Industrial Trade School, USA

This Industrial Trade School was founded in the early 1900’s by an American Steel magnate. It was believed that from schools such as these, future captains of industry and innovation would spring. At the dedication ceremony all local businesses closed for the day, and the town was decorated with bunting. The joyous parade is said to have included over 20000 people. The local area began to decline in the 1970’s/1980’s, and it is likely this school closed soon after the nearby industry collapsed.

This manual training school was well-equipped and offered training as part of local public and church-run school programs. Children were given half a day lessons and practical sessions once a week, for 6-8 grade ages. High school students typically had a full day at the industrial trade school.

Boys were trained in various handcrafts, such as woodwork and metalwork. The carpentry shop hummed with woodworking machinery, machine rooms were filled with noisy lathes and the blacksmith forge echoed with the clattering anvils. The goal was to train boys in furniture making and to give them some basic trade skills to increase their employment options. They also got to keep the creations they made in class.

There were cooking and sewing classes for girls, in the form of both theory and practical lessons. Girls were taught how to cook both simple and elaborate meals, as well as how to correctly lay a dinner table and how wait on guests. They were also taught how to be competent seamstresses in the sewing shop. The aim was to prepare girls for married life, tailoring their husbands clothes and cooking the family meals. There was also art rooms for instruction on painting with water colours.

There was a top floor auditorium with seven hundred chairs and a stage. This room was used for local school meetings and high school annual events. Another large room on the upper floor was used as basketball court, but it is unclear if these fixtures are a more recent addition.