Historian's Corner



Charlene Cole
Sandy Creek/Lacona Historian
Historian's Corner
September 13, 2013


Photo: West Primary School (Alice Husband, teacher) North Main Street, Sandy Creek.  It served as a school from 1850-1913 and replaced an old brick school located on the northeast corner of the lot where the house occupied by Ezra Williams stood. (Today the site of the Dollar Store)

School's open for a new year and a capsule history of Sandy Creek High and Central School follows:

April 8, 1871 - Voters of District 9 (Sandy Creek) and 10 (Lacona) agreed to consolidate and erect a Union Free School. Oren R. Earl donated land on the north side of the Little Sandy, halfway between Lacona (East Sandy Creek P.O. 1865-1870) and Washingtonville (Sandy Creek P.O. since 1817) for the building site. Leman Baldwin, local contractor was awarded the construction contract for the - Two-story brick building with basement and towers. - S. H. Barlow was appointed as superintendent of construction.
December, 1872 - The building opened for school with B. E. Whipple as principal.
1876-1885 - With Prof. J. Edmund Massee as principal, the standards of an ordinary high school were raised so that it ranked among the foremost of the high schools in the state.

1878 - First graduating class of Sandy Creek High School
1885 - The Teacher's Training Class was formally organized
1891 - The tradition of passing 'The Spade' from the seniors to the juniors began.
1892 - The Alumni Association was organized.
1893-96 - Ranson H. Snyder (class of 1887) was the only alumnus of Sandy creek High School to serve as principal.
1901-1911 - Mildred G. Pratt served as principal. She later became District Superintendent.
1913-1914 - The second high school building was erected, somewhat west of the original building which became the grade school, replacing the East and West Primaries.
1927-1952 - A. Elmo Cole, widely loved as 'Prof. Cole,' served as principal.
1929 - The central portion of today?s high school building was constructed on the site of the original school.
1942 - Sandy Creek Central School, District Number One, Oswego County was formed.
1949-1952 - An addition was built at Sandy Creek Central School as well as a new grade school at Orwell. The school at Redfield (which operated as a high school from 1932-1942 was also remodeled.
1963-64 - A new elementary school was built at Sandy Creek and the high school was remodeled.
1970 - Oswego County BOCES opened at Mexico with a full quota of Sandy Creek Central School pupils in attendance.

Contact me by phone 387-5654x7 or e-mail:  schistoriansandycreek@gmail.com
I am in my office every Friday from 9 am to 3 pm
New web page: www.sandycreeknyhistory.com
Charlene