These vintage pictures of our schools in Southern California from the early 1900s are quite the sight to see! Take a look at what these buildings looked like long before they were torn down, remodeled, or retrofitted to withstand an earthquake. If you love history like I do, you’re going to love looking at these photos from the past.
- A postcard capturing Anaheim Union High School circa 1910. I wonder if they were carpooling back then?
flickr/orange county archives
- A group of kids gathered on the steps at Newport Beach School in 1914.
flickr/Orange County Archives
- A distant shot of the same school on a postcard captures the remote area of its location at the time.
flickr/Orange County Archives
- Grammar School in Costa Mesa prior to being rebuilt in 1933 due to an earthquake. This was located on 19th and Newport.
flicr/orange county archives
- The original location of the El Toro School from the 1900s long before it was torn down in the ’80s due to an unstable structure.
flickr/Orange County Archives
- Newport Harbor High School as it looked when it was originally built in the 1930s. Isn’t that tower absolutely gorgeous?
flickr/Orange County Archives
- Santa Ana High School as photographed in the early 1900s.
flickr/Orange County Archives
- Central Grammar School in Huntington Beach in the 1920s surrounded by oil derricks.
flickr/Orange County Archives
- Orange Union High School in 1920. This is now the location of the auditorium at Chapman University. My how things change!
flickr/Orange County Archives
- Julia Lathrop Junior High School circa 1920s at 1120 S. Main Street in Santa Ana. It was eventually torn down in the ’70s after being deemed unfit to survive an earthquake. A new school was built on the same site.
flickr/Orange County Archives
I find it fascinating to go back in time. How about you? Do any of these schools in Southern California look familar to you? If they’re still standing, they’re hardly recognizable today.
flickr/orange county archives
flickr/Orange County Archives
flicr/orange county archives
If you enjoy SoCal history, you might also like to check out my post about what the major cities of Southern California looked like in 1910.
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