SCHOOL-Birdseye



Owners, Jeff and Marie Tobin standing in front of the Birdseye School [photo taken by Karylyn Bliss on 17 Jan 2011, Birdseye, Montana]

The Birdseye School is still used as a polling place for the community.  According to Jeff Tobin, the structure consists of bricks made at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.

The original Birdseye School was located across the road from the existing school.  According to Susan DeBree Moran, the original school was made of wood and burned down.  If you look closely at the next photograph, you can see the wooden school in the background.



Original Birdseye School in the background.  Unidentified students, ca. 1920 [photo courtesy of Susan DeBree Moran]


When the community rebuilt the school, they relocated it across the street.  According to Susan DeBree Moran, there is a indian burial ground on the hill behind the existing school.  As a young child growing up on her family's ranch, she and the other school children were taught to respect this place as sacred and cause no harm to the surroundings.  Susan and her sister Louise DeBree Galvin attended the Birdseye School.

Susan also said Church was held only once a year at the Birdseye School.  Their preacher was the mayor of Helena at the time.  After Church services, a picnic was held and then a baseball game in the open field.  The entire Birdseye community came out for this event.

She also states the Farm Bureau Club held their annual picnic at the Birdseye school for many years, and members from the Lewis and Clark County Farm Bureau would attend.  She relates this was a huge gathering of people.  

Birdseye School picnic, circa 1956 [photo courtesy of Susan Debree Moran]