Remembering the Old Eben School

 From 1915 to 1991, it existed as a high school. Today, it is only a memory.

Welcome to the Old Eben School Web Page.  This page is to commemorate the history of the old school building that served the Rock River and Limestone Township communities (and later Mathias) for many years.  The old school building sat where the Superior Central Media Center now stands as part of the Superior Central School District.

Here is a little history of the construction of the old building: The cost to cover construction of the three story building and of the nearby Chatham school was $20,000.  The bond issue was passed in the school district by a vote of 49 to 15 in June of 1914.   

Construction of the Eben school began soon after with bids going to George Leiphart of Munising for the overall construction, and to Oscar Robertson (with the lowest bid of $20) to clear the land of the school site.  Thomas Hallstrom was stone mason foreman on the Eben school, and the cornerstone was laid June 10, 1915.

The school finally opened before Christmas in 1916.  A heated controversy broke out between the two towns of Chatham and Eben because they both wanted the high school in their own village.  The matter was put to a vote and in a close election, 77 voted in favor of changing the high school from Chatham to Eben, with 72 going against that.  And from then on, the entire Rock River Township school system gradually consolidated onto the site now known as Superior Central Schools.

This web site will celebrate the old Eben school in various other web pages.  Please check them out below:

The demolition of the old school was a big thing not only within the Superior Central School District, but also around the central Upper Peninsula.  Here is a front page article about the demolition of the Old Eben School:

The Mining Journal's Old Eben School Demolition Article

Life went on after the school was demolished and with it, rose a brand new school.  On this page is a dedication ceremony speech given by Mr. Kim Peterson, school board president at the time, on the opening of the new school, and a bit about the rivalry between the Eben and Trenary school districts: 

The New School Dedication

The Old Eben School has since been demolished and in its place rose a beautiful one story high school and library structure.  The new building is 20 years old now, yet locals who have moved away from the area before construction began on the new building probably have never seen what the school looks like today.   For those that haven't, please check out our Superior Central School Picture Album: 

The Superior Central School Picture Gallery

Probably the most exciting part of the Old Eben School Page is seeing all of the pictures I have compiled of the venerable structure.  Some date as far back as 1953!  Also as an added bonus, I have pictures of the Veteran's Memorial Gym, which is still standing at the current school, and it's front side before the elementary wing was added.  So check them out:  

The Old Eben School Picture Gallery

Here is the newest and coolest page on the Old Eben School website.  I have compiled some pictures from the demolition of the old building that took place during the summer of 1991.  These pictures are originally from a video source, so the quality might not be as good as an actual photo, but it's still a great source for those people who never got the chance to see the demolition of the old building take place:

The Old Eben School on Demolition Day

Superior Central Schools now has its own website.  You can find a variety of information on the school, including pictures of various interior parts of the building.  Check out the web site below:

Superior Central Schools On-line