Updated 4/12/11

By Jim Ricker

The history of the Dutch Flat Grammar School reflects the history of Dutch Flat itself. Local legend has it that the log cabin which early town residents Charles and Joseph Dornbach built in 1851 was on a flat piece of land, now part of the school grounds. This claim is probably based on individual recollections made years after the fact. Historical records from the time are sketchy, but there is little evidence to dispute the claim. The Dornbachs originally claimed an area three hundred yards by three hundred yards on the south side of Dutch Flat Creek. In 1859, Joseph Dornbach sold a parcel, called Lot 4, to the Trustees of Common Schools for the Third District of the Fourth Township of Placer County. This, and lots acquired later, make up the current school grounds.

A single story, one-room school was built in early 1859. Period photographs show such a structure across the street from the still-unfinished Methodist Church, completed in 1861. This would not be the first school in town. A private school was in operation in 1856. (It is possible this first school was held in the house now owned by the Reioux family, perhaps the town's oldest building.) In 1875 a new schoolhouse was built. This was a large two-story building with spacious, well lighted rooms. It had four classrooms, and spring water was piped into the building. The building reflected not only the prosperity of Dutch Flat, but the town's commitment to its children, their education and the future. The schoolhouse served the community until it was destroyed by arson on July 15,1898. Valued at $10,000, the school was insured for only $3600.

The citizens of Dutch Flat held a meeting within days of the fire and decided to rebuild the school. The new school would be a modern, two-story building, similar in appearance to the 1875 school. It would have two classrooms, an assembly room, a library room and a laboratory. This is the building we see today. A special school bond election was held. The town citizens voted unanimously to rebuild the school. The contract price was $4480 and construction took four months to complete. The town dedicated the new school on December 23, 1898. At that same time, additional playground area was purchased and graded. Subsequently, in 1939, the WPA built the tennis court area, and in 1946 a masonry foundation was laid under the building.

Dutch Flat's population declined in the years after 1898. Hydraulic mining essentially ended in 1884 with the California State Sawyer Decision and other court decisions at the federal and state level. The fruit industry rose and fell, and aside from local jobs provided by Pacific Gas & Electric Company and the railroad, economic opportunities became increasingly scarce. By 1962, school enrollment had dropped to 18 students, and only two students graduated from the school in that year. In that same year the Dutch Flat and Alta School Districts consolidated and in the fall of 1962, all students began attending the school in Alta.

Of course, this is not the end of the story. The Dutch Flat Community Center had been meeting at the schoolhouse since 1952. After the school district consolidation, they paid rent to the newly formed district. The County Office of Education directed the Alta/Dutch Flat School Board to sell the Dutch Flat School. Several individuals were interested in converting the building to private residences and there was even talk of tearing down the old school. State law at the time did not permit school property to be given away, and the Community Center did not have the funds to purchase it at market rates. Eleanor Bridges, a founding member of the Center, and other Center members contacted Senator Paul Lunardi, the State Senator representing the district, and persuaded him to introduce legislation permitting the building's transfer to the Center for $1. The legislation was tacked on to another bill, and it passed, Governor Edmund "Pat" Brown signed the bill into law in 1964, and the Community Center acquired the building and property. In August, 1964, the Center was recognized by the Secretary of State as a California non-profit corporation.

Today it seems like a natural progression for a community-based organization to take over a community building. Article I, Section 2 of the Dutch Flat Community Center's By-laws state:

Purpose: The corporation is organized to serve the philanthropic, civic, and social needs and recreational development in Dutch Flat, Placer County, California and nearby communities.

The building is now most often called the Community Center, but it is and always will be the Dutch Flat Grammar School. It is one of the most historically significant buildings in the area and the center of much civic and social life. This distinguished building remains a focal point of Dutch Flat and the surrounding area.