Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society

Artifact Of The Month - September 2005

The artifact of the month is a gold lapel pin which says “HHS 99.” The pin belonged to Edna Emmeline Metzger (Morrill). It was donated to the Healdsburg Museum in 1982 by Minerva Andrews. Edna Metzger was born in Geyserville, Sept. 19, 1881. Edna’s mother, Wilmas Varner, taught at the one-room Oriental School near Geyserville before she married Joseph Metzger. Edna’s father taught at the Guilford school and in Geyserville, before becoming Principal of the Geyserville school. He also played an important role in the establishment of Geyserville High School, and enjoyed handing out diplomas to Geyserville’s graduates.

Edna’s parents obviously valued education, and made sure that their children received the best education available at the time. For Edna, and her siblings, that meant going to Healdsburg High School because Geyserville did not yet have its own high school at the time. Edna Metzger was a member of Healdsburg High School’s graduating class of 1899.

Commencement Program - HHS Class of 1899

HHS Graduating Class of 1899 (Edna is 3rd from the left, back row.)

Edna would have attended high school in the upper half of the old Public School built in 1871, located on Tucker and East streets. Grades 6-8 were taught in the downstairs of the building, and the primary grades were taught in an adjacent building. The class of 1899 had 15 graduates, and commencement ceremonies were held at Truitt’s Theatre on Center Street. In August, 1898, the Healdsburg Tribune reported that at the last census report the district contained 633 school children, but the average daily attendance was only 323. This entitled the district to receive $7,144.00 in funding for the 1898-1899 school year.

Old Healdsburg School House, photo circa 1886

References:

“School Funds”, Healdsburg Tribune; Aug. 18, 1898.

“Commencement Exercises”, Healdsburg Tribune; June 15, 1899.

“Death of J.E. Metzger…”, Healdsburg Enterprise; January 22, 1925.

The above was researched and written by Whitney Hopkins

For more information about the Museum's collection of historical artifacts, contact the Museum.