History of the Holman Mission House
We gathered most of this information from "Presbyterian Mission Work in New Mexico" by Alice Alta Blake. (Aquamarine Publications, 1997). The school was opened in 1882 and closed in 1968. The property was rented out until purchased by Mr. Hanks.
The House
The house was built for the teachers at the school. They had been living in a flat roofed house with attendant leaks bad enough to require an umbrella over the bed in rainy weather. Mr. Holman donated a parcel of land in 1902 and in 1903 saw completion of "three comfortable rooms with a modern roof". Ms. Blake refers to this building as the "teacher's college".
Another room was added in 1918. We believe this was the present living room. Since there are five rooms, it still leaves some mystery about one room.
The School
School was held in a room of Mr. Holman's property until a two room school house was built in 1915. The third room was constructed in 1923 for "primary work and general activities of the community".
Out Buildings
The cafeteria was at one time the shop, as evidenced by some of the signs and some graffitti. We don't have any idea about the construction dates. Use as a cafeteria is fairly recent, since one of our neighbors recalls the first meal of "oatmeal and peaches". There is evidence of old floor joists sticking through the north wall at ground level, so the concrete floor is presumably a replacement.
The well house probably dates to installation of the electric pump and header tank.
The old garage / carriage house had its vigas (ceiling joists) cut off at the walls and only a bit of hinge to indicate that it once had doors. The wooden floor is intact except for near the door, but the back (south) wall has slipped several inches down the slope and the west wall is badly undercut by erosion. Sadly it is beyond repair.