Omaha, Morris County
Land was first purchased for a public school in Omaha in 1892 and a large wooden building near the railroad tracks soon housed three teachers and 165 students. The community formed an independent school district in 1905 and built a new two-story brick structure the following year. It was enlarged as necessary, including the addition of a rock gymnasium erected by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1938 and 1940. After a tornado damaged the property in 1950, the school merged with nearby Naples at the urging of a wealthy oilman and rancher who promised financial backing for the consolidated district. The WPA gym was renovated for commercial use by its new owner. (1999) Incise on back: Glenda Brown Scarborough Sandra Smith Forsyth