Crosley School
Crosley Elementary School

West Monroe, Louisiana

Ouachita Parish


Prior to 1916 the only public school in the city of West Monroe was a two-room wooden structure known as Haynes School in Old Trenton. Most of the West Monroe children attended the city and parish schools across the river in Monroe.

In 1913, a bond issue was passed for $28,000 to build the first brick school building in west Ouachita Parish. The site for the school was donated in 1914 by E.S. and Stella Crosley Eby and J.T. and Clayton Crosley Austin.

The Ebys and Austins donated the site, facing Natchitoches Street, extending back to Pine Street, to the city of West Monroe and to the Ouachita Parish School Board, with the stipulation that the property be used for school purposes only. It was also stipulated that if the time came that it would not be used for such, the property would revert back to the Crosley heirs.

In 1916 the school was opened as West Monroe Grammer School. Due to increasing population of the area, ten additional classrooms were added in 1923. The name was changed in 1929 to Crosley Elementary School in memory of Joseph Perry Crosley and his son Charles Clayton Crosley.

Disaster struck the school in 1971 when a fire destroyed the 1916 section. A new wing containing four classrooms and a library was completed in 1974. In 1988 the 1923 building was razed to make way for a new wing.

Crosley School has managed to save the original auditorium and stage with its magnificent arabesque molding and plaster work.

Mr. J. A. Rainbolt served as principal of the school from 1918 until 1931.

"1921 Crosley Elementary School Bus in front of Crosley School, 700 Natchitoches Street in West Monroe,La. (Ouachita Parish) This Ford is seen playing an important part in education, assembling children from the rural areas to the centrally located Crosley School. The one-ton truck, know as a wagonette was operated by Tom Hicks from Lenwill to West Monroe in 1921. W.T. (Billy) Eyre was the bus driver."


The article above was copied, with permission from information in a calendar for 1996 entitled "West Monroe, Louisiana-Bridging the Gap" published by The West Monroe Heritage Preservation Commission Writing and photo research done by Ron Downing and Roseann Marks. Also with permission of Dot Golliher.

This was my school for grades 1-6. Of course, we did have the big, yellow fancy buses by then!


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