Vacant School Building for Grades 1-12 in WA

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The Northport School built in 1903 is significant for its historic associations with the development of Northport and early education in Stevens County. It is the oldest brick school building in existence in Stevens County. The simple style and solid construction of the building, combined with the ornate decoration of the once-existing bell tower testify to the growing prosperity and confidence of the wilderness boom town.

The townsite of Northport was laid out in 1892 by the railroad magnate, D. C. Corbin and his associates. They chose the site, located on the Columbia River twenty miles south of the Canadian border, for the northern terminal of the Spokane Falls and Northern Railroad. The town boomed quickly due to the one thousand railroad workers headquartered there. Within the first year a sawmill, newspaper, frame school and many temporary residences, saloons and businesses had been established in Northport. The town continued to grow after the railroad was completed due to the rise in mining activity in the area and the building of the copper smelter in 1897. Better transportation to the copper mines in Rossland B.C. necessitated the building of another railroad and a bridge across the Columbia. By 1903 the population was approximately one-thousand and the future looked promising.

School enrollment had begun to exceed the capacity of the two frame school buildings in town. The decision to build a more permanent and larger school was widely approved and the school directors, Mr. Thomas A. Peirott and Mrs. M.E. Howes began to look for a suitable building site.

The site chosen was on a bench above the town center and was owned by D.C. Corbin. Corbin acquired the land in 1891 from one of the three original homesteaders in the area, Fred Farquaher. According to local sources, Corbin donated the land for the school, however, no legal record of this donation can be found.

The building was constructed from high-quality bricks made in a local brickyard. Bishop Brickyard in Northport was also the source for the bricks used in the copper smelter (1897), now in ruins, and an early store (1894), still in use.

Eight thousand dollars in bonds were sold to finance the school. Construction began during the summer of 1903 and classes commenced in the fall of 1904 with two hundred and fifty students. All twelve grades were taught in the school with the first through sixth grades located on the first floor and the seventh through twelfth grades located on the second floor.

An iron woodstove sat in the corner of each room providing heat to those nearest it. The wood box and a pail with a dipper used by all the students for drinking water were located in the unheated hallway. In 1916 steam heating was installed in the school which provided a more even heating system for the students. Other structures that were once on the school property included a large barn for the students who rode horses and two rows of outhouses.

The town's hopes for the future were dashed in 1905 when the smelter was shut down. The population of Northport fell drastically but the new school remained open. When a new lead smelter was built in 1915 Northport experienced a brief period of prosperity which brought the population of the town up to two thousand. In 1921 the smelter was closed again due to management difficulties.

The school continued to operate however, throughout the next fifty years. As school districts in the rural farm areas surrounding Northport were forced to consolidate during the 1940's through the 1960's due to the lack of pupils, they began sending their students to the Northport school. In 1970 the Northport School District was comprised of 360 square miles and had a total enrollment of 371 even though the Town of Northport had a population of barely five hundred.

The decision to condemn the school in 1976 was based on its inability to meet prevailing codes. A new school was built in 1978.

The original School is now abandoned and up for sale. A concerned group of local citizens hope to purchase the building, rehabilitate it and turn it into a multi-purpose community center/museum/library. If this group is unable to raise the money the building will be probably sold for its bricks.

Building Description

The Northport School is a two-story square structure approximately sixty by sixty feet. It is situated near Silver Crown Mountain, in a residential area of Northport. The exterior walls are red brick masonry, set on stone rubble foundation walls. The interior bearing walls, floors, and roof are all of wood frame construction. Four single-stack brick chimneys once rose from triangular gables on the north and south slopes of the roof. The chimneys fell down during a storm in the 1920's.

The hipped roof has boxed cornices and a triangular gable over the entrance. The roof used to support a large wood bell tower decorated with ornately carved brackets and arches. The bell is four feet in diameter and has the date of manufacture, C.1890, inscribed upon it. The bell is now the property of a local resident who will return it when the bell tower is restored. A circular window was set into the front of the tower and two arched windows were set, one on either side, of the tower. The tower had a bell cast hip roof with decorative triangular dormers which echoed the dormers on the main roof. The tower was pulled down in the 1930s due to its deteriorated condition.

The entrance to the building is set off by brick pilasters and a wide arch with three rows of radiating voussoirs. The double door is recessed about ten feet behind the facade and elevated four feet above grade. It is reached by a flight of five stairs.

The windows are two sash double hung throughout the building except for the window over the entrance which is four sash. The head surrounds are arched with three rows of radiating voussoirs.

The interior space is divided into four rooms on each floor. A twelve-foot hallway runs east to west with a narrower hall running north to south. Restroom facilities are in the basement. Also in the basement is an unfinished crawl space once used for wood storage for the wood stoves which sat in the corner of each classroom.

Wooden fire escapes were added to the north and south walls (c 1950). The structural integrity of the original exterior is not affected by the fire escapes which are poorly constructed and need to be dismantled. This could be accomplished without injury to the building.

The interior of the school is in good condition. All of the rooms have hardwood floors and wainscoting. Above the wainscoting are the original slate chalkboards which extend the length of the windowless walls. The doors have glazed transoms which are pivoted. The hardwood surrounds of the doors and windows have wide molded trim. There are two separate stairways leading to the second floor. They each have a midpoint landing, turned railings, and a carved newel.

Southwest corner, front facade to left (1979)

Southeast corner, rear facade to right (1979)

Ground floor interior, looking toward rear exit (1979)

Classroom interior showing finish details (1979)