Eli Pinney Elementary School is named after Eli Pinney. He was known as Eli or “Sparky,” and was a lifelong resident of the Dublin community. He was named after his great grandfather, Dr. Eli Pinney, who was the second medical doctor in the village of Dublin.
Eli Pinney was a “stone” artist. In many ways, his stone fences and bridges created the personality for Dublin as we know it today. The houses are framed in stone many of which are built in limestone.
Eli’s father Frank was a stone mason and didn’t want Eli to become a stone mason. When the Dublin Bridge was being built as a WPA work project, in 1935, Frank Pinney was the foreman and refused to hire Eli.
Eli went behind his father’s back and had Clark Coffman hire him for the job. He did so well he was hired for the upper deck of the bridge.
Eli was a leader in Dublin and donated time to the community as a scout leader and coach. His friend, James E. Richards said, “what I remember most was his friendship, integrity, and leadership.”