From ancient Rome to San Juan Capistrano, ruins can leave a powerful impression and questions about what once was. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of a Clovis-area landmark that thousands see every day – the red brick ruins of Garfield School.
The year was 1883 and a real estate development called Garfield Colony was born in what is today Clovis. The backers subdivided land to sell small plots to aspiring famers and a small wood-framed schoolhouse was part of the plan. The school and colony were both named for the late President James Garfield who had been assassinated a few years earlier. In 1899 Garfield School was among the first seven primary schools to join together to send their graduating students to the new Clovis Union High School.
The old Garfield School was replaced in 1912 with more modern red brick building, sitting at a 45-degree angle at the northwest corner of Shephard and Minnewawa Avenues. It had a couple of classrooms, a wood-framed bell tower, and a brick archway over the entrance.
It served the students of the region until the 1950s, when the Garfield merged with nearby Dry Creek School, and consolidated classes at the Dry Creek site. The old building later housed the non-profit Sierra Indian Center, which served local Native Americans.
In February 1990 the old schoolhouse was added to the Fresno County Register of Historic Places. But in September of that year it was destroyed in a fire, with only the red brick archway left standing, which is still there today.
A new Garfield Elementary School opened a few years later near Buchanan High School. It houses the historic school bell from the old Garfield School to this day.
