Arlington, AZ |
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| History: 1890 to 1990 - Schools | |
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To serve the needs of the early population in the Arlington area, a small
one room school was built, called Powers Butte School because of the hillock
across the Gila. This school served the communities of Arlington and its
neighbor across the Hassayampa, Palo Verde. Local legend has it that the
citizens of Palo Verde wanted the school moved to their area because the
majority of the pupils lived in their community. The school trustees all
lived in Arlington and declined the request. The Palo Verde faction then
absconded with the structure in the middle of the night, relocating it to
their hamlet. Moses Clanton and others built another schoolhouse, around
1911, to the north and east of the present school’s location on Clanton’s
property.
Another school was built shortly thereafter in the schools current location. Unlike the one room structures prior, this school was state-of-the-art for its time, 1914-1915, with “two large rooms separated by a movable partition” The school eventually became the “heart of the valley” hosting the Woman’s Club, softball games, box suppers, pot lucks, and ice cream socials. (Buckeye Valley News, 26 Nov 1936; Arizona Republic, 21 Dec 1936; PhoenixGazette, 21 Jan 1937) The community held three bond elections in the 1940s before funding was approved to build a new, and the present, school in 1951-1952. The new school, built at a cost of $150,000 was a modern red brick facility, with a kitchen, cafeteria, and eight classrooms. A new auditorium was also built which was setup with wood floors and folding bleachers when used as a gymnasium and a stage for programs and plays. (Murphy, 3-4,11-14, 20-21) In the 1960s, a satellite school was opened in the Harqua Hala Valley to the west of Arlington, but within the school district. This new school had its first first grade class in 1962, its first second grade class in 1963, and so on until its first eighth grade class in 1971. The Harqua Hala Valley branch closed in recent years, due to a lack of attendance. (Christian, Buckeye, 51; Workman) |
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