Original caption: Pupils Gay Upon Finding Newhall School Razed. There seemed to be no weeping and wailing among at least some of the grammar school pupils at Newhall yesterday. Instead, they were pictures leaping and cheering with great glee as they went to school and found the legendary wish of every schoolboy had come true — the schoolhouse had burned down. Times photo. (Click image to enlarge.)

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Fire Destroys Newhall School.

Grammar Building Burns During Night With $60,000 Loss.

Los Angeles Times | Wednesday, February 15, 1939, pg. 2.

The legendary wish of every schoolboy yesterday came true for students of the Newhall Grammar School.

They awoke to find that their schoolhouse had burned down.

Fire of undetermined origin had destroyed all but the left wing of the building in the early morning. The loss is estimated at $60,000.

No One Hurt

Firemen of the Los Angeles County Forest Service and the United States Forest Service, supervised by Pierre Dearies, assistant county fire warden, fought for three hours before the flames were subdued. No one was injured.

Townspeople salvaged some desks, chairs and books from the unburned but smoke-ravaged left wing of the building.

Electric wall clocks found in the smoldering ruins were stopped at 1:20 a.m.

Starts in Library

The flames apparently originated in the school library in the front of the building, firemen reported.

Thomas M. Frew, president of the Newhall board of trustees, yesterday said temporary classrooms are available in various clubs and ranches of the community. An attempt to resume classes by next Monday will be made, he said.

News story courtesy of Tricia Lemon Putnam.

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Students Saddened as School Fire Balks Parties.

The Associated Press | As Reported in the San Diego Union | Wednesday, February 15, 1939.

Newhall, Feb. 14 (A.P.) — Fire destroyed the Newhall elementary school today, with a loss estimated at $60,000. Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz assigned two arson investigators to a probe.

Three hundred fifty school children were grief-stricken, mostly because scheduled Valentine's day parties could not be held.

"I always said I wished the school would burn down and now it's happened," wept Ethel Haws, 12. "But now I'm sorry. All those Valentines gone to waste."

News story courtesy of Tricia Lemon Putnam.

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Newhall School News.

The Newhall Signal and Saugus Enterprise | Thursday, March 17, 1939.

Since our school burned we have no school bell. For substitutes we have a cow bell, a drum and a cornet. Billy Niedrich plays the cornet and Jim Mason rings the cow bell. Sometimes Billy plays popular tunes. It is rather amusing to hear "Jeepers Creepers" and "Umbrella Man."