Mattocks Schoolhouse

When this small limestone school was completed in 1871, it stood on Randolph Avenue at Snelling Avenue, and the area it served was outside the city limits of St. Paul. Not until 1887, when Reserve Township was annexed to the city, did the school become a part of the St. Paul system.

The pioneer schoolhouse, with its gray limestone walls 20 inches thick, was built at a cost of $1,800. It contained one room with desks for thirty children and a continuous blackboard along the walls. Its square bell tower is about 40 feet from the ground.

When it was completed, it was named “Webster School Number Nine”. In 1887 its name was changed to “Mattocks School” in honor of Reverend John Mattocks, a prominent Presbyterian clergyman, who was Secretary of the Board of Education and ex-officio Superintendent of St. Paul’s schools.

The building served as the educational center for much of the Highland Park district until 1922. It was then used for special classes until 1929,and for some 30 years after that, it was maintained by an American Legion Post. It was moved from its original location to this site in1964 and is currently being used as a Spanish class room.