued operation of the Apiary school because of
the cost effectiveness of the educational and support operation and
educational benefits in relation to the cost".
The students will be transported to the Hudson School and the
teacher will replace a teacher that has resigned at the Hudson
School.
--
July 12, 1973
Approval was given to survey the Apiary School property to determine the boundary lines before attempting to sell or lease the property. The cost would be too great to remove light fixtures and playground equipment from the site and install them elsewhere, officials determined, so ordered the building and grounds sold or leased complete with those items.
--
August 23, 1973
Mrs. Ardys Hanson transferred from the Apiary School to the primary department at the Hudson School.
--
October 25, 1973
Bids will be called for the sale of the Apiary School and property at 8:00 p.m. on November 7, 1973. A minimum bid of $9,000 will be required. Those interested in viewing the property for bid purposes contact the Superintendent's office.
--
APIARY SCHOOL PURCHASE BIDS CALLED BY BOARD
Rainier -- Bids for purchase of Apiary School, closed at the end of
the 1972-73 year, will be opened Nov. 20, [1973], by the board of
Rainier Administrative School District No. 13.
The decision was made at the Tuesday meeting of the school
board. A minimum price of $9,000 was set, and this will include
the building and contents except for the school bell.
Supt. John Cermak said the bell would probably be tied in some
manner to a future new school building. He said Portland General
Electric Co. would make its cherry picker equipment available to
remove the bell from the cupola atop the school.
[note from the compiler: I wonder what happened to the bell?]
--
Dec 6, 1973
Rainier --- Because no bids have been recieved for the sale of
Apiary School, the Rainier Administrative School District No. 13
board of directors has decided to advertise the bids again.
This time the board will eliminate the $9,000 minimum bid
requirement, but will reserve the right to reject any and all bids.
The school was closed last year at the end of the 1972-73
school year.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the land and building known as Apiary School and legally described as follows: A tract of land situated in the Southwest one quarter of the Northwest one quarter of Section 11, Township 6 north, Range 3 west of the Willamette Meridian in the County of Columbia and State of Oregon, more particularly described as follows: (one acre, 208.8 by 208.8) ...While the adjoining property owner, Reynolds Metal Company, has made assurances that the purchaser of the property will be given a permanent easement for water from an existing well on the Reynold's property, purchasers are advised to ascertain the facts concerning this from Reynolds Metal Company and not rely upon any assurances by the School District. ...
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APIARY SCHOOL SOLD
[The Apiary school now functions as a private residence but we miss the old school.]