Woodward High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
Woodward High School is a public high school located in the Bond Hill
neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio
. It is part of the Cincinnati Public School District.
, who graduated from Woodward High School in 1874, laid the cornerstone of a third building, which opened to students in 1910.
The site is also linked to the Underground Railroad
. William Woodward built a home on the site in 1832, where Levi Coffin
and his wife, Catharine, lived from 1856 to 1863. Coffin (known as "The President of the Underground Railroad"), sheltered over one hundred fugitive slaves each year on their way freedom in Canada. The home was first occupied by Henry Rucher, an early principal and math teacher at the Woodward school, and it was commonly known as the Rucher House. It later served as the Good Samaritan Hospital
(still in operation in 2010 its later Clifton Heights location). In 1865 it was established as St. Luke's Hospital, where disabled Civil War soldiers were treated. It was replaced by residential homes in 1874, which were demolished to clear ground for the new building in 1907.
The brick, stone, and terra cotta building, designed by Gustav Brach, had some of the most modern facilities of its day, including flush toilets, central heating, and two swimming pools. It is notable for its many Rookwood Pottery
drinking fountains and tile fixtures, many of them gifts from student clubs and graduating classes in the early 1900s. Also notable are the stained glass windows of the same period in the main entryway, the largest of which is a memorial mural of "The Landing of William Woodward at Cincinnati in Fall of 1791", which was part of the 1855 construction and was preserved when that building was destroyed. The five story building has 150 rooms and 225000 sq ft (20,903.2 m²) of space, a third of which is unusable (including the swimming pools on the top floor).
The building is listed in the Over-the-Rhine (South) Local Historic District
and the Over-the-Rhine National Register Historic District
.
took over the entire facility in 1977. The school has since moved four times, in addition to opening a secondary campus near its current location on Reading Road.
Woodward High School won the Ohio High School Athletic Association
State Championships for baseball
in 1931 and 1945 and for basketball
in 1988.
In August 2006, the City of Cincinnati opened Woodward Career Technical High School, which features a mixture of college-preparatory
and vocational
education. With the new addition, the original campus was now called Woodward Traditional High School.
In June of 2011, demolition of the "Woodward Traditional High School" building was begun and the original 1953 Woodward High School building has now been completely demolished. A synthetic turf football field, baseball field, and fieldhouse will be built in place on the 1953 building.
Art & entertainment
Athletics
Government and politics
Military
Bond Hill, Ohio
Founded as a railroad suburb and temperance community in 1871 in northeastern Millcreek Township in Hamilton County, Ohio, Bond Hill is currently a neighborhood of the City of Cincinnati. It is one of a number of neighborhoods lining the Mill Creek, an urban stream in southwestern Ohio. Bond Hill...
neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. It is part of the Cincinnati Public School District.
Old Woodward Building
Woodward was one of the first public schools in the country. The land was donated by William Woodward and his wife Abigail Cutter in 1826 to provide free education for poor children who could not afford private schooling. Their remains are buried on school grounds (and it is a fixture of student lore that Abigail's ghost haunts the building). The Woodward Free Grammar School opened on the site in 1831 and was the first free public school in the city. The original two story school building was replaced in 1855. President William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
, who graduated from Woodward High School in 1874, laid the cornerstone of a third building, which opened to students in 1910.
The site is also linked to the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. William Woodward built a home on the site in 1832, where Levi Coffin
Levi Coffin
Levi Coffin was an American Quaker, abolitionist, and businessman. Coffin was deeply involved in the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio and his home is often called "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad"...
and his wife, Catharine, lived from 1856 to 1863. Coffin (known as "The President of the Underground Railroad"), sheltered over one hundred fugitive slaves each year on their way freedom in Canada. The home was first occupied by Henry Rucher, an early principal and math teacher at the Woodward school, and it was commonly known as the Rucher House. It later served as the Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati)
Good Samaritan Hospital, the oldest and largest private teaching and specialty health care facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, was opened in 1852 under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Charity. The hospital is member of TriHealth, a joint operating agreement between Catholic Health...
