Historic Photo: New Glarus School and Its Old Guard
A 1925 photograph captures the east-facing New Glarus school, its 1914 addition and the cannon known as “The Old Guard,” a landmark that later inspired the student newspaper and survived to become part of the Swiss Historical Village.
For generations of New Glarus students, the imposing brick school at 413 Sixth Ave. was more than a place for lessons. It was a community landmark whose expanding walls reflected the growth of the village and whose unusual lawn ornament gave a lasting name to student journalism.
This photograph, taken by Sherwin Gillett in 1925, looks west across the school grounds toward the building’s east-facing entrance. The original school is the large section on the right, distinguished by its steep roof, decorative brickwork, arched windows and prominent tower.
The school opened in 1897 and initially served both grade school and high school students. By 1914, however, the building was already crowded, and a large addition was constructed on its south side. That addition is the attached section visible on the left side of the photograph.
Although the two sections were built 17 years apart, the addition was designed to closely match the original school. Its brick exterior, stone foundation, tall windows and sharply pitched roof make the expanded structure appear almost seamless.
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