A partially built monument dedicated to the Glenoma School stands in a field alongside U.S. Highway 12 on Wednesday afternoon in Glenoma.
The Glenoma School is seen in this photo provided by the Lewis County Historical Museum.
For generations of East Lewis County residents, Glenoma Elementary was not only a school, but an anchor point for citizens tucked into the mountains around the county. Now, three years after its demolition, a group of residents is working to resurrect and honor a part of their heritage.
“There was a time when it was the central meeting place for the community,” former student Dave Carnahan said. “People came from all over. It was where you went for card parties, dances and basketball games. It was a community place.”
The school was built in 1932, shuttered in 2003 due to declining enrollment and subsequently demolished in 2011.
Carnahan and retired teachers Linda Mettler and Janet Collier are building a monument in partnership with the White Pass Country Museum and the Glenoma Fire Station to pay homage to the old building.
There’s a real sentimental value in the building. Mettler taught there for 20 years. She and Collier kept the antique doors from their old classrooms. The windows have their names on them.
“I’ve even still got the old skeleton key it locks with,” Mettler said.
If you’ve passed through Glenoma you’ve probably seen the project.
In front of the Glenoma Fire Station, only the original school entrance is standing, and its arches and symmetrical columns make it resemble a cathedral entry way. But through fundraising and volunteer efforts, the group plans to build a room with the school’s history lining the walls.
“We’re trying to find people who actually worked or talked at the school — bus drivers and teachers and so forth,” Carnahan said.
Once it’s complete, Carnahan hopes the new space will become the community center the old building was.
The group hopes the project will be completed before the fall, but they have a lot of work ahead and are asking the community for help.
Mettler said it’s going to take about $25,000 to finish the project and they still need about $10,000 more to finish, plus they’ll take any physical help they can get.
According to Carnahan, the fire station will end up owning the monument once it’s completed and it will be part of a larger training center it’s building in the property.
“This is a change to save part of one of the county’s oldest buildings and remember our community’s history,” Carnahan said.
Anyone interested in working on the project or donating can do so by contacting Mettler at (360) 748-4294, or Collier at (360) 498-5431.
