Franklin Park goes to the dogs (and their humans)

July 6 was a big day in Chariton for dogs --- and their humans: grand opening of the Chariton Dog Park, a volunteer-driven effort to turn a little-used city park in the northwest part of town (Franklin) into a play and exercise area for canines and their companions. 

As it stands now, fencing is complete and the park is in use daily from dawn to dusk. Plans call for landscaping, tree-planting, benches and more as funds become available. You'll find more about the park on Facebook, link located here, or at its website, which is here.

And I'm guessing that the youngsters who attended school on these grounds from the fall of 1890 until the spring of 1964 would get a charge out of the way their former playground has been creatively recycled and the area brought back into active use.

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The Franklin Park property was purchased during 1889 by the Chariton School District when student numbers were causing its three existing buildings to overflow. At that time, South School was located on the current site of Columbus School and housed, in addition to lower grades, the high school. North School was located on the current site of the high school; and East School (now Garfield and privately owned) was located on South 7th Street. South School was the district flagship; North and East schools, similar in size and appearance to the planned new building.

A bond issue was passed to finance the new structure and it was turned over to the school board during late November 1890. Approximately 100 students and their teachers, Alice Bradrick and Mollie Freel, began their first school day in the new building on Wednesday, Nov. 26. More students and teachers joined them after Thanksgiving.

By contemporary standards, conditions were primitive. Each room in the new building was heated by a separate stove. The "restrooms" were outhouses on the school grounds.

The Chariton Patriot and The Chariton Herald contained identical descriptions of the new building. The following is taken from The Herald of Dec. 4, 1890:

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(West School) is a four-room building, 47 x 50 feet, two stories high, with a fine ten-foot basement under the whole. The rooms are 23 x 35 feet each with height of ceiling twelve feet in the first and 13 feet, 8 inches in the second story. The contract price was $6,370 to which the Board of Directors added an allowance of two hundred dollars for changes and additional work, making the cost of the building proper $6,570, which with the building of outhouses, fencing, and walks, putting in heating furnaces and furnishing the rooms will make an aggregate cost of about $8,000.

This building is a much needed and certainly very creditable addition to our already fine school facilities. It is substantially built, well finished throughout, and of tasteful and harmonious design. The broad and easily rising stairways is an especially good feature.

The architects who furnished the plans and specifications were our fellow townsmen, Messrs. Layton & Hougland, and much credit is due them for the excellent taste and skill displayed in their elaboration, as upon the accuracy of their work depended the harmony and symmetry of the entire superstructure as well as the solidity of its foundations.

The contractor, W.A. Corbett, one of Chariton's well known mechanics and builders, has done his work in a manner to reflect much credit upon himself. His principal assistant in the carpenter work was our good friend, R.E. Edmundson; with George Rea later on in the work. The brick work was done by A. D. Enslow, of Derby, assisted by S. B. Swift of this city, these two experts doing the entire job themselves. The school board are to be congratulated on the careful and efficient business management which has secured to the district so good a building at a reasonable cost.

Chariton now has four excellent brick school houses of modern construction, containing an aggregate of 18 rooms, with a seating capacity of over 800 pupils. The district now owns school property which cost them in grounds, buildings and furniture $45,000. They now employ seventeen teachers, including principal, at a monthly expense of $719, which with the janitors and cost of fuel runs our monthly pay roll for carrying on the school up to $874. To this will be added two additional teachers for the rooms soon to be occupied, when Chariton will expend about $950 per month for school purposes.

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Two years later, during August of 1892, the Chariton School Board approved a resolution renaming its four buildings. South School became Columbus, East School became Garfield, North School became Bancroft and the newest, West School, became Franklin.

As the years passed, the original Bancroft School was torn down and replaced by a new flagship building for the district, built in 1900 and renamed Alma Clay in 1928 (demolished during 1970). The new Chariton High School, oldest part of the current high school complex, was built just east of Alma Clay during 1923.

Garfield School was substantially improved in 1916 when the current east front of the building, containing four classrooms, was added to the original structure; and again in 1940 when much of the rest of the original building was replaced by additional new classrooms and a gymnasium.

Although repaired and now equipped with central heating and restrooms, Franklin remained as the smallest of the district's building.

When the new Columbus School and the new Van Allen School opened their doors in 1964, the school district decided to demolish Franklin and turned to the city for assistance. The city agreed to demolish the old building in return for a 99-year lease on the grounds for use as a public park.

There were ambitious plans --- tennis courts, a shelter house, landscaping, etc. --- but funding was not available and by the time money was available, recreational attention had shifted to north and far northwest Chariton and Franklin Park just kind of fell asleep --- the grass was clipped regularly and trees continued to grow, but no particular use was found for it.

That's all changed now and hopefully the momentum will continue. Anyone interested in contributing to the Franklin/Chariton Dog Park effort will find information about how to do so by following the links given above.