Click the “Read More Link” to see the photo and read more.
Perrydale, like Country Christian, has one of the finest gyms in 1A. It’s clearly a new facility with a beautiful floor and plenty of space. The bleachers on one side provide plenty of seating for big games with some standing room at the ends of the bleachers. Not much room under the baskets for the big guys to wrestle before running into the wall. But at least it’s padded!
I’m guessing that some of the St. Paul vs. Perrydale games has required the use of the pads under the baskets more than once when the two rivals clashed over Casco league supremecy.
The pointed ceiling gives the appearance of an older facility, as the barn-like pointed or curved ceilings seemed to be a feature of gyms constructed in the 40’s and 50’s while most newer gyms have flat ceilings for some reason.
All-in-all, it’s a really nice facility and a gym the townspeople of Perrydale should be extremely proud of.
Dan points out that Perrydale’s athletic facilities are probably second to none in the state of Oregon. According to Dan, “the football field has a new track, new turf, and new stands and lights. There are at least two newer softball fields and a newer baseball field. Quite a nice complex for a 1A school.”
Without question, Perrydale’s athletic facilities have to rank among the best in the 1A classification. Having facilities built within the last 10-15 years definitely puts the Pirates ahead of the curve and the rest of the small school classification.
Dan goes on to point out that the old gym, the one he used to play in, is still in use and but not for high school games. He says his mother graduated from Perrydale in 1947 and he says, “at one time, the old, old gym had a balcony that surrounded the floor.”
According to a page on the Perrydale School District website, the first school was built in Perrydale in 1870 on the east side of Amity Road. It was a one room school and was used for a short time. Sometime before 1902, another school was built on the site of the current school. It too had just one room. In 1902, this building was moved to make room for a two-room schoolhouse on the same site. The old one-room school was turned into a furniture store. [1]
Below is a picture of the Perrydale School from the 30’s or 40’s.
It's hard to see but an interesting photo nonetheless. It has the stoop/front porch common to schools of the era and the bell-tower that is also a staple of the earliest schools. I wonder if this is the school that Dan refers to as having the balcony around the floor. My guess is that it is and he does mention that the gym that he played in did not have a balcony around it.
Here is a photo of the Perrydale School, taken in 1957.
A couple of things stick out to me in this photo. 1) It looks like a typical Oregon day. Wet and dreary and 2) This looks like a fairly big facility for a small, rural town.
I was never able to track down census numbers for Perrydale in the 1950’s but it looks like a reasonably big school for a town I’ve always viewed as small and rural. Looks like a nice building and very consistent with the architecture of schools built in the 40’s or 50’s.
Dan points out that the school today hasn’t undergone any major facelifts and the architecture remains true to the photo taken in 1957. That is until you head out back and catch a glimpse of arguably the finest athletics facility in 1A.
Perrydale is located in Polk County, east of Highway 99. It is about 16 miles northwest of Salem and just over nine miles southwest of Amity.
[1] “Perrydale History” http://www.perrydale.k12.or.us/history1.htm (Accessed Jan. 28, 2010)
2 comments:
The "town" of Perrydale has a population of less than 100. However, for being a school in the valley it has a rather large drawing area. Borders with Dallas, Amity, Willamina and Sheridan. Plus there has been a push to draw students out of Salem for the last decade. This has brought a large number of boosters raising money for their facilities. I must say they have better facilities than many of the 3A schools.
Interesting, thanks Tim. I didn't know that. So in some ways, it sounds almost like a private school.
Boosters and drawing kids from surrounding areas is something private schools get nailed for often.
I wonder if this is one way the smaller schools can survive? I hope so.
Thanks for the info Tim.
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