Lincoln High School opened more than a century ago and holds so much rich history. My goal is to uncover some of that history. Through alumni interviews, reading 1930s newspapers, and tons of research, I have found some key moments in history that connect to our school. Here are a few of the most notable moments in Lincoln’s history that I believe should be known: 

Class of 1999:

Bet you haven’t seen this one! A thriller movie was filmed on Lincoln property and in the building during its closure. Directed by Mark L. Lester, this movie is a follow-up to the classic “Class of 1984”. Starring Bradley Gregg and Traci Lind, Lincoln is renamed Kennedy High School, and resides in a “free fire zone” where violence is out of control, and martial law is introduced to education. Teachers are robots, and the CIA works at the school to ensure a reduction of violence. The school is comprised of two gangs, a result of this dystopia, but they must unite when android teachers take over. This movie is an interesting one to say the least. With a 57% rotten tomato rating and a 49% audience approval, it’s not quite a cinematic masterpiece, but still a cool one to watch. If you’ve got some open time and some sanity to lose, check it out. 

Japanese Internment Camps:  

Following the bombing of pearl harbor, many Japanese Americans were under suspicion of being spies and forced into internment camps solely because of their race. We tend to think of this as something that happened long ago and is kind of a dystopian concept, but this event directly relates to Lincoln history and to Lincoln students. 49 Lincoln students with Japanese ancestry, many of whom were very active in the Lincoln community and destined for higher education or successful careers, were forced to forego those dreams and drop out of Lincoln. They were moved to the Minidoka internment camp in Southern Idaho. They were forced to live in makeshift stables, eat army rations, and work for less than $5 a day. Among the students in these internment camps was the editor of the school newspaper (The Totem), the class treasurer, the president of the boys’ Lynx Club and the girls’ Triple L. There was a school in Minidoka, called the Hunt School, but according to students, it failed miserably. Many students destined for success were forced to forego their education and normal lives because of xenophobia. 

Lincoln’s Opening:  

Lincoln was built after the capacity of Seattle’s first high school, Seattle High School, later named Broadway High School, was met in just four years, becoming Seattle’s third high school, after Franklin, which settles the argument of whether Ballard stole Lincolns’ school colors. It was built on Interlake Avenue because Greenlake and Fremont residents were in conflict over which neighborhood should have access to the school.  

This was almost 120 years ago, and this neighborhood has become far more populated 

and built up since Lincoln’s construction. The following photos fully caught me off guard, and I had to further examine them, because they don’t look like Lincoln at all. This is what our school would look like without all of the trees, concrete, and cars.