Bosch Baháʼí School

The school ran for almost 50 years in Geyserville, California, as one of the three official Bahá’í Schools of the religion in America.[3]

The school was founded by the Bosches, who immigrated to America from Switzerland and were early converts in America to the Bahá’í Faith.[3] John David Bosch (1855-1946) immigrated in 1879, became naturalized in 1887,[4] and bought a 45 acres (180,000 m²) section[5] of a winery[6] on October 26, 1901 as his residence in Geyserville, California[5] not far from the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians and north of Healdsburg. Bosch began producing non-alcoholic grape juice,[7] joined the religion in 1905,[8] and was able to meet ʻAbdu'l-Bahá several times.[2]

Louise Sophie Stapfer (1870-1952) became a Baháʼí and met ʻAbdu'l-Bahá on a pilgrimage to ʻAkká in 1909.[2] She married John on January 19, 1914.[9] The germ of the idea of the school was voiced in 1919 in a letter to ʻAbdu'l-Bahá,[10] and became a specific plan in 1925 during a birthday party held on the Feast of Asma ("Names") for John's 70th birthday.[6] About 100 Bahá'ís gathered in 1926 a year later supporting the thought of the school.[11] A committee including Bosch, Leroy Ioas and George Latimer was formed and Bosch donated his ranch to be used.[6]

Shoghi Effendi, then head of the religion, asked that the school be "…a testing ground for the application of those ideals and standards that are the distinguishing features of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh."[12] The first official season came in 1927 with programs[13] to which forty people came, above the anticipated dozen,[11] from Santa Rosa, Cloverdale, Portland, and Vancouver.[14]

The committee was particularly conscious of the issue of the oneness of humanity because of communications with Louis G. Gregory and Sadie Mabry's recent talk at the national Bahá'í convention about the problem of race in America.[15] Gregory was invited and planned to present in 1932 though his plans changed by that summer and all his classes were taught by others.[16] African Americans are visible attending in photographs from 1938,[17] and from 1939,[18] and through much of the 1940s,[19] and some in the 1950s[20] one theme of the school was on racial diversity being a positive value including African Americans Rosa and John Shaw presence and talk in 1944 which was published in The Peoples Advocate.[21] African American Jeynne Stapleton[22] then of Sioux Falls, attended in 1946 too.[23] Race continued to be a theme echoed in the 1960s.[24]

There were talks about women leaders like Tahirih in and beyond the religion.[25]

Unity Feast was held near around opening day of the session nearing July 4, though the specific date varied year to year. Courses were held on the Bahá'í administration, social and core spiritual teachings, Bahá'í history, Bahá'í pilgrimages and would introduce a Bahá'í appreciation of other religious traditions like Islam, Native American traditions etc., and public speaking, classes for children and youth led activities, recreation and social events.[26]

In 1936 the property was deeded to the US National Spiritual Assembly.[6] 250 attendees came that year from India, Denmark, Peru, several provinces of Canada and western US states,[27] the end of which saw the announcement of construction for a new dormitory at a conference called by the National Spiritual Assembly at the site,[28] which was built in 1937 as a gift of Amelia Collins and her husband Thomas.[29][3]

The school, along with its sister facilities of Louhelen Bahá'í School and Green Acre Bahá'í School closed for 1949-1950 to ensure funds were focused on completing the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette for its dedication in 1952.[30]

Bosch himself died in 1946,[31] and his wife in 1952.[32]

The last year of classes held in Geyserville was for the winter session of 1972-3.[33] In 1973 the state of California finalized plans to expand the scenic Redwood Highway (HW101) including seizing the property through its eminent domain powers.[34] Discussions of the plans dated back at least to 1959,[35] and initial recommendations placed it east of the property,[36] and later discussions favored missing the property to the west.[37] Dwight W. Allen represented the Bahá'ís at one meeting.[38] Even as late as 1966 the Bahá'ís were investing in new construction[39] and hired an onsite property manager in 1967.[40] Ultimately they didn't need the actual school site so it was auctioned June 26, 1973, by the California State Highway Department.[5][3] There were six bidders for some 7.8 acres (32,000 m²) of land along Highway 101 and the initial winning bid intended to develop an outdoor training track.[3] The school was last administered by a committee and the resident manager Waldo T. Boyd, while the local Bahá’ís community in Northern Sonoma County with its spiritual assembly numbered about 30 adults.[3] The National Assembly appointed a committee of Firuz Kazemzadeh, John Kenton Allen, and John Cook to locate a new site for the school.[34]

