Before 1893, Mendocino teens had limited access to high school-level education. While the Grammar School offered limited “advanced classes,” some teens began work after elementary school or left Mendocino to complete high school, staying with relatives in cities like San Francisco.
In 1891, California passed the Union High School Act, enabling small adjoining districts to pool resources and money for one high school. The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors proposed two high schools in the county, one in the county seat of Ukiah and one on the coast.
School trustees in Mendocino and Fort Bragg lobbied to be selected as the location for the school, with Mendocino winning out. William Heeser donated a 4.5 acre parcel on Science Hill, bounded by Kasten, Covelo, and Ford streets.
Plans for the construction began in 1893. Supervisor John Flanagan presented early plans to the public in August, and the Mendocino Beacon noted “Although not so large as could have been wished or expected, still it will be a handsome structure, well suited to its purpose and withal an ornament to the place.”
The two-story building was in the Queen Anne style, measuring 80 feet wide and 68 feet deep. 10,000 bricks were sent on a steamer from Point Arena for the building’s foundation.
The first floor, called the basement in contemporary coverage, featured two exercise rooms, one for boys and one for girls, two communal bathrooms, and a furnace. The main floor boasted two large classrooms that could be combined into a large assembly room, two smaller classrooms, and a science lab.
While construction began on the building, high school instruction began for students from Mendocino, Point Arena, Navarro, Little River, Caspar, and Fort Bragg. Students traveled to the old primary schoolhouse for classes, and some students paid for room and board during the week to avoid a long commute.
Construction finished in spring, 1894, with the final cost coming to $6,000. The first event held in the building was a large ball with dancing and food to celebrate the school’s opening. 84 tickets were sold at $2.50.
Students first entered their new classrooms in May 1894, finishing their spring term on July 7. The average attendance for the entire school year was 40 students in Ukiah and 30 in Mendocino.
The first graduating class of Mendocino High School walked the stage in the spring of 1896. Seven students earned their diplomas.
Averee McNear is the curator at the Kelley House Museum in Mendocino, Calif.
