Pierre's First School

Pierre's First School. . A one-room 14'x20' wooden building on the east side of Coteau Street served as Pierre's first schoolhouse. Eighteen students attended in 1881, closing when the public school opened in October of that same year. The little building was moved to various locations before the East Pierre Woman's Club worked with the city to locate the schoolhouse permanently in Steamboat Park in 1966. The Club restored the building as a tribute to Pierre's educational institutions and their students. , Capitol City Questers were able to restore the school with funding from a local citizen and a preservation grant. In 2008 staff from the City of Pierre volunteered to reside and reshingle Pierre's first school. In addition, the exterior was painted to capture the school's historic appearance. , Removing a structure from its original historic setting is less than ideal, but is often the only choice that keeps a building from being destroyed. Future generations can still enjoy and learn from a relocated building. Moving a building is no easy task. Small wood-frame buildings such as the schoolhouse can easily be relocated. Brick or stone structures offer a challenge since they are surprisingly fragile and heavy at the same time.