Dressed up Franklin School students are exercising or performing next to the original building.

Old News

From the 3rd floor
of the Webb City Public Library

The original Franklin School was destroyed by fire in 1938 and replaced by the WPA. (Contributed by Dan Crutcher)

Franklin School expanded before being destroyed by fire in 1938

Webb City Area Genealogical Society
April 19, 2023

The Rogers family recently sent the Webb City Area Genealogical Society a few school photographs that included some from Franklin School taken in the 1920s. The society did not have any 1920s era Franklin School photographs so the donation was very much appreciated.

One of the photos was a rare image of the students outside of the school, perhaps doing their morning exercises.

The Franklin School house was constructed in 1900 at 501 S. Walker St., near the intersection with Tracy Street.

It originally consisted of eight rooms and was expanded to 12 rooms in 1906. Fire destroyed that building on Nov. 8, 1938.

A new school house was constructed in 1939 by the Works Project Administration (WPA). It later became a kindergarten and is still in use by the school district.

Sentinel bound volumes are now in the Genealogy Room

The WCAGS has accepted ownership of the complete collection of bound volumes of the Webb City Sentinel, from 1983 (after the fire) until the final issue on Dec. 30, 2020.

Those issues can also be viewed on microfilm, along with much older issues.

Webb City Area Genealogical Society

WCAGS members staff the Genealogy Room on the third floor of the Webb City Public Library. Current hours are noon to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in the Genealogy Room.

Everything you want to know about Jasper County Missouri Schools is available at a site compiled by Webb City Area Genealogical Society member Kathy Sidenstricker.