In 1890, School District 69 of Mahtomedi was formed. The spring term of 1890 was its first session and was held in the back of E.T. Warner’s store until a more permanent location could be found. The first structure was completed along Quail Street in time for the fall session of 1891. Students in Mahtomedi who wanted to continue on to high school had to leave their community to do so; most attended school in White Bear Lake or North St. Paul, which were readily accessible by streetcar.
By 1930, it was evident that the community wanted a high school of its own. On May 16, 1930, voters turned out to support the school bond issue with a vote of 228 for and 41 against a new building. By June, a small parcel of land was purchased adjacent to property already owned by the district, and the location of the new high school was set. Construction began that September and a grand opening was held on April 13, 1931.
The first classes began in the new building on September 8, 1931, with grades five through 10 in the newly completed structure. Grades one through four continued in the former Mahtomedi School. The new Lincolntown High School, which was named to include the greater geographic area where the school would draw its students, saw its first graduating class in June 1934 with 16 graduates. Athletic fields and extracurricular activities, such as band, quickly became a part of the fabric of the community.
Between 1970 and 1972, the current Mahtomedi High School building was planned and built on Stillwater Road east of Mahtomedi, and the former Lincolntown High School building was used as the middle school until a new middle school near the new high school was built. Today, the original building is gone, but the site is now the location of the Mahtomedi District Education Center.
For more information on the history of Mahtomedi High School, visit the White Bear Lake Historical Society website.
