Voices of Sheldon Jackson School and College

11/22/2024

Saturday December 7 11 am Historical walking tour of the Sheldon Jackson School National Historic Landmark

The public is invited to a free walking tour that will tell about the history and buildings of the former Sheldon Jackson School and College campus. The tour will start in front of Allen Hall in the center of the campus at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 7, and will conclude with coffee and cookies, historical materials and photos in Whitmore Hall.
The campus is originally called G̱eeyta.aan or Head of the Bay Town. How the school got started and its impact, experiences of graduates in the 20th century, the college buildings, and a bit about the impact of WWII on the school will also be part of the tour.
The tour will also show recent work, including accessibility improvements, historical restoration, and a new heating system in Whitmore Hall. The event is part of a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, administered by the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology.
Allen Hall is the building facing the water at the center of the historic quadrangle, and Whitmore Hall is just to its east. For more information call 738-7448.

11/29/2023

The public is invited to an open house at Tillie Paul Manor (109 Jeff Davis Street) 1 to 3 pm Sunday, December 10. There will be coffee and cookies as well as information about historic preservation, the history of this former Sheldon Jackson School infirmary, and the remarkable life and work of Tillie Paul (Matilda Kinnon Paul Tamaree, 1863-1955). Tillie Paul Manor will open as a hostel in spring of 2024. Restoration work on the building is supported in part by the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and the State of Alaska Office of History & Archaeology. For more information, call 738-7448.

10/16/2023

ALASKA NATIVE SOVEREIGNTY | Thursday, October 19, 7:00 PM | in person at the Anchorage Museum and virtual

SPEAKERS: Alex Cleghorn, David S. Case, and Rosita Kaaháni Worl

This is the first of a four-part lecture and panel series about major public policy issues facing Alaska. The first program, entitled “Alaska Native Sovereignty,” will consider the history of the relationship between Native groups and the federal government. Learn more and register: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/lecture-and-discussion-series/

10/12/2023

The public is invited to a reception, tour and a presentation about Sheldon Jackson High School on Sunday, October 15 at the Odess Theater in Allen Memorial Hall on the former Sheldon Jackson campus.
Snacks and coffee, with photos, yearbooks, and other materials on view, will open at 1 p.m.
A 45-minute walking tour of the campus starts at 2 p.m. from in front of Allen Hall.
At 3 p.m., former Sheldon Jackson High School Students and other historians and researchers will share experiences and history of Sheldon Jackson High School (1917 to 1967).

Events are free and open to the public. There will be historical photos, yearbooks and other materials on view, from both the high school and the college, and participants are encouraged to share photo identification and other stories. These events are part of a Historic Preservation Fund grant, administered by the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology, for restoration of the entry way of Whitmore Hall. For more information, call 738-7448 or email sjvoicesvideo at gmail.com.

11/06/2022

Recording courtesy of the son of the choir director. Enjoy!

Directed by Paul Biggins. The names of the students, on a page from the high school yearbook, is soon after the beginning.

09/30/2022

Important start to understanding the legacy of Native education in the United States, the Department of the Interior's initial report into federal Indian boarding schools.https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/inline-files/bsi_investigative_report_may_2022_508.pdf Sheldon Jackson School received government funding into the 1890s, under the name Sitka Industrial and Training School, and Sheldon Jackson himself was a central figure in the effort to erase Native culture, language and identity.
This initial report is fairly short and well worth reading.