Legend has it that the ghost of a young boy still roams the classrooms and stairwells of Goldfield High School, situated in the high desert of southwest Nevada. Lore spoke of a student that was said to have been playing in the coal room when a tragic accident occurred. A pile of coal, being shoveled in through the chute, collapsed on top of him, burying him alive.
Goldfield High School was one of four schools built during the boom years of a silver and gold rush. The cornerstone was laid on August 4, 1907 at 3pm and done with the full ritual of the Masonic Order, using a silver trowel made from Comstock silver. At the time, it was the largest and best equipped high school in Nevada, and was a source of pride for the community.
“The type of wealth coming out of those mines was only a glimmer in the eye of most Americans during the early 1900s—but in Goldfield, luxury was standard. Thus it was decided that the same standards should be afforded for the town’s children. In 1907, renowned architect J.B. Randall’s design for a three-story, 19,656 square-foot building came to life. The property featured 12 classrooms, an auditorium, two offices, two bathrooms, four storage rooms, and an extra-large attic that was also likely used for storage. In its first year, a whopping 125 students enrolled, staffed by 25 faculty members.” [1]
Impressive in size and architectural details, construction costs totaled $103,000, equivalent to $3.3 million today. Built with native stone and brick on the exterior with wide staircases and arched Roman-style entries. The portico entry had a beautiful wrought iron gate used to stop foot traffic when the building was not in use. It’s rumored the gate itself is somewhere in Arizona today.) A drawing of the gate is shown at right. The classrooms were large with tongue and groove wood flooring and double hung windows equipped with wooden venetian blinds. It was the only school except for the University of Nevada that had a full-size basketball court and stood as a substantial example of Goldfield’s determination to be and show the best.
It had a capacity of 450 students, their colors were orange and black, the school paper was called Joshua Palm, and women school teachers were required to wear two petticoats under their long skirts.
The school’s success was short-lived, however, as the town’s incredible wealth began to fade several years after the school was built. The ore production dropped, and the largest mine in town closed its tunnels in 1919. As the mines became less profitable, the population gradually moved on to the next prosperous mining camp to continue their pursuit of wealth. By 1918, three of the schools had closed, and all grades were consolidated in what is now the Goldfield Historic High School.
[1]https://travelnevada.com/historical-interests/goldfield-historic-high-school/
On 7 July 1923, a fire caused by a moonshine still explosion practically devastated the town and the only two remaining large structures were the Goldfield High School and Goldfield Hotel. The nine-hour fire caused nearly $1 million in damages, killed one person, and made nearly 500 others homeless.
By the 1940s, most of the mining operations in the area had closed down, and the town began to decline. Despite this, the high school remained open and continued to serve the community. In 1947, grades 9-12 were transported to the town of Tonopah, and only the lower grades occupied the ground-floor classrooms. With its last graduating class in 1947, the school continued to operate until it officially shut its doors in 1953, due to declining enrollment and a weakening foundation. In the 1970s, the building was sold at auction and later listed on eBay with bids starting at close to $30,000.
In 2008, the building and land were donated to a Nevada non-profit corporation for the benefit of the people of Goldfield and Esmeralda County. The Goldfield Historical Society voted to take on the grand project of stabilizing and restoring the old building with the help of grants,fundraisers and donations. Today, it is one of the most significant buildings in the historic mining district that survived the 1923 fire, and in fact retains much of its original craftsmanship, including many of its chairs, desks, and chalkboards with original writing from the 40’s and 50’s. It’s one of two historic schools that remain; the other two were lost in a series of floods and massive fires within a decade of opening.
Local historians have dedicated substantial time over the past decade to preserve this important piece of history, successfully obtaining state and federal grants to restore the site to its former glory. You can follow the restoration progress of Goldfield High School here,, thanks to the perseverance of the Goldfield Historical Society.
