Chick

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Chick

Joseph S. Chick School

50th & Elmwood

Principal: Mable Trumbo

Early in the summer of 1913 fourteen families, living west of the Blue River in the area of 50th & Elmwood Avenue, petitioned the Kansas City Board of Education for a school in their district. When a census was taken, it was found there were sufficient children of school age to establish a school. The petition was granted and the contract was let for a two room building in August, just 19 days before the start of the school year. The Blue Valley Land Co., which was developing the land west of the Blue River, offered the site, 200 feet west of Elmwood on the south side of 50th St. through to 50th St. Terrace, on which a school was built, with the understanding that the Board of Education would have the use of the ground for five years, provided it was used only for school purposes.

The school was completed in the 19 days prior to the start of the school year and was named Joseph S. Chick School in honor of a Kansas City pioneer. Enrollment on opening day was 21 students in grades one through six and classes were held in only one of the two rooms because problems arose with the families living east of the Blue River. Although that area had been included as a part of Kansas City, they could not be taken into the Kansas City School District. Later, after taking their case to Court, the Missouri Legislature passed a bill and the Kansas City Board of Education was allowed to accept those families to attend school in the School District.

Joseph S. Chick, Jr. was a prominent businessman in Kansas City and was the founder of the first banking house in Kansas City. He was born August 3, 1828 in Howard County, Missouri.