The 58th graduation of Oronogo eighth graders was in 1927

An invitation to the 1927 eighth grade commencement is among the items in the Webb City Area Genealogical Society’s collection on the third floor of the Webb City Public Library.

From the 3rd floor
of the Webb City Public Library

Old News

The 58th graduation of Oronogo eighth graders was in 1927

Webb City Area Genealogical Society

May 8, 2024

As the 2023-2024 school year comes to a close and the district students prepare for graduation we wanted to look back to the years 1908 and 1927.

The Webb City Area Genealogical Society has a graduation invitation for the Oronogo Class of 1908.

A 1937 issue of The Webb City Sentinel reported on finding a copy of a 1908 Oronogo newspaper named the Oronogo Index. The Index listed five high school graduates: Edith Gamble, Apame Myers, Elsie Ayre, Maude Buehner and Orion Brooks.

We also have an announcement for an eighth grade graduation exercise to be held in 1927. This was the 58th annual graduation of the eighth grade class, with the first graduation being held in 1869. Eighth grade graduations were a large affair as this was sometimes the last year of formal education for many of the students.

The nine graduates were: Irene Avery, Jeanette Board, Lucille Elgin, Don Hampton, Sidney Keys, Howard Kilmer, Ralph Watson, Mildred Watson and Edgar Wisdom.

The construction of Irving School, a new brick building to replace the old wooden frame schoolhouse, was started in 1908. This building would be located next to the wooden frame schoolhouse at the corner of Grant and Central streets. The Irving School was used until 1964, when the Oronogo School District merged with the Webb City School District. Oronogo’s City Hall, a water tower and city park are now what was once the Irving School block.

The other brick schoolhouse in Oronogo was called Washington School, which was built in 1891-1892 near the corner of Mineral and Elliott streets. It was closed in the early 1920s.

The 1915 Sanborn insurance maps show the locations of Irving and Washington schools in Oronogo.

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.

An invitation to the 1927 eighth grade commencement is among the items in the Webb City Area Genealogical Society’s collection on the third floor of the Webb City Public Library.

Old News

The 58th graduation of Oronogo eighth graders was in 1927

Webb City Area Genealogical Society

The other brick schoolhouse in Oronogo was called Washington School, which was built in 1891-1892 near the corner of Mineral and Elliott streets. It was closed in the early 1920s.

The 1915 Sanborn insurance maps show the locations of Irving and Washington schools in Oronogo.

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.

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