An old black and white photo of Lincoln School with vintage cars parked on the street in front. (Courtesy photo)
Vintage cars are parked out front of the old Lincoln School. (Courtesy photo)

The community is invited to celebrate Lincoln Elementary School’s 150-year anniversary party and all-year alumni reunion, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at Shoreline Park. 

Hamburgers, soft drinks and cake will be served at no cost. The ceremony and cake cutting will be at 1 p.m.

Marvin Gibson, alum, will lead the ceremony with a tribute, followed by an open mike for sharing memories of Lincoln School.

Lincoln School was Santa Barbara’s first elementary school, built in 1870, at the corner of Cota and Santa Barbara streets. It served the downtown neighborhood until its closure in 1979.

The site was sold to the city of Santa Barbara and has been the location of the city’s Cota Street parking lot for 40 years. The property is now slated to become the home of the city’s new police station.

“Lincoln school must never be forgotten,” said Chuck Bischof. “It was the downtown school for the working class, with many wonderful stories.”