HISTORIC REFLECTION … The St. Joseph Catholic School in Blakeslee was dedicated. The first St. Joseph parish school was organized in 1874 but was discontinued circa 1884 due to lack of nuns, students and funds. On September 20, 1920, this one-story, two-room wooden frame school building was formally dedicated east of the church rectory. The first gradu-ation exercises were held in the spring of 1921, with eight students receiving diplomas. In 1960, a one-story brick school building was completed on the east side of Washington Street at a cost of approximately $170,000. The struc-ture housed four classrooms for grades 1-8, an office and hall. In the late 1960s, approximately 150 students were enrolled at St. Joseph Catholic School. Over time, enrollment declined, and 24 students were enrolled during the school’s final academic year. The last classes were held at St. Joseph Catholic School on May 31, 2007, ending 87 years of operation. The 1960 school building and church rectory were razed in September 2021. This vintage image of the 1920 St. Joseph school building is from the Williams County Public Library Huffman Photographic Archives.