(still in operation in 2010 its later Clifton Heights location). In 1865 it was established as St. Luke's Hospital, where disabled Civil War soldiers were treated. It was replaced by residential homes in 1874, which were demolished to clear ground for the new building in 1907.
The brick, stone, and terra cotta building, designed by Gustav Brach, had some of the most modern facilities of its day, including flush toilets, central heating, and two swimming pools. It is notable for its many Rookwood Pottery
Rookwood Pottery Company
Rookwood Pottery is an American ceramics company now located in the Mount Adams neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1880, and successful until the Great Depression, production has been intermittent and at a low level since 1967, though there was a change of ownership in 2006, and expansion...
drinking fountains and tile fixtures, many of them gifts from student clubs and graduating classes in the early 1900s. Also notable are the stained glass windows of the same period in the main entryway, the largest of which is a memorial mural of "The Landing of William Woodward at Cincinnati in Fall of 1791", which was part of the 1855 construction and was preserved when that building was destroyed. The five story building has 150 rooms and 225000 sq ft (20,903.2 m²) of space, a third of which is unusable (including the swimming pools on the top floor).
The building is listed in the Over-the-Rhine (South) Local Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and the Over-the-Rhine National Register Historic District
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Bond Hill
In 1953 Woodward High School moved to a new location in Bond Hill, and the building was designated Abigail Cutter Junior High School until the School for Creative and Performing ArtsSchool for Creative and Performing Arts
The School for Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet arts school in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and part of the Cincinnati Public Schools...
took over the entire facility in 1977. The school has since moved four times, in addition to opening a secondary campus near its current location on Reading Road.
Woodward High School won the Ohio High School Athletic Association
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
State Championships for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in 1931 and 1945 and for basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
in 1988.
In August 2006, the City of Cincinnati opened Woodward Career Technical High School, which features a mixture of college-preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
and vocational
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
education. With the new addition, the original campus was now called Woodward Traditional High School.
In June of 2011, demolition of the "Woodward Traditional High School" building was begun and the original 1953 Woodward High School building has now been completely demolished. A synthetic turf football field, baseball field, and fieldhouse will be built in place on the 1953 building.
Notable alumni
Note that earlier alumni received degrees from Woodward High School.Art & entertainment
- Karen AckermanKaren AckermanKaren Ackerman is an American author of children's books.- Background :She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Woodward High School in 1969.- Career :...
(1969) – author of children's literatureChildren's literatureChildren's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes... - Marty CallnerMarty CallnerMarty Callner is a director. His primary work is with music videos. Marty has directed work from such popular artists as Cher, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith and has work recorded back as far as 1977 and as recent as 2009. He has been nominated for 7 Emmys, 3 DGAs, and 1 CableACE Award...
(1964) – music video director - Reggie Calloway (1973)Grammy Award Winning Musician and Song Writer
- Lorinda Epply (c. 1897) – artist at the Rookwood Pottery CompanyRookwood Pottery CompanyRookwood Pottery is an American ceramics company now located in the Mount Adams neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1880, and successful until the Great Depression, production has been intermittent and at a low level since 1967, though there was a change of ownership in 2006, and expansion...
(1904–1948) - Leo MielzinerLeo MielzinerLeo Mielziner was a noted portrait artist, and the son of Dr. Moses Mielziner, Rabbi, and Rosette Mielziner. He was one of ten children, one of whom died in infancy, and had a twin sister, Bella Mielziner. Leo was born in New York City at 22 Jefferson Street, but then moved as a child with his...
(1887) – artist and scenic designer, father of Jo MielzinerJo MielzinerJoseph "Jo" Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He is "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.-Career:He was the son of artist Leo Mielziner, Sr... - Richard StoltzmanRichard StoltzmanRichard Stoltzman is an American clarinetist. Born Richard Leslie Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part of the faculty list at the New England Conservatory...
