History of the Viborg and Hurley Schools
Viborg
Viborg school, 1898
Viborg’s first school building was a one-story wood frame structure measuring 24’ by 26’ with an additional wing on the north end of 22’ by 24’. It was located about where the infield is on the current north baseball field on the west side of S. State Street. It served the community from 1898 until replaced in 1902.
Viborg school, 1902-1917
The second building was a 2-story wood frame structure with an eventual addition to the northeast. It stood on the same spot as the 1898 building and served the district from 1902 through December of 1917.
Viborg school, 1918-2000
The 3rd school building, a 2-story brick structure with a basement that included a basketball gymnasium, was constructed in 1917 and opened in January of 1918. Ironically, the current brick First Baptist Church Roman temple-style building also opened for worship on the first Sunday of January in 1918. The brick school was located on the same lots as the current newest school structure. This site on the south side of West Park Avenue had previously been occupied by one of Viborg’s lumber yards which eventually went defunct. A detached regulation sized gymnasium/auditorium with a stage on the north end opened for the 1955-1956 school year. It was located to the west of the main building. An addition constructed in 1967 containing classrooms, offices, and a kitchen/dining room/commons area also served as a connection between the 1918 structure and the 1955 gymnasium.
Viborg school, 2000-present
This complex was demolished after the construction of the newest building was completed in 2000 just in time for the opening of the 2000-2001 school term. This structural change became mandatory since the old school was not handicapped accessible and did not meet current fire code standards. The cost to update the old facilities to meet modern codes did not seem reasonable.
Hurley
The original Hurley school building, constructed in 1883, lasted only one school year before it was deemed inadequate for the growing population of young families.
Hurley school, 1884-1902
A 2-story wood frame replacement for that original structure was completed in time for opening in November of 1884. Its location was between the Methodist Church and the present school building. This 2nd edifice served Hurley until its replacement in 1902.
Hurley school, 1902-1918
The 3rd Hurley school was a larger wood frame 2-story structure with a full basement. It served the Hurley district for 16 years when it was destroyed by a fire on September 9, 1918.
Hurley school, 1918-1942
School sessions were held in various buildings around town until a replacement 3-story brick structure opened for the fall 1921 term. This building served the community for the next 23 years until IT happened again!!
The 1942 Hurley school fire
Hurley school, 1946-2000
In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 8th of 1942, the schoolhouse that was built to be fireproof was destroyed by fire.
Once again the town churches, Legion Hall, other lodge buildings, and vacant houses were turned into classrooms and activity centers until the south half of the current school building opened during the winter of 1946. As a result of the failure of a 1999 referendum to join the Hurley and Viborg districts into one unified district, an addition to the north side of the 1946 Hurley building opened for the 2000-2001 school year.
Unification
Both Viborg and Hurley voted to unite into one school district beginning with the 2012-2013 school term. The Hurley school enrollment had fallen below the 100-student minimum for grades 9 thru 12 to receive state aid. In the final year of separate commencement services, Hurley graduated 4 seniors and Viborg graduated 21 seniors. The Hurley Bulldogs and the Viborg Vikings, which had formed a sports co-op for the previous two years, now officially became the Viborg-Hurley Cougars. The elementary school (pre-school through the 4th grade) and the high school (grades 9 through 12) are located in the Viborg building. The middle school (grades 5 through 8) is located in the Hurley building.
Viborg-Hurley Elementary/High School (in Viborg)
Viborg-Hurley Middle School (in Hurley)