Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Overlooking Pickering Passage, Grant School was built in 1912 and closed in 1942. It is now owned by the nonprofit Pickering Community Club. In 2010, the building was designated as a historic landmark in Mason County and placed on the Mason County Historic Register.
What was it like attending the tiny rural schools of yesteryear in Mason County?
An upcoming exhibit at the Mason County Historical Society Museum in downtown Shelton will shine some light on that experience. The staff is working on the exhibit, which will probably open at the end of February, said Liz Arbaugh, the museum's director.
"We're focusing on schools because in early Mason County they were really the community centers," Arbaugh said. She added, "We can tell a lot about the families that lived there."
For the exhibit, "We'll probably do about 10," Arbaugh said. "We haven't figured out which ones yet."
Among the schools under consideration are Matlock, Southside, Grant, Tahuya, Lilliwaup, Hoodsport and Lincoln School in downtown Shelton, currently the site of the Shelton Civic Center.
"We're trying to pull things from schools throughout the county," Arbaugh said. "The logging camps had schools."
In a storage room, the museum has a wall full of binders containing photos, newspaper clippings and other information on schools throughout the county.
"People don't know what kind of resources we have until we highlight them," Arbaugh said.
In early June, the museum will showcase photos taken by Shelton native John Tylczak during the 1980s, "just as Simpson (Lumber Co.) was starting to slow down," Arbaugh said.
The museum is also working to showcase block prints created by the brothers Waldo and Corwin Chase of Union.
About 3,500 people visited the museum in 2024. "We get local people, we get people doing research," Arbaugh said.
The museum is wrapping up its annual fund drive, which raised more than the goal of $15,000, Arbaugh said. "People have been very generous."
The museum is reworking its historic walking tour of downtown Shelton, Arbaugh said. The museum will not be part of the annual car show this summer.
The museum at 427 West Railroad Ave. is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sunday and Monday.
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