Taking advantage of a rare break in the last week’s worth of wind and rain, I headed out to the Blue Mountain School, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1903. Located on a 5-acre lot, both the school and the cemetery are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Blue Mountain School’s first class had 13 students and one teacher in an ungraded classroom setting. The school was closed in 1935.
The tower once held a bell (now part of the Clallam County Historical Society collection), that was rung to summon children to school, and to announce a funeral.
Pressing my camera up against the windows, I managed to take pictures of the interior of the classroom and the interior of the entryway.
The open shed that formed part of the school grounds. I was unable to find the outhouse that is mentioned on the application, but then again, I didn’t go too far into the woods.
My shoes now thoroughly muddy, I sloshed on over to the cemetery behind the school house.
It’s quiet out here, only a very occasional car driving past. A poignant mix of old headstones and a few newer graves with children’s toys, there is something life-affirming about this forested parcel of land, where the living remember the past.
Wiping my shoes off with an old towel before climbing into the car (my husband’s reminder to me before I left home), I headed partway up Blue Mountain.
I do wonder how much better of a view of Victoria, B.C. I would have had if I’d driven farther.
On the way back down Blue Mountain Road, I had to pull over and take a picture of this field masquerading as a lake, complete with a wood duck paddling around in the back. And a couple of men with large hoses pumping out water as fast as the drainage pump would allow.
Location:
1986 Blue Mountain Road, Port Angeles, WA
4/27/2022
My name is Andy Benitez and I am a Scout for Troop 90 in Sequim Washington and I recently finished my Eagle Scout project here at this school house. I repainted all the exterior with permission from the Herman Bros. and Sequim School district. there can be a lot of other projects that people can do to help restore this historical building including, reroofing and repainting the interior of the school house.
Hi Andy – Wow! Thank you so much for your efforts in helping to preserve the Blue Mountain School. And congrats on making Eagle Scout. That takes some hard work and dedication!
My family and I visited the school this past weekend. We found that it had been vandalized. There is a pentagram on the floor and what appears to be blood flung on the walls and ceiling. I have reported this to the Sheriff’s department who said that they heard about it before and it is a “false scene”. No further action. I emailed the Callam County Historial Society and they said they don’t own the property so it is not up to them to clean it up. Does anyone know anyone who might care about this?!?!?