Central School History

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=108 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03e6c683.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#336699" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Central School History</FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>   </B></FONT><A HREF="http://www.jaspercountyschools.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.jaspercountyschools.org/"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>  </B><B> </B><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Carthage"><U><B>Carthage School</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Central School"><U><B>Central School</B></U></A></div> <div> First Central School</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="792" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 946 WIDTH="786"><div> On March 9, 1870, a mass meeting was held at Carthage to discuss the subject<I><IMG SRC="0e98d540.png" border=0 width="397" height="340" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> of building a public school.  The meeting was presided over by Judge O. H. Picher and a number of ringing speeches were made favoring the building of a schoolhouse in keeping with the growing need of the Queen City.  It was decided to ask the school board </div> <div> to submit the question to the people of voting $30,000 for the building of a new school, and the question carried by a large majority.  At </div> <div> the succeeding spring election the following gentlemen were elected members of the board and looked after the details of the building:  Jacob W. Young, D. S. Thomas, W. H. Phelps, C. C. Colby, S. B. McMerrick and  </div> <div> J. Brownsell.  The building was erected on a site containing two and one half acres of land and was patterned after the High School of Richmond, Indiana.</div> <bR> <div> The school was ready for occupancy for the fall term.  The following were the teachers </div> <div> who first occupied this building and mapped out the course of study first pursued:  S. M.</div> <div> Dickey, principal; S. B. Ormsby, M. L. Boyden, S. E. Brooks, L. C. Merwin, Jennie Herrington,</div> <div> Leba C. Stephenson and J. W. Wilson, teachers.</div> <bR> <div> It will be noted that six of the eight teachers were men.  J. C. Mason of Vermont became</div> <div> principal of the Carthage schools in 1875 and served two years.  Professor Mason greatly</div> <div> strengthened the schools, but resigned in 1877 to accept the superintendency of the school</div> <div> at Joplin.  He was succeeded by L. Willson, who was named principal of the high school.  Wilson prepared a formal high school curriculum which was adopted by the school board.</div> <div> The first graduating class, having completed requirements of three years of secondary level</div> <div> instruction, was graduated in May, 1878.  </div> <bR> <div> Ward schools were developed during this period and eventually all elementary level instruction</div> <div> was moved to those institutions and the Central school building was devoted exclusively to</div> <div> secondary school endeavors.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Sources:  History of Jasper County, 1912</I></div> <div> <I>Carthage High School Mural Booklet, Class of 1931, by Marvin VanGilder</I></div> <bR> <div> The cost of the Central school building and furniture was $33486.13</div> <div> <I>The Carthage Banner, September 28, 1871.</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> New Central School</div> <div> In 1889 the city of Carthage built a new red brick school building to serve as a high school.  </div> <div> It was located on Chestnut street between Main and Grant streets, just south of the first Central</div> <div> school. The building was built by George B. Wood. The original Central school now accommodated </div> <div> the seventh and eighth grades of the town.  Ward schools were started throughout the town to serve </div> <div> the lower grades.  </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="094bca60.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="422" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The red brick building came to be known as the Central school and served as the high school</div> <div> until 1905.  The original Central school building located to the north of the red brick building</div> <div> was torn down in 1904 to make way for a new high school building.  </div> <bR> <div> Article about the original Central School from <I>The Carthage Press, </I>1929 Twenty Five Years Ago:</div> <div> <I> </I>"The Central school bell rang as such for the last time at 7:30 o'clock Tuesday morning.</div> <div> Contractor Ellis Jackson began demolishing the old school building and tackled the bell the</div> <div> first thing, ringing it for about three minutes as a parting farewell to the community.  When the</div> <div> building is down, erection of the new $75,000 high school will be started on this site".</div> <bR> <div> When the new high school opened, seventh and eighth graders moved into the red brick Central</div> <div> school building.  In 1917 Central school became the Manual Arts school after the construction of </div> <div> Eugene Field, Mark Twain and Hawthorne schools.  It was demolished in 1950 to make way for a </div> <div> new high school gymnasium.  </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="095bc7c0.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="380" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Central School view showing 1905 Carthage High school to the north.</div> <bR> <div> Urges New High School</div> <div> On October 12, 1899 <I>The Carthage Press </I>said editorially:</div> <div> "New residences are not the only need of Carthage.  New school buildings are demanded.  And,</div> <div> what is more, they will need to be built very soon, particularly a new high school building.  The </div> <div> present structure is far too small for the growing army of students.  </div> <div> "The present Central building (1870) is old and its architectural design is not what is should be. </div> <div> The present high school building (1889) should be made the Central and the present Central</div> <div> be torn away to make room for a commodious, attractive high school building of which the </div> <div> city may be proud during the next quarter of a century.  Not only that but it should be superior in</div> <div> every way to any similar building in Jasper county or the southwest.  This city is wealthy and can</div> <div> afford it."</div> <bR> <div> The last classes were held in the 1870 Central school in the spring of 1903.  During construction</div> <div> of the new 1904 high school, the seventh and eighth grades met in the old Westminister church</div> <div> building on the southeast corner of Grant and Chestnut and at "Miss Brooks School" on the </div> <div> southeast corner of Sixth and Maple.  High school classes were still held in the 1889 building.</div> <div> When the new high school opened in 1905, seventh and eighth graders moved to the 1889</div> <div> Central school building.  </div> <bR> <div> Not only did the new 1904 school serve the community for the next quarter of the century, it</div> <div> continues to serve the people of Carthage today.</div> <bR> <div> 1899 Central School Teachers</div> <div> High school--Edwin Gray, principal; Carrie Hammons, history; Esther Pratt, English; Loula Van Neman,</div> <div> biology and botany; A. F. Hendrix, mathematics; S. W. Howland, Latin and German; Mabel P. Dow, </div> <div> English and physical culture; Winfred Bryan, manual training; Florence Fabyan, drawing; J. N. Whybark,</div> <div> vocal music; Blanche Chase, librarian.  (1889 building)</div> <bR> <div> Grade school--W. C. Barnes, principal; Ethel Nuget, Lyda Perry, Janet Schueman, Ora M. Cupp, Hattie</div> <div> Perry, May C. Biffer.  (1870 building)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="18551bc0.jpg" border=0 width="593" height="700" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map (1870 Central building)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="18b49f50.jpg" border=0 width="585" height="757" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 1893 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map (1870 and 1889 Central Schools)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="191bc120.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="530" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map showing the 1904 and 1889 schools.</div> <bR> <div> The New High School</div> <div> Few of our citizens have any idea of the beauty and convenience of the inside arrangements and finish</div> <div> of our new High School building.  A tour through the building will well repay any one and should he follow</div> <div> the example of a Press representative, he will begin with the basement where, is the center of the edifice,</div> <div> will be found the four large furnaces that thoroughly heat and ventilate the building.  Beside a large coal</div> <div> cellar and lumber room, there are, in the basement, two good-sized rooms which are being finished up for </div> <div> use, one being fitted as a laboratory.  Ascending to the first floor we find spacious halls running east and west</div> <div> and north and south and opening on the school yard.</div> <bR> <div> In the southwest corner of the building are situated the superintendent's office and the school library, both well</div> <div> lighted and well arranged, and finished, as are all the rooms, with a wainscoting of hard pine finished in oil, the</div> <div> windows and doors being of the same material.  The southeast room on this floor is the gem of the whole, having</div> <div> two beautiful double windows on the south with ornamental sashes and a suspicion of cathedral glass.</div> <bR> <div> Going on to the second story, we find that arranged especially for the High School, the south side of the building </div> <div> being left in one great study room with single seats to accommodate 144 pupils.  On the north are the recitation rooms</div> <div> of Prof. Dodd and Miss Stewart, the latter having twenty-five double desks that can be used by an overflow from the</div> <div> main study room.  In Prof. Dodd's room are only recitation seats, but of a construction new and wonderful, having</div> <div> arms, so to speak, that will form desks for the studious and supports for the tired pupils.  Each room has a small,</div> <div> well lighted cloak room and a small closet for the exclusive use of the teacher.  The desks are of the most approved</div> <div> style and construction and are of poplar in the natural color.  The stairs, which are composed of flights of only eight or </div> <div> ten steps with hand rails to prevent the injurious running up and down long flights to which school children are addicted,</div> <div> are broad, deep and "easy."  In fact, the whole structure is, in our estimation, a model one and makes the weary pencil </div> <div> move long for youth and school days once more.  Go see it.</div> <div> <I>The Carthage Press, 31 Oct, 1889, page 3, column 1</I></div> <bR> <div>  <script language="JavaScript1.2"> /* Disable right click script II (on images)- By Dynamicdrive.com For full source, Terms of service, and 100s DTHML scripts Visit http://www.dynamicdrive.com */ var clickmessage="Please send an email if you would like a copy of this photo." function disableclick(e) { if (document.all) { if (event.button==2||event.button==3) { if (event.srcElement.tagName=="IMG"){ alert(clickmessage); return false; } } } else if (document.layers) { if (e.which == 3) { alert(clickmessage); return false; } } else if (document.getElementById){ if (e.which==3&&e.target.tagName=="IMG"){ alert(clickmessage) return false } } } function associateimages(){ for(i=0;i<document.images.length;i++) document.images[i].onmousedown=disableclick; } if (document.all) document.onmousedown=disableclick else if (document.getElementById) document.onmouseup=disableclick else if (document.layers) associateimages() </script>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>