08/14/2025
As summer comes to an end, the next generation begins another school year, just like the children of the past. The Cumberland Homesteads area and project has a unique history in regards to the education of its youth.
In the beginning of the project, there was a school on Deep Draw Rd for the Homesteader children- It served as a grammar school. A modified barn on C**n Hollow Rd served as a highschool. Later on, the Homestead School complex was built and finished in 1938- and it is still a school today as Homestead Elementary ! During the time of construction, it featured individual buildings arranged around a central building, connected by covered walkways. The architects of the school and project planners designed the building as a technical training school, with an emphasis on classes such as Home Economics, Agriculture, Building Trades, and Commerical Skills. The gymnasium-auditorium became a community meeting space for both the community and school itself. The Tower building itself used to house classes as well! Once government agents left the area in 1947, the school put highschool classes on the ground floor of the building up until the 60s!
If you'd like to see more about the tower and insight on school life in the Cumberland Homesteads area in the 1930s through the 1950s, come by! Our hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm.
