HISTORY OF BRENTFORD
SOUTH DAKOTA - USA
Articles of interest from South Dakota
The 1st article of BRENTFORD, South Dakota:-
Brentford School Reunion
BY MELISSA KAUTH
Brentford, SD is wee-bit of a town in the northeast corner of
Spink County in South Dakota. What it lacks for in size it more than
makes up for in personality. On July 9 and 10 alumni and former students of
the once Brentford High School will have the opportunity to attend the
eighth all school reunion. Brentford School first organized almost 100 years
ago in 1907. The school was booming during its time. In 1921 so many students
attend the school that they started a bus route with four buses. By the
end of the year they added another. When Brentford first started only three
years of high school was required to graduate. In 1914 classes were started
to include the fourth year of high school. Louis Vollmer returned to BHS to
take that fourth year of school, making him the only person in Brentford
School history to graduate from BHS twice. While in school students
participated in basketball, track and baseball. In 1935 Brentford fielded
the very first six man football team in South Dakota, coached by Laurence
Stuck. Brentford had many outstanding teams during its time. In 1966 it
was voted to combine Brentford School with Mellette, Mansfield, Northville,
Athol and Ashton School, with a new school built in Mellette to accommodate
the Junior and Senior High School. The class of 1967 was the last class to
graduate from Brentford High School. Students were then bused to Northville
until 1970 when they were moved to the new "Northwestern" School building
in Mellette. In 1980 all of the grades were together in Mellette and the
doors of BHS were finally closed permanently. When the old school of
Brentford was in the process of being torn down, a group of gentlemen
sitting at the elevator discussing the demolition decided the bell and the
blocks with ‘Boys’ and ‘Girls’ from the entrance doors should be saved. The
bell and pillars were then made into a monument and placed in the city park.
During the reunion of July, 1985 the monument was dedicated and a time
capsule was buried. The time capsule is scheduled to be opened during the
reunion. The BHS reunion will begin on July 9 at the Ramkota Inn, in
Aberdeen with registration starting at 4 p.m., with the banquet to follow at
7 p.m. A picnic will be held at the Brentford Legion Club on Sunday, July 10
at 1 p.m. Spouses of deceased graduates and any former students of BHS are
cordially invited to the festivities. For more information contact:
Brentford School Reunion, %Lewis Borge, 625 16th Ave. N.E., Aberdeen, SD
57401 or borgelew@nvc.net by May 1. Co-chairpersons for the 2005 reunion are
Gwenneth Goldin Jackson and Phyllis Borge Halvorson, both graduates of the
class of 1955.
