Central School, 1917 red brick
"The new 8-room grade building, which has been in process of
construction since last summer, was taken into use this week, and is now fully
occupied. Miss Julie Everson is
principal of the new building. In the
four rooms on the first floor now housed in Central are Kindergarten and first
three grades, while four upper rooms are occupied by the fourth, fifth and
sixth grades, and a mixed fifth and sixth grade.
In the high and airy basement the manual training department
has two rooms, and the agricultural department the third room. The taking into use of this fine new
building, leaves entirely vacant the decrepit old Central building and also
some of the rooms in the old high school.
The vacated space in the latter building, however, will at once be
occupied by the Junior high school, the manual training department, and for
other uses."
Stoughton Hub, March 23, 1917
The 1917 school replaced the three story brick structure built in 1862 (remodeled in 1876) which had served as a high school and grade school building until a separate high school was built in 1892.
John H. Kelley, a Madison contractor, was awarded the bid at $26,400. The following year enrollment at Central school was 207 in six grades. Classroom ratio at all the elementary schools averaged 33 students per teacher.
Elementary students attended Central school through 1960. After Yahara school and its addition were completed in 1961, Central school was converted to the junior high school for seventh and eighth grade students.
By 1970 this newest of the old buildings was being question for its structural soundness and was eventually demolished in 1990.
