One of the goals of the Farmington Area Historical Society (FAHS) is to document the changes the Farmington area has seen in the past and the changes occurring today.

These changes and their stories, recorded in the form of photographs, maps, newspaper articles and oral histories, will be made available to present and future generations for their benefit.

If you were to stand in the middle of Oak Street and look toward Third Street, as the photographer did when this photograph was taken, you can see the changes - what was lost and what was gained.

The train depot, sidewalks, fire well, all of the trees and most of the buildings are gone. A wide, well lit paved street, a small park with the fire bell, modern buildings and young trees have taken their place.

Change is conflict. And conflict makes for good stories. The concrete sidewalks in the 1911 photo replaced wooden sidewalks at an unwanted expense to objecting residents and business along Oak Street.

Horse and buggies were no match with automobiles for the use of the street. The rules of the road and the road itself had to change.

The installation of a sanitary sewer system before the streets could be paved was the cause for one of the most dramatic changes in the community.

Improperly joined sewer pipes, sloppy construction work, and an indifferent mayor who refused to listen to residents concerned about the problem, led to the removal of Mayor Dr. Warren Dodge and the entire council by provoked citizens.

The new mayor and council sued the contractor and hired a new firm to do the work correctly.

As the FAHS works to document the many changes the Farmington area has seen and will see, so will the FAHS document the stories of conflict, compromise and accomplishment that accompany them.

Farmington’s 1969 School And Its Promise For A Brighter Future

Farmington is no stranger to growth. Generation after generation of Farmingtonians dealt with the affects of growth. Some generations ignored it and complained about it while other generations welcomed it and the opportunities and challenges that came with it.

The first to feel growth's influence are the schools.

In 1867 Farmington was the fastest growing community in Dakota County. Its population skyrocketed from a few farm families in 1856 to more than 500 people a decade later.

A small, two-room wooden primary schoolhouse, frequently in need of repair, housed Farmington's public school children. Two instructors, William Cope, and Miss Williamson, had the Herculean task of educating 180 students. Williamson taught 101, Cope 79.

Farmington's second educational institution, the Thayer's school, was a private religious school. To remedy the problem of the public school, Farmington's residents met in May 1867 and decided to have a new schoolhouse built. The estimated expenditures were $1,500.

Dr. Levi Dodge, the school board's director, Leroy Fluke, its treasurer, and Knight Record, its clerk, began to look for a design to fit the budget.

A design by the engineering firm of Hyde and Plumey was chosen and the contract to construct the building was awarded to a Minneapolis firm.

The plans for building the new school were set aside in January 1869 when the school board attempted to break their contract with Cope siting he had taught students at his home while the wooden school house was being repaired.

The school board considered that a breach of contract. The community thought otherwise. Fluke and Record stood firm in their desire to dismiss Cope. The community called a special meeting at Thayer's school and passed resolutions condemning the school board and took measures to retain Cope. They examined the treasurer's accounts to see if they were accurate and examined the condition of the primary school. The school board backed down and Cope stayed on the job.

Construction began on the new school in March 1869.