Historic Campus
The Campus formerly known as Sheldon Jackson School is a National Historic Landmark that was gifted to Sitka Fine Arts Camp in 2011.
The Campus formerly known as Sheldon Jackson School is a National Historic Landmark.
HISTORY
The school began as a Presbyterian mission for Native children in 1878 and moved to the current site in 1884.
In 1917, Sheldon Jackson became a high school, with college programs added in the 1940s.
In 1967 the high school closed, and Sheldon Jackson became a private college until it shut down in June of 2007.
The school left a complicated and difficult legacy. Sitka Fine Arts Camp acknowledges and shares the stories of those who lived and worked here in the past, and the many facets of meaning this place holds.
The history and significance of the school is documented as Voices of Sheldon Jackson School and College, a series of interpretive signs on campus and a website.
In 2011, Sitka Fine Arts Camp was gifted the historic Sheldon Jackson Campus. The campus had been closed for four years and was in a state of complete disrepair.
REVITALIZIATION
Since 2011, Sitka Fine Arts Camp has overseen one of the most extraordinary grassroots volunteer stories in our country: the revitalization of this National Historic Landmark.
Between 2011 and 2015 one thousand volunteers (one ninth of Sitka’s population) logged over 45,000 volunteer hours rebuilding the campus, demonstrating unprecedented community support and giving the Sitka Fine Arts Camp a permanent home.
Strong volunteerism and donor support continue, demonstrating the value that Sitka Fine Arts Camp holds for our community and state.
Join us in revitalizing the Sitka Fine Arts Campus so that it can be a resource for Alaskans for decades to come.
Help Keep the Magic of Camp Alive
Your support helps make transformative arts experiences possible for students across Alaska and beyond.