Talkeetna Schoolhouse

The one-room school was built in 1936 during the territorial days of Alaska by the federal government.  The total cost was $6000.  Most Alaska territorial schools looked similar. They were white, with a large bank of windows, one large room with living quarters upstairs.  Some of the schools were indeed log structures, but most were frame-built.  Talkeetna’s first class in the building included grades 1-8, with the exception of one 16 year old.

As Talkeetna grew, so did the school.  In 1959, the school was painted barn red, along with many other buildings in town. The school became known as “the little red schoolhouse”, even though the school had been the little white schoolhouse for 24 years.  In 1971, the school closed due to the growth of Talkeetna, number of new students.  A new and larger school was built along with a high school.

The Talkeetna Historical Society was able to take ownership of the schoolhouse. They renovated the building and turned it into a museum, which opened in 1974.  Today, the building is its original white with gray trim and proudly houses numerous objects, artifacts, photos and ephemera from Talkeetna’s past.