Students and teachers stand in front of a two-story brick school building in this 6 1/2" x 4 1/2" black and white photograph. The building has large windows and an arch over the front entrance. Trees with bare branches dot the landscape around the building. The school appears to be in an isolated area, with no other buildings visible.
Omaha Public School Archive Collection / Educational Research Library
Local Accession/Call Number
Archive Files: Beals School File
Historical Notes
Beals Elementary School is located at 48th and Shirley Street. Two frame buildings, formerly Ambler and West Side Schools, were moved to 48th and Shirley. Along with a new two-room section, this U-shaped configuration became Beals School, named for Samuel DeWitt Beals, an early Omaha Public School Superintendent. In 1903, two of the three buildings were destroyed by fire. They were replaced by a brick structure. In 1913, one year after this photograph was taken, the Easter Sunday Tornado roared through Omaha, severely damaging the building. The roof was blown off, and several walls collapsed. Twelve people in the Beals neighborhood were killed, including one Beals student, Ebba Jepsen. Following the tornado, second and third grade students attended classes on the front lawn. It was reported in the April 15, 1913, edition of the Omaha Daily News that "The open-air school is a great success according to pupils and teachers who took part in the experiment. There was less disorder and less distraction of pupils' minds�
