Thanks to The North 40 Tavern for their support. A north woods tavern somewhere in the middle of a big city. They regularly rotate tap beers, so stop in to see what’s currently flowing.
Built in 1887, Sibley Elementary School served West St. Paul children for 75 years.
Then: Sibley Elementary
Originally located on the south side of Bernard Street at Allen Avenue, Sibley Elementary was the original school named after Henry Sibley in the area. Sibley Junior High opened half a block to the east in the 1930s and eventually expanded to become Sibley High School.
Sibley served as an elementary school until 1940. After that it only hosted kindergarten until it closed in 1962. It was demolished in 1964.
Sibley Elementary School through the years. The 1927 photo includes children from all eight grades. (Photo credit: Dakota County Historical Society).
For a detailed look at life as a student at Sibley Elementary, the Dakota County Historical Society published the lengthy account of Allan Degnan from 1986 in their August 2011 edition of Over the Years (PDF). Degnan briefly served on the West St. Paul City Council in 1952.
“Looking back over the past 60 years, I felt that the years I spent at Sibley were among the happiest times of my childhood. To me, it was a great privilege to have been part of the group who attended that little red-brick schoolhouse on Bernard Street.”
Allan Degnan, 1986
Now: Harmon Park
Today what used to be Sibley Elementary School is now a parking lot for Harmon Park. All that remains is a historic marker near the Bernard and Charlton intersection.
You can see what the space looked like in 2012 after Sibley but before the Harmon Park renovation.
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