St. Albans Junior High and High School
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
This school building was finished for the 1924-25 term of students from 8-12th grade with Mr. John E. Hughes as first principal. The building contained fourteen large well ventilated and well lighted rooms. Equipped with a modern hot air heating plant and clock system, the school was also equipped with a commercial department and chemistry laboratory. A gym was added in 1927. When a new high school was opened in 1954, this became the junior high. It closed in June, 1990, as a junior high and is used today as a restaurant warehouse. The school closed in 1990.
Images
1938 Photo
1932
1995
Today
Old Jr. High School (current storage and warehouse) was severely burnt in March 2018.
George Washington Marker erected in 1932 on his 200th Birthday.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
St. Albans High School was organized in 1913 under the supervision of Mr. Charles P. Guice. The building used was a six room red brick building, situated just above the graded Central School building (demolished 1961). There was also a small concrete block building just across the street from the main high school building. Which was used as a classroom by the commercial department. Mr. Guice was superintendent for six years.
Mr. M. P. Summers became principal of the high school in 1922, serving two terms as principal and then was made superintendent of the St. Albans schools. Mr. John E. Hughes succeeded Mr. Summers as principal and served two years from 1924-1925.
The attendance at the high school had been increasing so rapidly that a larger building was needed. The St. Albans Independent District School Board decided to build a new high school building. The new building was finished for the 1924-25 term of students with Mr. John E. Hughes as principal. The building contained fourteen large well ventilated and well lighted rooms. It is equipped with a modern hot air heating plant and a modern clock system. It has a well equipped commercial department and chemistry laboratory.
From 1925 to 1930 the high school had no principal but was under the supervision of Mr. Summers. For the term 1930-1931 the school board appointed Mr. W. A. Burgess as principal with Mr. H. C. VanCamp as superintendent and again in 1931-32 Mr. W. A. Burgess was appointed principal and Mr. L. E. Lovenstein as superintendent. Mr. B. E. Liggett as made principal in 1932. When a new High School was opened in 1954, this became the Jr. High. It closed in 1990 and is used as a restaurant warehouse. A severe fire occurred at the school (now a restaurant warehouse) in March 2018. A marker erected at the school on Washington's 200th birthday is still there. It reads:
"George Washington acquired 2,000 acres of this land by a patent, dated April 12, 1784. Issued to him by Benjamin Harrison, Governor of Virginia. Washington obtained this tract upon a survey made by John Floyd, April 16, 1774, with a land Warrant issued to Charles Mynn Thurston, a lieutenant in the French and Indian War. It bordered on the Great Kanawha River and Coal Rivers, five miles and eighty poles. Erected by the State of West Virginia, 1932".
Sources
1.St. Albans Historical Society, www.stalbanshistory.com,. Accessed April 10, 2018.