The summer 1973 season was held at Monte Toyon Camp in Aptos, California.[41] The last session held at Geyserville was April 1974 as a farewell.[42] The Geyserville location was also used in 1980 [43] when the new owner of the land, Loreon Vigné, welcomed the Bahá’í to Isis Oasis Sanctuary which occupies ten acres of the original Bosch School site. Several subsequent Bahá’ís reunions have taken place there. John Bosch's residence (later the Library), the dormitory, the nine-pointed star garden, the Great Tree, and Mrs. Bosch's retirement cottage are all still in place.

• Olympian Marion Holley appeared numerous times starting in 1932 and on into the 1940s.[44][45]
• Artist Mark Tobey came as early as 1940.[45]
• Notable Bahá'ís Agnes Alexander[46] and Amelia Collins[47] addressed the attendees several times from the 1940s and 50s.
• In 1945 then California Attorney General Robert W. Kenny spoke at the school's public session[48]
• There were presentations by historian Firuz Kazemzadeh addressed the attendees many times in the 1940s and in 1957.[49]
• African American formerly an attorney general for Ohios Helen Elsie Austin came out in 1947 for a couple of presentations.[50]
• Actor O. Z. Whitehead spoke at the school in 1951.[51]
• Writer and prominent Bahá'í Florence Mayberry[52] and former Disney musical director Charles Wolcott[53] came in 1956 and Mayberry returned in 1957,[54] along with Dhikru'llah Khadem, a Hand of the Cause.[55]
• Retired police chief Robert B. Powers came out in 1958.[56]
• Richard St. Barbe Baker spoke in 1960 at the School.[57]
• Dizzy Gillespie visited in 1969.[58]

In 1987 Elderhostel (later Road Scholar), co-founder Martin Knowlton gave a talk on the program at Bosch, a program that began to be offered through the school.[67]

Five nearby communities held Ridván observance and seminars in Bahá'í governance and principles in 1980 as well,[68] and an open house in 1983.[69] The program in 1986 noted work in human relations, music, psychology, racial unity,[70] followed by ones on women's issues.[71] In 1988 it hosted an international conference on peace.[72] Across the fiscal year 1989-90 some 1900 Bahá'ís and some 375 non-Bahá'ís took part in programs, five-day sessions, winter sessions, academies, and classes, and with rentals to five other organizations.[73] Summer sessions were held in 1994 including subjects "The Destiny of America through Spiritual Transformation" and "The Most Vital and Challenging Issue".[74]

Wilmette Institute coordinated courses at Bosch in 1997,[75] and aided coordinating a meeting of the leadership of the Baha’i Schools of Bosch, Louhelen, and Green Acre in Jan 1998.[76]

In 2001 Bosch was among the places advertised for service opportunities of Bahá'í youth.[77]

In October 2010 video and music producer Robert Gillies traveled to California from Boston for a "Music Industry Weekend" meeting and then gave workshops and was part of panels on video production in the internet age and music production at Bosch.[78]

Bosch hosted the Irfan Colloquium in from 1998 through 2019 - events in 2020 and 2021 were delayed.[79]

Bosch Bahá'í School campus now comprises 85 acres (340,000 m²) including cabins, a dining hall, conference and prayer room, pools, a playground, a bookstore-cafe, and forested land with trails.[80] The property is used mainly for Bahá'í programs but is frequently leased out to nonprofit, educational, and/or service-oriented groups, and able to house 80 guests in 30 cabins/rooms and up to 175 attendees.[81] When it first opened it could host about 60 guests.[59] Year-round sessions are held on the religion and additional conferences and seminars in the summer and winter with room and board for a fee while being run mostly by volunteers.[80]

A hostage crisis occurred for a few hours in August 17, 1977, which was settled peaceably when a transit bus had been hijacked by a former school employee and forced to drive to the school where about 70 adults and 30 children were meeting.[82] He was found insane and committed to a state hospital.[83]

The school campus was in the path of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire that started on August 16, 2020. The school lost several cabins but the main buildings including the administration building, library, lodge, and Martha Root Hall did not sustain much damage as a result of the fire.[84]