Origins of Education in Central City

Ben Dugan
GCN Historical Writer

2/22/2007 - In the early days of the Gregory Gulch most necessities that we take for granted today took time to establish. Among these were miners laws and education. After a period of settling in, private schools began operating to serve the need for education. The Catholic Church operated a private school in Central City the fall of 1862 and the Episcopalian school offered its services for $12 for a twelve-week term in 1863. Another private teacher was teaching in her father’s home before leaving for Denver to work at the public school there.

  Colorado Territory was organized and passed an act to establish an educational system throughout in November 1861. The first public school opened in Denver in December 1862 while educational needs were also being contemplated in Central City. D.C. Collier, who had come to Denver from Ohio in 1858, relocated his law practice from Denver to Central City in July 1862 and voiced his opinion concerning the lack of any organized school in the local newspaper. He won an election as Gilpin County’s Superintendent of Schools and organized the county into five districts.  Gregory Gulch and Central City were located in the first district. An advertisement for two teachers was placed and a tax was levied to pay for their salaries. The first school sessions were held in Lawrence Hall (located where the Teller House was built in 1872) and began on December 15, 1862.  Pupils were advised to “bring such books as you have until some series is adopted.”

  Central City became incorporated in 1864 and passed an ordinance establishing a city school system. Each school year would consist of three terms totaling forty weeks. School ran from December to August, however, it was later changed so the summer break would include July-September. Closing ceremonies were held in the Montana Theatre

  D.C. Collier greatly improved the education in his tenure as county superintendent and began to work with H.M. Hale in the late 1860’s in an effort to get a more permanent school built. Hale had also moved to Central City in 1863 and had become principal of Central City schools by 1868. Lawrence Hall, the building the school used on the main level, had a saloon and gambling hall on the second floor. An ineffective partition separated the different grades but still left room for distractions and noise. A growing student population caused an overflow into the Episcopalian School. Finally, in March 1869, Central City Council approved a $15,000 bond issue for a new school building. Work began on the new building in the Spring of 1870 and the first classes began in October of that year. Final costs for the new building approached $25,000. A new 400 pound bell was installed in the tower. There were 213 students in a building set to accommodate 240. Meanwhile, Black Hawk had also built a school in 1870 to accommodate the growing needs of schoolchildren in Black Hawk.