History of
The Grant School
1914 to Present
New School Opens in Pickering Area
Grant School opened this fall for grades 1-8 with thirteen students, ten of them coming from the recently closed Spencer Lake School. Miss Kennedy serves as the first teacher for this one-room schoolhouse.
Many children travel to school on the waters of Pickering Passage in row boats or on rafts. The new school includes a wood burning pot belly stove to keep the students warm and a “necessary house” out back to be used…when necessary.
The Grant School Receives a New Addition.
A play shed built by George Anderson and Carl Johnson in 1932 was moved on skid logs pulled by horses and a stump puller. It was then attached to the original school building with sliding doors connecting it to the classroom. This provides a warm and dry play area for the children during the colder, rainy months.
Pickering Has a New Women's Club
The first meeting of a new local sewing club was held in January at the home of Mrs. Lundquist with sixteen women present. Dues for the club are 5 cents/month to be used for cards and flowers for members who are ill. At the March meeting with twenty-two women present, it was decided “to serve simple refreshments, a beverage, and one or two dishes…preferably one.” Hostesses are chosen in alphabetical order as much as is possible. Club members enjoy sharing recipes, needlework, and quilting.
Active Women's Club Renamed
The Pickering Sewing Club decided at its May meeting to call the club “Pickering Homemakers' Club.” The women of the club discussed the need for all to get out to encourage voters for the upcoming Special Levy for the school year. The members also recently voted to prepare a Christmas box to be sent to Samoa. Articles for little children are to be a value of 5 cents each, gifts from the children of the Grant School.
The Grant School Closes its Doors
Three students made up the last class of the Grant School. Members of the Pickering Homemaker's Club will continue to use the school building as their clubhouse.
Pickering Homemakers Care for the Grant School
Now, as their club is an official corporation in the State of Washington, members of the Pickering Homemakers' Club have committed to taking over the stewardship of
the former Grant School, taking responsibility for its upkeep and continued preservation. During these tough war years, the dedicated club members have made it a labor of love to care for the old school.
The club has worked hard to support the war effort by participating in various Red Cross projects such as making bandages; additionally, they have supported war bond sales and rationing efforts.
1945
Pickering Homemakers' Club Receives Deed to Grant School.
The Grant School and its grounds have now become the official location for the business meetings and social activities of the Pickering Homemakers' Club. Some men have joined the club to share in the responsibilities of maintenance and repair of the building and property.
Club Participates in the Foster Parents' Plan for War Children, Inc
The Pickering Homemakers' Club adopted an eleven year-old Belgian boy, Richard Jean Van Avermaete, whose father was captured by the Nazis for his clandestine printing press used for the underground resistance T306432-20 PP-6 groups. Through this foster parent organization, little victims of Nazi aggression receive food, shelter, and loving care.
1960
Historic Grant School Becomes a Precinct Polling Site
Residents of the Pickering/Spencer Lake/Agate area may
now vote at the Grant School located on Community Club
Road just off Pickering Road.
1987
Former Grant School Students Hold Reunion
The old Grant Schoolhouse at Pickering Passage came
alive again last Thursday when former students and a
former teacher gathered there to discuss their history. The
group picnicked at the site with the Pickering
Homemakers, the Mason County Retired Teachers and
the Mason County Historical Society. Eva Blake Willis
who taught at the school between 1928 and 1933 recalled
no big fir trees there to obstruct the view of the water like
are there now. One time, she said, a whale was heading
right toward a small ferry boat and she and her class
watched breathlessly fearing it would hit the boat – but
it didn't. Instead, it came up under a floating log, Blake
said.
2006
Local Club Changes its Name
The Pickering Homemakers' Club, which became a 501c3 organization in 2002, was recently granted approval by the State to do business as Pickering Community Club.
The club meets in the historic Grant School which operated as a one-room schoolhouse for grades 1-8 from 1914 to 1942. Many members have volunteered to care for the
school and its property for decades, collecting donations and materials from the club membership.
2010
The Grant School Designated as a Historic Landmark in Mason County
In April, the Grant School applied and was placed on the Mason County Historic Preservation Register.