05/04/2026
With the Cape Forchu Lighthouse lantern room getting a fresh coat (or three!) of paint, it got us thinking about the stories this place could tell.
Did you know there was a school here as early as 1807? Local families built it themselves, using whatever materials they had on hand. It was just a small one-room schoolhouse, but it meant everything to a community that truly valued learning.
Over the years, things weren’t always easy—low enrollment and a shortage of teachers made keeping the school going a challenge. But in 1909, the community pulled together once again to build a new school that served both Cape Forchu and Stanwood’s Beach. That school stayed part of daily life here until the 1950s.
It’s pretty incredible to think about the generations who passed through those doors.
If you’d like to learn more, the full article—researched and written by Mike Cunningham—is shared in the photos.
