Category: Shoolhouse History


  • High School Students, c.1932

    High School Students, c.1932

    In 1931, students attending high school commuted on school buses like this one between Holly & Silverdale. Many other students rode the bus along the route but pictured here are mostly Holly residents (See notation beside each student’s name). Photograph donated by Frieda Wyatt

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  • Holly’s First Family, c.1890

    Holly’s First Family, c.1890

    The first family to settle in Holly, Robert Sr. & Ellen Wyatt & their children, built this house in 1890. Wyatt established the first post office & store on the home’s main floor & he was Holly’s first Postmaster. He & his elder sons also supported the family by fishing & logging. Wyatt gave the…

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  • Pfundt Family, c.1920’s

    Pfundt Family, c.1920’s

    Pictured here, probably in the 1920’s, are the Pfundts. Fred & Kate Pfundt homesteaded on land about 7 miles south of Holly, near Dewatto, in 1889. Their 8 children were raised around the Holly area & when grown, most of them made their homes & raised their children in the community. Photograph donated by Frieda…

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  • Hattie Madson’s Cow, c.1911

    Hattie Madson’s Cow, c.1911

    Hattie Madson (Age 17) is pictured here in the summer of 1911. She & a family cow are posing on what has been called “Madrona Point”, after a huge madrona tree on the family’s land on Holly Bay.

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  • Peaceful Holly by Hattie Madson

    Peaceful Holly by Hattie Madson

    Dear Mrs. Mey, I contacted Florence Pfundt Bowman about the history of Holly and she told me the following: The first school was built in1893 on Mr. William Rust’s property. The second one was built on 1905 on a piece of Fred Wyatt’s property. The third in 1922 on property donated by by Alber Pfundt,…

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  • Holly’s First Schoolhouse Teacher

    Holly’s First Schoolhouse Teacher

    The first Holly School teacher was Mrs. Whaley. Diana Bowman Tait (whose mother Florence “Flossie” Pfundt Bowman Clark is 4th from left in back row – white outfit dark plaited hair) provided the names of all pictured and identified the teacher as Mrs. Whaley. The History of Holly (1975) compiled by Ruth Stever, Flossie Clark,…

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  • A Day in the Life of a Holly School Child

    A Day in the Life of a Holly School Child

    Ruth Wyatt SteverTaken from her 1990 memories “As my mother was never very well and I being the oldest child, I had to help a lot with the work at home. As my Dad would be fishing or logging, I would have to come home from school at noon and feed about 500 chickens as…

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  • The Howard Clark Baby Grand Piano

    The Howard Clark Baby Grand Piano

    The Schoolhouse baby grand piano, recently donated by the Howard Clark family in his memory, and tragically burned in the fire, is seen here played by Holly child Daisy Lerner at the Holly Christmas party of 2015.

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  • More Holly History

    More Holly History

    Excerpts from a historical text on the Holly area, submitted by Bill (William) Acheson.

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  • Holly’s 2nd Schoolhouse Teacher, Miss Gantke

    Holly’s 2nd Schoolhouse Teacher, Miss Gantke

    Miss Emma Gantke, pictured here, was the 2nd teacher in the newly completed Holly School in 1922. Originally from Wisconsin, she taught across the Canal in Eldon before beginning her work in Holly. Miss Gantke, who never married, lived in the little cottage beside the school built for the teacher’s use. By all accounts, she…

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