In 1853, Catharine (Paine) Blaine (1829-1908) and her husband, Reverend David E. Blaine (1824-1900), arrived in Seattle from Seneca Falls, New York. The Blaines were Methodist missionaries and David founded Seattle's first church, called the Little White Church. Catharine became Seattle's first teacher and school administrator when she was hired to teach children in a "select," or private, school located at Front Street (now First Avenue) and Madison Street. The Blaines left for missionary duty in Portland in 1856, but returned to Seattle in 1882. In 1883, Catharine Blaine opened the city's first kindergarten in the wood frame North School at Third Avenue and Pine Street. Catherine Blaine Junior High School in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, named in her honor, opened in 1952, and continues today as Catharine Blaine K-8 School.

This photograph shows three Catherine Blaine Junior High School students reading a tablet placed at the location of Ms. Blaine's first school in downtown Seattle. The students are dressed in the costumes for their school play, "The Catherine Blaine Story," for which they each had leading roles. The students are identified from left to right as Shirley Cutler, Vernon Ekland, and Bob Steil.

Caption information source: "Blaine, David (1824-1900) and Catharine Paine Blaine (1829-1908)," by Junius Rochester, HistoryLink.org Essay 1447.
Caption information source: http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8832
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.