(1960) – well-known classicalClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
clarinetist
Athletics
- Daryl BostonDaryl BostonDaryl Lamont Boston is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. In 2001, he was named Minor-league roving outfield instructor for the Chicago White Sox....
– former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Ezzard CharlesEzzard CharlesEzzard Mack Charles was an African-American professional boxer and former world heavyweight champion. He holds wins over numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw.-Career:He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia,...
- Heavyweight Champion Boxer - Dante Craig – National Golden Gloves ChampionNational Golden Gloves ChampionsBelow is a list of National Golden Gloves Champions along with the year and weight class they were named champion and the state or region which they represented:Weight Champion Region*1928*112 - Jimmy Chase - Chicago...
and contender in boxing at the 2000 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 2000 Summer OlympicsThe boxing competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was held over a period of sixteen days at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour... - Leon DurhamLeon DurhamLeon "Bull" Durham is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 10 seasons. Durham played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Chicago Cubs , and Cincinnati Reds...
(1976) – former Major League Baseball player (1980–1989) - Ray EdwardsRay EdwardsRaymond James Edwards, Jr. is an American football defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Edwards attended Woodward High School in...
– defensive lineman for the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... - John Jackson – offensive tackle
- Ed JuckerEd JuckerEdwin Louis "Ed" Jucker was an American college basketball player and coach. He was the former head basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati in the 1960s. Jucker also attended Cincinnati as an undergraduate student and played on the school's basketball teams during the 1938, 1939, and 1940...
– former head basketball coach at the University of CincinnatiUniversity of CincinnatiThe University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio.... - Antwan PeekAntwan PeekAntwan Peek is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
– linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Abdul Salaam – former American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player best remembered for his days as a defensive tackle with the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' famed "New York Sack ExchangeNew York Sack ExchangeThe New York Sack Exchange is a nickname given to the New York Jets defensive line of the early 1980s, consisting of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam.-Origins:...
." Known as "Larry Faulk" while attending Woodward, he changed his name to Abdul Salaam, which means "Soldier of Peace," in 1977. - Ed ShuttlesworthEd ShuttlesworthEd Shuttlesworth is a former American football fullback.He played for the University of Michigan from 1971 to 1973. He was the leading rusher for Michigan's 1972 and 1973 teams that compiled a combined record of 30–1–1...
(born 1952), leading rusher for the Michigan Wolverines footballMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
teams of 1972 and 1973; third leading rusher in the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
in 1974
Government and politics
- Mark L. MalloryMark L. MalloryMark Mallory is an American politician of the Democratic Party who is currently serving as the Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. His election marked a new era for City Hall as the first two-term Mayor under the City’s new Stronger-Mayor system, the first directly-elected black Mayor, and the first Mayor...
(1980) – Mayor of Cincinnati - Lafayette F. MosherLafayette F. MosherLafayette F. Mosher was an American politician and judge in Oregon. He was the 23rd Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to joining the state’s highest court in 1873 he served in the Oregon State Senate....
(1843) – Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme CourtOregon Supreme CourtThe Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
, Oregon State SenatorOregon State SenateThe Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,... - William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
(1874) – President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Military
- Henry V. BoyntonHenry V. BoyntonHenry Van Ness Boynton was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Missionary Ridge...
(1854) – Union ArmyUnion ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
officer during the Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient
Notable faculty
- William Holmes McGuffeyWilliam Holmes McGuffeyWilliam Holmes McGuffey was an American professor and college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and most widely used series of textbooks...
(mid-1840s), author of the McGuffey ReadersMcGuffey ReadersMcGuffey Readers were a series of graded primers that were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling....
, one of America's first textbooks
External links
- Woodward Career Technical High School
- Photograph of Woodward High School from a 1932 issue of National Geographic MagazineNational Geographic MagazineNational Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...