About Us:

The Soulsbyville area used to be included in the Curtis Creek School District. Citizens petitioned the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors to divide the Curtis Creek School District and formed the Soulsbyville School District on August 2, 1865. The Soulsbyville Methodist Church served as the first schoolhouse with a total enrollment of 23 students. The school received $2.50 per student to fund the total support of the school (including the library). In 1873, an additional $40 was sent for the teacher's yearly salary. On March 29, 1873, trustees advertised for a "male teacher" for the approaching term. The general opinion was that a "staid old maid could not handle a teaching job." The first teacher was a woman (Mrs. Owens), however, who was succeeded by fifteen year old Kittie Fahey. The school terms were only of three months duration at first. Later, students attended up to six month school terms.

The pupils sat in rows, 6 or 7 to a bench with a foot-wide board fastened with hinges to the row ahead. A movable leg held the board up to be used as a desk. There were no ink wells or grooves in the board, thus the pens often rolled to the floor with the least movement of the board. Finally, a row of nails near the top of the board to restrain the rolling pens completed the seating arrangements.

In 1883, a sum of $200 was raised to be used towards building a school house. On March 30, 1885, the first class attended in the new school building. In 1888, the school received title to the two lots on Soulsbyville Road. Caupolican Ortega was the teacher during this period of time. This era saw water being piped to the schoolhouse, a fence around the school yard and shade trees were planted shortly thereafter. The addition of a second classroom to house the younger children was built in 1898 along with the addition of a second teacher. During the spring of 1901, due to an outbreak of measles, scarlet fever and diphtheria, the school was temporarily closed down. By autumn term in 1905, 90 students attended Soulsbyville School.