Garfield History Time Line
1852: Olympia
School District (OSD) opens its first school
1884: OSD's
enrollment exceeds 600 students
1884: Wood-framed
school built on west side of Olympia
1888: Westside
school purchased a bell to summon kids to school, and a heater for warmth
1891: New school
(later to be named "Garfield") built at Butler Cove
1893: "Substantial"
school built on corner of Madison and Rogers at a cost of $15,000
1897: School
year increased from six to nine months
1900: Crowding
at Washington Middle School resulted in the Westside school being expanded
1902: Westside
School's name changed to Garfield School after President James A. Garfield
1907: Eighth Grade Classroom added to Garfield School
1909: Garfield
School has its first telephone installed
1910: Flag pole
placed on school grounds
1910: Textbooks provided
by the district for the first time
1910: Garfield
had its first PTA meeting
1912: Electric
lights installed
1913: Indoor
plumbing installed
1919: School
auditorium opened
1922: PTA
furnishes teachers' rest room
1926: Bell
removed from tower because of structural concerns
1928: Garfield
facility, now 34 years old, becoming a maintenance concern
1929: Construction
of new Garfield facility begins
1929: Two
portables brought to Garfield
1929: Garfield
sets up an "Opportunity Room" for children with learning
difficulties
1930: New
Garfield School opens
1949: Teacher
salaries double to $2,550 (New teachers)
1949: Enrollment
at Garfield in grades 1 through 5 reaches 682 students
1949: 7.1
Earthquake hit Olympia at 12:00 noon. Children sent home for rest of the
day
1989: Construction
of a new Garfield facility begins
1990: New
Garfield School opens