The beginning:
The cornerstone for the first Concord Normal School building was laid during the month of February in 1874. The finished product was a small wooden building approximately 39 X 48 feet, two stories high, and had four rooms.
The first class was held on May 10, 1875. There were no doors, no windows, and no heat. It was unpainted with rough wooden partitions between the rooms. The only seats were benches made from boards left over from building.
On chilly days, the students would go outside to warm themselves by fires built from brush and scraps of wood. There was no bell to signal the students to classes; with pioneer ingenuity the principal used a cow horn to summon the students.
After the construction of the brick building in 1885, the old wooden building was used as a barn.