Platteville, WI. – The Wisconsin Historical Society placed the Rock School and Hanmer Robbins School Complex (Platteville, Grant County) on the State Register of Historic Places on May 14, 2021.
The Rock School and Hanmer Robbins School, are located side by side, approximately four blocks east of downtown Platteville, Wisconsin. Constructed in 1863 and 1906, respectively, the two buildings serve as reminders of the earliest days of public education in the city of Platteville. The Rock School was completed in 1863 and was Platteville’s first public primary school. Hanmer Robbins School was built in 1906 as Platteville’s first purpose-built public high school. The two schools are uniquely positioned on the same property, and together, reflect two distinct phases of educational practice on a single campus. They each represent a distinct period of educational philosophy: the Rock School representing the early development of graded school education, and the Hanmer Robbins School reflecting the evolution of educational best practices which called for a separate, purpose-built high school for secondary education.
The State Register is Wisconsin’s official list of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin’s heritage. The State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society administers both the State Register and National Register in Wisconsin.
To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.