Opened on November 28, 1876, the Fourth Ward school was built to honor the nation's centennial. The majestic four-story building could accommodate over 1000 students, and boasted state-of-the-art heating, ventilation, and sanitation systems, as well as water piped to all floors. The Territorial Enterprise called the new Fourth Ward School "The finest structure of the kind in Nevada," adding "If it is our pride today, the time is not far distant when it will be our glory as well." Virginia City, at the center of the vibrant Comstock Mining District founded in 1859, suffered from serious overcrowding of its public and private schools. The community welcomed the addition of sixteen classrooms.
The ghost of Miss Suzette, a former teacher, still walks across the schoolyard.
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