Peterson Elementary School celebrated 150 years of educating youngsters with displays, refreshments, a history lesson (naturally) and tours of Little Red, the best-known building on campus.
Swedish immigrant Daniel Peterson donated land for a school.
Peterson, at 9710 W. Central, is the oldest school in Wichita USD 259 operating at its original location, although it started out as a county school known by another name.
The Dec. 13 event drew about 300 people, many of them former staff and students. “Pretty much all of them came because they had a tie to Peterson,” Principal Matt Phillips said. “It’s just a good reminder of how special the community and people here at Peterson are.”
According to a history compiled by retired teacher Deanne Alexander, the land for Peterson was donated by Daniel Peterson, who emigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1866, living for a time in Leavenworth. Peterson’s brother followed two years later, only to die a few days after his arrival. Daniel Peterson married his widowed sister-in-law, Carrie, and the two homesteaded in Sedgwick County near Wichita in 1870.
The couple apparently loved children. They had eight children of their own and adopted another family of four orphaned children in 1903. Two great-great-grandchildren of the Petersons — Roz Hutchinson and Bruce Rowley — attended the anniversary celebration
In 1875, Peterson donated farmland on the southeast corner of his 160-acre homestead for a school. A shed-type building was built and classes commenced on Dec. 13 of that year. The teacher, Mary (Mollie) Benton was paid $25 per month.
Peterson was originally in School District 69 and was called Prairie Rose School. A new white frame building was erected and named for Daniel Peterson in 1898. That was replaced in 1931 by “Little Red,” a brick one-room schoolhouse with room for 40 desks — the school accommodated students in grades 1 through 8 — and a coal furnace in the basement. Little Red was also used for monthly covered-dish meetings and other community gatherings.
Although replaced by the current building and additions in the 1950s, Little Red continues to be used as a flexible teaching space, having served as speech room, band room, art room and more. Currently, it’s used by the Parent as Teacher program.
In 1960, residents voted to be annexed into the Wichita school district. Enrollment at Peterson peaked at 660 students in the 1992-93 school year. There are currently 317 students in Pre-K through 5th grade.
