Monroe County High School (Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Monroe County High School is a public high school
in Monroeville
, Monroe County
, Alabama
. It is part of the Monroe County School District.
In 1907, the State Legislature
mandated a public high school in every county seat
, stipulating that the value of the building must exceed $5,000, be placed on a lot with a minimum of five acres, and all school properties be deeded to the state. There were no provisions in this bill for the state to furnish any funds, and it was the responsibility of the local citizenry to raise the necessary capital.
Erected on the former site of the defunct Monroeville High School, the original two-story brick building housed grades 7-12. The first Monroe County High School classes were begun in the fall of 1912, and in that first year there was one graduate, Maybelle Broughton. Congressman John McDuffie
delivered the commencement address
This building was used as the high school until a new one was erected on York Street in 1936. At this time, some classes in the elementary school moved into the old facility and occupied the old building until it burned just prior to the opening bell on the morning of November 11, 1946. No students or staff were injured in the blaze.
The second location of Monroe County High School was on York Street until 1978. The school was expanded multiple times to add more instructional space and facilities to the original two story building and gymnasium. After a new high school was built on Tiger Drive, the old high school was converted to Monroeville Junior High School. It is still in use as a junior high school for 6th through 8th grades.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Monroeville
Monroeville, Alabama
Monroeville is a city in Monroe County, Alabama, United States, the county seat of Monroe County. At the 2000 census its population was 6,862. It is known as the home town of two prominent writers of the post World War II period, Truman Capote and Harper Lee, who were childhood friends in the...
, Monroe County
Monroe County, Alabama
Monroe County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. As of 2010, the population was 23,068. Its county seat is Monroeville. It is a dry county, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It is part of the Monroe County School District.
History
Monroe County High School is the successor to a shortlived public school open to both blacks and whites built by the Freedman's Bureau shortly after the U.S. Civil War, and the Monroeville High School, housed in a small frame building erected by local citizens (on the site of the present day Monroeville Elementary School) in 1895. This building burned in 1903 and was not rebuilt.In 1907, the State Legislature
Alabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
mandated a public high school in every county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
, stipulating that the value of the building must exceed $5,000, be placed on a lot with a minimum of five acres, and all school properties be deeded to the state. There were no provisions in this bill for the state to furnish any funds, and it was the responsibility of the local citizenry to raise the necessary capital.
Erected on the former site of the defunct Monroeville High School, the original two-story brick building housed grades 7-12. The first Monroe County High School classes were begun in the fall of 1912, and in that first year there was one graduate, Maybelle Broughton. Congressman John McDuffie
John McDuffie
John McDuffie was born in River Ridge, Alabama in Monroe County on September 25, 1883. He was educated by private tutors. He attended college at Southern University in Greensboro. He later attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn, Alabama, where he in graduated in 1904...
delivered the commencement address
This building was used as the high school until a new one was erected on York Street in 1936. At this time, some classes in the elementary school moved into the old facility and occupied the old building until it burned just prior to the opening bell on the morning of November 11, 1946. No students or staff were injured in the blaze.
The second location of Monroe County High School was on York Street until 1978. The school was expanded multiple times to add more instructional space and facilities to the original two story building and gymnasium. After a new high school was built on Tiger Drive, the old high school was converted to Monroeville Junior High School. It is still in use as a junior high school for 6th through 8th grades.