PRINDLE -- A LITTLE WHITE SCHOOL HOUSE

affixed school house sign

Riding along Highway 14 east of the city of Vancouver I happened on this little white school house named Prindle. Tucked into the forest it seemed warm and cozy. I could not tell if the school building was a private residence, a local historical site, or, still, an ongoing school. It definitely was not deserted as the entire grounds and building were in tip-top shape 

school

I had to use a vehicle pull-off on the highway to take a picture of the mutipaned-window facade. I stepped out of my truck -- wobbled across some slick flat rocks and finally was stopped in my tracks by large twisted brambles. 

brambles and school windows

At this point I noticed that the school had a dirt side road. I pulled my small truck out of the pull-off and swung down the road. There were a couple houses down the road. I went down about 200 feet and turned around. This brought me back to the side of the school house where I put on my flashers and took the photo below.

I noticed the school bell was still hanging near one of the entrances while an American flag flew from its pole (as seen in the top photo). Two doors indicated to me that the boys usually lined up at one and the girls the other and a posted bird feeder was between them.

The clue to its age was on the school's sign affixed in its gable -- along with the school's name, Prindle, with the date 1912. That would make the age of the school about 98 years old. 

I went home and goggled the school. All the information I could find was that is was located in Skamania County, Washington -- that is was named after a German sailor and that there was a Polish community established nearby in 1870.

Today, this is still a lovely quaint school house with I'm sure many stories.