A School with Roots

In 1893, Dorsey Crapper donated the land for the original Crapper School, where sixteen children and their teacher, Miss Graham, entered the new schoolhouse as its bell rang across the grounds. For many years, the school and district were named for Crapper, and his children and grandchildren were taught there. As the community grew and enrollment exceeded the building's capacity, the Crapper School was torn down in 1910 to make room for the Oak Grove School, and the bell was moved there. For 58 years, the bell continued to call students to their studies at Oak Grove School until it closed in 1968. A year later, Hood River County assumed ownership of the grounds, and Oak Grove Park opened in 1974, where children still play as they did in 1893. The schoolhouse, now a private residence, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Crapper family remained connected with both schools throughout their histories.

Hood River, Oregon · United States