Prairie school architect E.E. Roberts drew up the plans for the third public school in Forest Park and construction of the southside school started in 1907, the second floor was completed in 1909. The final cost of the construction was nearly $20,000.00, according to research from John Rice in 1994.
Eugene Field, the school’s namesake, was a writer and poet, known for his light gossipy style. He was born in 1850, during the period his father, Roswell Field, represented Dred Scott, a freed slave who fought unsuccessfuly to retain his freedom in a landmark Supreme Court case that still lives in infamy.
This photo from circa 1986 shows the old entrance to the Eugene Field School.
