Then and Now: Walker School

In 1894 there were five school buildings in use: the Center (sometimes spelled Centre), North, South, East and West schools.  The largest was the Center School which was built in 1888 and demolished in 1980. 

In 1896, the town built its second multi-room schoolhouse, the Walker School. You can see the school here in the Then picture, standing facing towards Church Street. 

The town purchased the parcel of land on which to build the school from Mrs. France B. Hiller for $500. 

At the time, Hiller was probably the town's wealthiest resident and owned a great deal of the surrounding property and buildings. 

Her first husband's laboratory (now Masonic Hall), her cranberry bog (now Rotary Pond and Rotary Park), her cranberry house (no longer standing), her house (now the dentist office behind the Bank of America), and her second husband's real estate office (a vacant building adjacent to B of A) were all part of the same parcel of land on which the school was built.

The town contracted John W. Wilson to build the school and the total cost of the project was $6,903.60

One of the Walker School's first teachers was Sylvia E. Prescott and during the late 1890s she was paid a salary of $360, only $10 per week for thirty-six weeks!

In 1955, the former Hiller Cranberry bog across from the school (which was no longer being harvested and had turned into a mosquito-infested swamp) was drained and filled to become Rotary Park. 

The Walker School continued to serve the elementary grade students from first to fifth grade of the central and soutwest parts of town up through the 1960s.  Once students were done with fifth grade they would then carry on their lessons at Center School.

The Town spent 15 years constructing seven new schools and by mid-70s, the Walker School was converted into the Education Department's Special Education classrooms and offices. 

In June 1980, the school was closed and emptied of its furnishings, although during the summer months it was used as a youth center.  In November 1980 the building was permanently shuttered.  It was demolished in October 1985.  

A few years after the demolition, a park featuring a basketball court and playground equipment was built.  The park remained until the parcel of land was chosen as the site for a new combined police and fire station. 

In 1999, the Annual Town Meeting voted to name the new building the Wilmington Memorial Public Safety Building and, later that year, ground was broken.  In June 2001, the building was completed and occupied and in October a formal dedication of the building was held.

Historical information for this article was provided by Paul Chalifour who spoke with numerous historical commission persons to obtain accurate data.