District No. 4 Oak Hall School
1851 – 1949
Hwy M west of Fish Hatchery Rd.

Oak Hall’s first school, a brick building, was built in 1851 east of Fish Hatchery Rd. on County Hwy M. This building was poorly constructed and could not be used after 1884. It eventually fell down in a wind storm in the 1890s. The community paid $600 to have a wood schoolhouse built in 1884 just east of the brick schoolhouse. This building, with some renovations, was used in this location until 1949 when it was moved to Oregon to alleviate overcrowding in the Oregon school system.

As with other one-room schools teaching students from first through eighth grade, the teachers had their hands full. They had to be organized so that when one age group was being taught the other age groups were engaged in other activities. A sample schedule for the morning demonstrates the organizational skills required for these teachers. In addition, the teacher had to contend with maintenance, medical and supply issues as attested to by the teacher’s report. However, each day there was time to play outside when the weather cooperated although their swing set with an ultra-high swing would probably not be approved today.

Teacher Reunion: Margaret Lacy, Nel
Martin, Marie Rieder, Mary Anderson, Mrs. Purcell

In 2001, the Fitchburg Historical Society in conjunction with the City of Fitchburg erected an historical marker at the site of the 1884 school.