HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil WarReconstruction & Gilded Age

Glendale School (1864-1958)

Sparks, Washoe County, Nevada

Marker Inscription

Glendale School (1864 1958) “Oldest Remaining School Building In Nevada”. Glendale, as a settlement, preceded Reno and was destined to be the metropolis on the Truckee River until the Central Pacific Railroad was induced to bypass the community for a station at Lake’s Crossing (Reno). E. C. Sessions, the first teacher, organized the school and taught in his home until this building opened in 1864.  Archie Bryant built the structure at a cost of $1,446 and it remains as a testament of his craftsmanship.  The original School Board of Trustees consisted of John F. Stone, William Steele, and N. C. Haslund. Over the years, many Nevadans attended the Glendale School.  Perhaps the most notable student was U.S. Senator Patrick A. McCarran.The school building moved from its original site in 1976 and finally came to rest at this location in 1993.

Erected by Troop #76 – Boy Scouts Of America

The Story

Glendale was a settlement older than Reno, once expected to become the metropolis on the Truckee River—until the Central Pacific Railroad was lured to a station at Lake's Crossing, the future Reno, instead. Teacher E.C. Sessions organized the community's school in his own home before this building, built by Archie Bryant for $1,446, opened in 1864. Generations of Nevadans learned here, among them U.S. Senator Patrick A. McCarran, and the well-crafted structure survived two moves to reach its present site by 1993.

Why it matters

As the oldest remaining school building in Nevada, Glendale School preserves the frontier faith in education and a glimpse of the town that might have been the state's great river city.

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Related people

  • · E.C. Sessions
  • · Archie Bryant
  • · Patrick A. McCarran

Themes & tags

EducationSchool

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