Clio Logo
The Comstock Public School is a school built in 1909 in Consolidated School District #69, the first consolidation in Clay County. It was built with a peculiar architectural style in its original design before multiple extensions were built. It housed grades 1-8 until 1921, when a three year high school program was introduced. A single-story high school was added on in 1929, with a full gym built in 1939. Eventually, diminishing enrollment resulted in the school consolidating with Barnesville Public Schools in 1956.

The Comstock School and its extensions, closed in 1956, as it stands in 2021.

Sky, Building, Snow, Window

The Comstock School on a 1912 postcard, before the bell tower was removed.

Building, Window, House, Tints and shades

The Comstock School is a historic site in Clay County, notable for being among the oldest standing schoolhouses in the county. It holds significance due to its relatively sophisticated architecture compared to other schoolhouses still standing. Furthermore, it stands as an example within the county of the marked lifespan of the average small-town school in Minnesota.[1] Though at a glance today, it is simply a run-down, abandoned building in Comstock, Minnesota, it has a much greater story to tell, especially in its conception. The creation and significance of building a school in the early 20th century is on its own a story containing a lot of history.

One of the first actions of the first state legislature was establishing a school code, which was passed at the end of the lawmaking session on November 1st, 1849. Among its provisions, this code created criteria for what constituted a school district, which at the time required only the presence of five or more families in a given township.[2] This is embodied today by the continued existence of many unconsolidated, relatively tiny schools across the state.

Unfortunately, many of these early schools were sorry affairs. Due to how small the townships were and how little settlers had to work with, schoolhouses tended to be either rough-hewn log cabins or sod houses lacking basic materials and often, not even including qualified teachers. Additionally, the districts themselves only had the power to levy taxes for paying teachers' salaries and maintaining the schools, not building them.[3] While there is no documentation on what acted as the schoolhouse in Comstock prior to 1909, one can assume that it was either one of these primitive styles or simply within a settler’s home or business.

However, change was coming. In 1866, legislation was passed to facilitate the issuing of school district bonds to help fund building better schools. In 1887, low interest state loans were added as a new way to finance schools.[4] With a price-tag of $7,318 (worth about $210,000 in 2021 USD), we can infer that Comstock was among the beneficiaries of these policies. The small farming community of Comstock could hardly bear the burden of that cost in taxes.

The school itself is not particularly fancy. The work orders for the original building describe materials fairly cheap and standard for the time; brick and mortar, concrete and maple flooring, cedar shingles, and pine framing. The basement contained a boiler system for heating. The only standout feature, if you can call it that, is the presence of a separate bell tower.[5]

If it’s so standard, then what warrants its spot as a historic site, one might ask. The answer comes back to the primitive state of early schools. As chronicled by then-State Superintendent Dunnell in 1867, “I herald with extreme satisfaction that the erection of 337 school buildings in the space of one year in the State of Minnesota… is without precedent in the west, and, it is believed, has no parallel in the country.” Minnesotans at the time took great pride in the fact that hundreds of new schools were built yearly, and took the opportunity provided by easily accessible funds to splurge a bit on architecture, perhaps to compensate for the derelict state of early schools.[6]

Beyond its humble beginnings, the Comstock School had two additions, a single-story high school in 1929 and a gym in 1939. Eventually, the school declined and in 1956, it consolidated with the Barnesville School. During its time of relevancy, it was a key feature of the community, as were countless other Minnesota schools that followed this same general pattern of development. It is knowing this that one can appreciate the Comstock School as a historic site, being a stand-in for the many small schools Clay County and the state supported.

[1] nps.gov. “Minnesota MPS Comstock Public School.” National Archives and Records Administration. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93200254.

[2] Greer, John N., The History of Education in Minnesota, (Washington: Gov. Print. Off., 1902), 14.

[3] Greer, The History of Education in Minnesota, 18.

[4] Greer, The History of Education in Minnesota, 22.

[5] School Construction Specifications, 1909. Unprocessed Collection (“Consolidated School District #69).Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Hjemkomst Center, Moorhead, MN.

[6] Greer, The History of Education in Minnesota, 24.

nps.gov. “Minnesota MPS Comstock Public School.” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed March 18, 2021. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93200254

Greer, John N. The History of Education in Minnesota. Washington: Gov. Print. Off., 1902.

School Construction Specifications, 1909. Unprocessed Collection (“Consolidated School District #69).Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Hjemkomst Center, Moorhead, MN.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

“Comstock Public School.” Wikimedia Commons, March 9, 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Comstock_Public_School.JPG.

“Public School.” CardCow.com, 2021. https://www.cardcow.com/434141/public-school-comstock-minnesota/.