Eugene Field Elementary School

Who was Eugene Field?

Eugene Field was one of the few poets who wrote only children's poetry. That is how he got his nickname, The Children's Poet. He was born in Saint Louis on September 2, 1850, at 634 South Broadway. His mother died when he was only six. While living on his cousin's farm in Massachusetts, Eugene wrote his first poem. He was nine then, and the poem was about their cousin's dog, Fido.

Eugene went to college at William's College in Massachusetts, at Knox College in Illinois, and then to the University of Missouri. He worked for many newspapers including the Chicago Daily News. He wrote many poems loved by children. In 1895, Eugene Field died at the age of 45. One of his most famous poems was Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

West School

Eugene Field School was first named West School and opened its door in 1893. In 1924, West School was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt as a three-story facility providing more square footage than the previous building.

Due to the larger building and the need for more land around the school, the city closed Pearl Street. This allowed the building to expand, with part of the new structure sitting on the old street bed. More land was then added to the south and west of the building for playground space and baseball fields.

In 2000, the Hannibal community passed a bond issue that allowed Eugene Field to add a new addition to the building. The addition became a new gymnasium/cafeteria, renovated office area, and three additional classrooms. Air-conditioning was also added to the new area and office areas. All classrooms were wired for Internet access.

Since 1893, the following principals have provided leadership at Eugene Field. 
They are: A.H. Foreman (1893 to 1920), Norvel Romjue (1920 to 1929), Henry Reger (1929 to 1955), Charles O Christian (1955 to 1977), Larry Degitz (1977 to 1999), Susan Johnson (1999 to 2004), Erin Conn (2004-2007), and Vicki Dudding is the new principal as of August 2007. Many of our building staff members have put in over 25 years at the school before retirement.

Eugene Field School has always been a progressive school. In 1988 it joined six other elementary schools in the state of Missouri to begin a project called "Accelerated Schools." The program was designed by Henry Levin of Stanford University and has now grown to become a national movement for innovative schools.

Eugene Field is one of the few neighborhood schools remaining. Almost all of our students are within walking distance from the school.

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