The South End's Schoolhouse Fight
A letter to the editor accuses Seattle's school directors of stalling on a promised south-end school block while the north end already got its building.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Editor Post-Intelligencer: In your issue of the 1st instant you state that the School Directors desire to purchase a block of land in the southern end of town, on which to erect a schoolhouse next year. True. A good reason why. The Central School property was sold on these express conditions: That two blocks of land should be purchased for school purposes with the proceeds of said sale; one in the north and the other in the south end of town; and that a school building, such as the present and future requirements of that section demand, should this season be constructed in the north end, and that a similar school building should, another season, be built in the south end of town. Immediately upon the sale of the Central School property a block was purchased in the north end of town, containing eight lots, for which $8,200 was cheerfully paid. And ever since, these Fabian School Directors have been reluctantly peering over the plats of the south end of town in quest of a block for school purposes, like the delinquent tramp who searched for work and prayed that he would not find it. And at last, after all these weeks of hemming and hawing, we are informed through the medium of your valuable journal that they have "found a block that suits them; but it is altogether too far off and the price asked for it is too high." I do not deny that the price is high; but if it be, the price paid for the block north is certainly outrageous. The block south contains twelve lots, while the block north contains but eight. The former is located not to exceed 1,000 feet further from the business center of the town and the postoffice than the block north. As to location, the block south is far more beautifully situated, being located on a delightful plateau, averaging one mile in width and more than five miles in length, all as level as a floor and overlooking the entire city, the bay and Lake Washington, when stripped of timber. As to "civilization," some $3,600 have been expended during the past two months in clearing within three blocks of the one in question; while some $3,000 or more will be expended in similar work during the next two months within the same distance, and all south of the block in question. And none of this work is included in the work done by the Water Company below and north of the block in question. Further, there are now in course of construction and to be built soon, three fine residences, all within four blocks, and all south of the block in question, costing from $3,500 to $4,000 each. And permit me to add, Mr. Editor, that within five years from today said block of land will be worth as much money, if not more, than an equal amount of ground the same distance from the business center of town north. I am not interested to the extent of one farthing in the block in question.
A SOUTH END MAN, Who voted for the sale of the Central School property. Seattle, August 10, 1883.
“like the delinquent tramp who searched for work and prayed that he would not find it.”
School siting fights are as Seattle as rain: in 1883 the argument was whether the south end's larger, cheaper block was worth the price, and who counted as civilized enough for a school. The letter's blend of public money, land values and neighborhood pride still shapes how the city argues over school closures and sites today.
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