Schools & University
Second Tyler School
This larger, second, Tyler School was completed in 1912 at the north end of B Street.
There were three grades to a room. The high school was in the same building. There was a horse barn for the kids to stable their horses in and a shelter for cars to park. - Arley Heyer, December 1, 1994.
Originally, there were two horse barns near the schoolhouse with room for 16 horses. Students who rode to school were responsible for bringing food for their horse.
In March 1918, school was closed due to a Smallpox outbreak. Several children were sickened with the disease and the ...
First Tyler School
The Stevens School District #19 was established in 1880. The school held 1st through 8th grades. The district was renamed to Tyler along with the renaming of the town in 1892.
Directors of the school in 1904 were Henry Boston, James E. Carmen, James Abbott, and John Moreland.
In 1911 the school board was advocating for a new school at a new site or extensive remodeling of the current site. The board gave its reasons,
First, the sanitary conditions demand it, there being two barns and four outhouses within fifty or one hundred feet from the school building, with two ...
Crunk’s Hill & Cheney’s First School
Located on the west side of North 6th Street near the corner of Mike McKeehan Way, Crunk's Hill was leveled to create sport fields. There is a plaque at the restrooms.
George W. Crunk came west from Tennessee. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a Private with the 20th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, Company C. We don’t know when he came west, but by June 1878, he was farming this land with his wife, Annah, and their three children. The Crunk family did not stay long in the area, they moved to Oregon in 1883, but hill is remembered as part of Cheney lore ...
1930 – Fisher Building to School House Lofts
Hallways retain many of their features, including lockers, classroom doors, and the trophy case.
1920 – Senior Hall
Senior Hall was dedicated as the second Normal School women's dormitory on July 9, 1920. While today there is a walkway, in the early days, D Street and automobile traffic passed in front of the building. The hall was used as a dormitory until 1971. While the hall opened in 1920, work on the third floor wasn't finished until 1925 due to financial problems.
1940 – Hargreaves Hall
From the time he became President of the Normal School in 1926, Richard T. Hargreaves wanted to build a modern library for the school. His death on March 4, 1939, midway through construction of the new building, meant that his most ambitious project bears his name as a memorial to his efforts.
1929 – President’s House
This Georgian Colonial style house was completed in 1929 for President, Richard T. Hargreaves and his wife, Edna "Rose" Morrow Hargreaves. The home was occupied by succeeding school presidents until 1987. It then became a faculty club, as well as a special events venue for the college and community. Weddings, receptions, and other special occasions were held in the renamed University House until 1998. That summer, President Stephen Jordan and his wife, Ruth, moved into the President's House, returning it to its original use.
1958 – Garry Hall
Garry Hall was created out of the eastern half of Hudson Hall to house married students and a few single women students.
Garry Hall opened in September 1958. It is believed that it was named in honor of Chief Garry of the Spokane Indians.
It was created out of the eastern side of Hudson Hall which was acquired as government surplus after WWII to house the large influx of veteran students attending college on the GI Bill.
According to Allen Ogden, who was the manager of the hall, there were seven apartments for married couples, in addition to rooms for unmarried ...
1916 – Monroe Hall
Monroe Hall was the first dormitory built at the Normal school. It was dedicated February 4, 1916, and housed about 90 women. At this time, the majority of students were women, as teaching was one of the few professions open to single women.
Normal School Gardens
From the very early days of Cheney's academy and Normal school, there was a garden tended by the students. The garden provided vegetables for the school kitchen, as well as hands-on learning and civic participation lessons for the students.
The garden was located behind, and slightly to the west of the main school building. Today, that would be between Showalter and Huston Hall.
A full row of red and white sweet cherries extends across the ground between the school garden and play grounds. The school garden has been very much improved and beautified this year with the ...
