Seattle was a fast-growing community in the 1880s and an elementary school was needed to serve the families in Seattle's north end (now the Belltown neighborhood). In 1884 the school board opened a two-story wooden building adorned with a bell tower located at Battery Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. They named the new school Denny School in honor of David Thomas Denny (1832-1903), a founder of the city and early member of the school board. Denny School was overcrowded from the day it opened and was renovated several times. In 1928 the building was torn down during the final regrading of Denny Hill (now the Denny Triangle area). The school's bell tower was preserved in Denny Park until 1950.
The image here is of a handwritten invitation to parents for a program held at Denny School on February 20, 1903, which included a reception and a lecture by Frank Bowes Cooper (1855-1930), the Superintendent of Schools from 1901-1922. The invitation was probably given to Thomas R. and Lillian G. (Travis) Gillis, the parents of Denny School student Harry Travis Gillis (1889-1953).
Handwritten on verso: "Harry Travis Gillis attended the Denny School from late fall 1902."
Caption information source: "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: Denny School," by Nile Thompson and Carolyn J. Marr, HistoryLink.org Essay 10498 Caption information source: "Teachers to Attend Cooper Funeral," The Seattle Daily Times, November 25, 1930, p. 4
Physical Description: 1 invitation (4 p.) ; 4.5 x 6 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
