Crawfordsville High School - Athenian Yearbook (Crawfordsville, IN)

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UADAT4-ICTIIAH II. T. nTCCITI.I.OI'Gl1 Dedication lim-vzlllsu hu trains boys as well as ioznnsg IWURIIISU llc is El good sport himsclfg lu-valllse lm supports all svlmol nutivifim-sg 11002111811 hu always is friumlly :md has a smile for Gveryonog and lwvullsv he is 21, g0Ilf1CIll2Ill-XV6 dedicate thu 1940 A'1'lllcNI.xN to H, T, RTCCIIHOIIQIII 1,fl!Il' S1'w'n,

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Paw Sim f7!w14Ti-ICHIFIH Foreword 'Wo :irc espec-izllly proud to be seniors the year that such an important addition to our building has been completed. The school life ot' future vlasses has been enriched by the in- creased facilities whieh it offers. VVe present the 1940 edition of the A'rHENmN, striving to bring forth the past. and connec-t it with the present status ot' our sc-bool.

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. . - Ukmflll-lClllFlll History Many, many years ago, ninety to be exact, the city of Crawfordsville had no high school. Young gentlemen who sought a secondary school education might attend the Wabash prep school, and on Washington Street there was a seminary for young ladies, but public institutions for education were unheard of. A few years later the building on Washington Street burned, so the girls' classes were temporarily held in the basement of Center Church. In March, 1852 Jefferson Square, originally the location of the Canby home, was purchased by the Crawfordsville Female Society and the Canby home became the Crawfordsville Female Seminary. This institution flourished for several years and many excellent teachers were brought from the East. Although there was no actual graduation from the Seminary, the students who had completed the course were given certificates to that effect. In July, 1857 the Jefferson Square was conveyed to the president and trustees of the Town Board of Crawfordsville, complete with the frame house and a brick building. These structures were used for more than ten years, the frame building housing the primary grades and tl1e brick building accommodating high school students. By 1870 the enrollment had become so large that it was necessary to have more room and better equipment, so agitation was begun for a system of public schools. In 1872 work was begun on a new Central Building which was to house all grades from one to twelve, and later the two old buildings were removed. In October of that same year the building was opened, but the primary grades were still held in the frame house. By September, 1873 twelve rooms were ready for occupation. The completed building was arranged in this way. The superintendent 's office and the high school were on the first floor, and the primary and grammar school students occupied the second and third stories. Later, in 1880, two wings were added to make more room. In 1877 Crawfordsville High School was commissioned by the State Board of Education, and in June the first students to be graduated by the high school were given their diplomas. They were: Mary E. Brown, Stella Brown, An-nie E. Divine, Jane Krout, Kate Krout, Elizabeth T. Kennedy, Mary H. Lewis, Mary Josephine Stilwell, Mary E. NVelty. On April 2, 1892 a, fire broke out in the dome of the high school. A high wind fanned the fiames until the entire roof was afire. Although the roof was demolished, the walls remained intact, so it was believed advisable to rebuild and redecorate immediately. During this process the classes were held in the South and Center Halls of Wabash. The chemistry department and the printing shop had been on the third floor and were destroyed. When the building was remodeled these two departments were not included. Chem- istry did not again become a part of the curriculum until sometime in the 1920's and printing was not renewed until still later. This building was used until 1910 when the first portion of the present structure was built. The students today are more fortunate than those of Central were. Way back then there were no athletics, no clubs, no school paper, and no yearbook. Each class was one-half hour long, and there were twelve classes each day. However, in 1903 Crawfordsville joined the Central Indiana High School Oratorical Association and has been taking part in the contests ever since. In 1909 the Non Pareil Society was formed and was later Page Eight