Seckman School District #15

Seckman School was built on a one acre tract of land donated to the district by Charles Edinger prior to 1906.  The school was actually named in honor of Henry Seckman who served as First District Judge (now called a County Commissioner) from 1884-1888.

     Seckman School was not located within the city limits of Arnold, but was built along Seckman Road at the intersection of Frisco Hill Road in the Imperial area. It was one of the original five schools that consolidated to form the Fox Consolidated School District in 1948.

     The school was located on a hillside in the Rock Creek Valley (near present day Mastodon Park) with a large school bell tower crowning the original entrance to the building. Its church like construction made the building a landmark in the area.

     Mr. C.M. Morrison was one of the schools first teachers, and hosted a county teachers meeting at the school in October, 1911. A local newspaper account of the meeting stated “The teachers were brim full of spirit and during the meeting handled the subjects with credit. The subject of agriculture seemed to arouse particular interest and was ably discussed. At noon, all teachers were invited to dinner, which was served in a beautiful grove of trees. A long food table moaned with its enormous load.” The article continued to state “The school board was composed of enthusiastic men and are good ‘school’ men. They have installed new seats, teacher’s chair and bookcases, and now they will add to their already good library.”

     Students remember that they washed their hands in a pan of water and then emptied the pan out the door. They also remember the end of the school year picnics in the school yard, especially getting tickets for free ice cream.

     Seckman School closed when the Fox School District formed in 1948. The school was then sold to the Benck family in 1954 and still stands today. The school was extensively renovated and the bell tower removed. It is presently used as a private residence.

One Response to Seckman School District #15

  1. Amanda Boyd says:

    This is my home ! We love the history of it. We were able to salvage the original hard wood floor in one of the rooms. The basement is very much original. We have found some very interesting things over the years in the woods behind the house. We are very happy we took the leap to buy and renovate this old school house it is in a great location with lots of woods to explore. The Boyd’s

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