Central School

Built-in 1876, the first Central School opened in 1878 and educated the boys from Captain Bell's Military Academy. State-funded in 1905, the building burned in 1910 and was rebuilt the same year. It received accreditation in 1920, adding the ninth and eleventh grades. All of its records were destroyed again by fire in 1932. The present-day Central School was completed in 1932 with a gymnasium and a cafeteria, the latter built by Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal Works Project Administration Lunchroom Program. Central School was a member of the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, a high rank for a high school. It became the junior high when Kings Mountain consolidated its schools into one system. Central School closed in 1994 and was converted into offices.

[Audio Transcript] Built in 1876, the first Central School opened in 1878 and educated the boys from Captain Bell's Military Academy. State-funded in 1905, the building burned in 1910 and was rebuilt the same year. It received accreditation in 1920, adding the ninth and eleventh grades. All of its records were destroyed again by fire in 1932. The present day Central School was completed in 1932 with a gymnasium and a cafeteria, the latter built by Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal Works Project Administration Lunchroom Program. Central School was a member of the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, a high rank for a high school. It became the junior high when Kings Mountain consolidated its schools into one system. Central School closed in 1994 and was converted into offices.

"Kings Mountain Downtown Historical Walking Tour Pamphlet", City of Kings Mountain, Mauney Memorial Library, 2000s