75 years ago: 'New' Lincoln High set to open with science, homemaking rooms

75 years ago Population 2,410 (U.S. Census 1940 and 1950) New high school: The new Lincoln Union High School (Lincoln High) will open September 11. The new addition includes a science room equipped with laboratory facilities, dark room and aquarium for the teaching of general science, biology, physics and chemistry; four typical classrooms; commercial room for bookkeeping and typing; homemaking classroom; cafeteria; exercise room; boys and girls shower rooms, and shops. The homemaking room contains everything necessary to work under actual home conditions. There are five kitchen units, four with electric stoves and one gas range. Complete cabinets, sinks and work spaces are arranged in each unit. A fitting room with a three-way full-length mirror has been installed for the girls in the sewing group. Sewing equipment includes individual trays in which each student keeps her work which are fitted into a specially constructed table during each class session. Laundry equipment has been installed to teach this part of the homemaking course, and a dining unit placed under an egg-crate type overhang has been arranged to be used by the students in learning proper place setting and other niceties which will make them good hostesses. Among the other cleverly constructed features in this classroom is a combination tack board, chalk board and personal grooming unit which will be used by the girls. Throughout the entire new unit, careful planning and thought has been used to provide for emergencies. A fire alarm system in each unit; panic doors in the exercise room; sloping tops on all lockers to avoid unnecessary clutter and all doors opening onto main traffic lanes, recessed to avoid the danger of injuries to passersby. All plumbing that may require repairs has been left exposed for easier maintenance. Also, automatic night lights throughout the entire unit. Particularly pleasing to the eye is the lovely pale green tile used on the exterior, which was so generously donated by the Gladding, McBean Company. Blacksmith: For nearly 50 years, Fred Wortell catered to the needs of the farmers. His shop was located on the main street of Lincoln, (Lincoln Blvd.) between 4th and 5th Streets. He was the last of several blacksmiths who kept busy "week in, week out, from morn till night" in the early days, shoeing horses and mules, repairing harvest machinery and other ranch equipment. Twenty to thirty horseshoeing jobs a day for each of the six blacksmith shops in Lincoln were not unusual, but now electric and acetylene welding are better suited to modern needs so no longer do children coming home from school look in at the open door to see the flaming forge and hear the bellows roar. In 1938 when a big wind blew Fred Wortell's shop down, a roomy shop about 140 feet long, Fred replaced it with a small shop just large enough to accommodate a forge, an anvil and his tools. Despite the automobile and tractors supplanting the needs of a blacksmith, to a great extent Fred managed to keep busy until he was past 80 years of age. Note: This article written by Mrs. Abel Ahart. Blacksmithing equipment may be viewed at the Lincoln Area Archives Museum, Beermann Plaza, 640 5th Street. 50 years ago Population 3,179 (U.S. Census 1960 and 1970) Salary hikes: A budget for the 1975-76 fiscal year, which includes 9.8-percent salary increases for all district personnel, was adopted by the Western Placer Unified School District Board of Trustees Monday evening. The 9.8-percent figure met the amount sought by the negotiating committee of the Western Placer Teachers Association but fell short of the 12.2-percent hike asked by the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees Union Local No. 258, which represents some of the classified employees. The new salary schedule for certificated personnel ranges from a low of $9,318 to a high of $16,642. The administrative schedule has a range of $20,351 on the first step for primary school principal to a high of $29,473 at the top step for district superintendent. Fringe benefits, including dental, life insurance and longevity pay, sought by the teachers, got the axe as also did fringe benefits asked by the classified employees with the explanation from District Superintendent Orrin Hoffman that "the money just isn't there." The preliminary budget presented to the board at its May meeting showed an estimated beginning balance of $149,972, estimated income of $2,692,324, estimated expenditures of $2,727,734 and a reserve of $114,562. The revised version of the budget adopted Monday evening showed a beginning cash balance of $292,207.62; accounts receivable $43,056.21; estimated income of $2,693,324; accounts payable of $18,368.34; estimated expenditures of $2,960,590 and estimated reserve of $50,629.49. Hoffman explained the large difference between the preliminary budget beginning balance and the July version is resulting from $159,000 in reserve funds, $100,000 "rescued" from the previous budget by a "cut, squeeze and trim" policy and $42,000 in miscellaneous items. Items added to the preliminary budget include the $208,963 cost of salary adjustments; $5,000 administration, county counsel fee and general office operation, $22,775.50 second payment for Mary Beermann School sale; $1,685 fence for farm site; $12,000 for roof repairs; $600 repairs to audio-visual equipment and $628 bookkeeper salary for one month. The estimated tax rate is $4,146, down almost .18 cents from the original estimate of $4.32, which Hoffman said was in large part due to increased assessed valuation in the district. The tax rate is broken down at a $3.94 basic tax rate, .10 cents community service, and .106 cents state building repayment. 100 years ago Population 1,324 (U.S. Census 1900, 1910, and 1920) Grain elevator: The new annex to the local grain elevator of the Lincoln Grain Growers, Inc., has been completed so far as to permit the storing of bulk grain; at present grain is pouring into the elevators at the rate of about sixty truck loads per day. The association has more than doubled the capacity of their plant, and not only has the corporation built the new elevator, but have also made additional storage room in which to store sacked grain. They have also added considerable machinery with which to adequately care for their fast-growing business. A new triple loading platform has been installed which proves a great convenience to the plant. The corporation now employs six men. When completed the corporation will have spent some $10,000 in improvements which will greatly facilitate the handling of grain through its course as it is taken into the pit. The capacity of the new elevator is 85,000 bushels; and that of the old elevator with all the machinery is some 60,000 bushels, besides what is stored in the warehouse. The progress of the Lincoln Grain Growers has been remarkable, a feat we are glad to note with any community venture. Note: The grain elevators were located behind what is now known as the Butterfield/Jansen Building, 490 Lincoln Boulevard. The building was the home of Jansen & Sons, a grain and feed business, from 1907-1990. Fruit: Frank Lyles, manager of the Lincoln Fruit Growers, has already shipped to date 82 cars of fruit from the packing house in Lincoln. It is estimated that some eighty cars will be shipped from this packing house this season. Ad: The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce wrote the following advertisement: Lincoln – "a better place to live" for the worker and home maker. Lincoln has orchards, ranches and vineyards, besides a payroll of $40,000 weekly. Write them for anything you wish to know about Lincoln.