Etowah High School - Etowahian Yearbook (Attalla, AL)

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HISTORY OF ETOWAH The land upon which Etowah County was founded was purchased from the Cherokee Indians in 1832; however grants to white settlers were not issued until 1840. Etowah properly written is Ette- wah ; derived from two Cherokee words Ette meaning tree and Wah meaning good. Etowah County High School was established in 1907. The first assembly was held in the Stowers Building on Third Street, just one block south of the L N passenger depot on Monday morning, Sep- tember 21, 1908. There were forty-five pupils enrolled, representing the four years of high school work. Of this number thirty-six were in the freshman class and three in each of the other three grades. The principal was Mr. W. E. Turnipseed and his assistant. Miss Alice Coleman. Only academic work was offered and the school fulfilled every state requirement for college affiliation. The first commencement exercise was held in the Methodist Church of Attalia on the night of June 4, 1909, with Bishop Hoyt M. Dobbs delivering the address of the evening. The following young ladies were presented with diplomas; Hassie Preston, Mary Mitchell, and Myrtis Farris. Thus passed into his- tory the first year of Etowah County High School. The second year of school opened September 22, 1909 in the Stowers Building, as the new build- ing was not yet complete. In February, 1910, the new school building was formally dedicated. After the first two years of the establishment of Etowah County High School, the enrollment began to increase rapidly. From the original enrollment of forty-five the school reached the peak of enroll- ment in 1950 when there were over one thousand pupils in attendance. The following men have had the honor of serving as principal of the school; W. E. Turnipseed 1908-1910 A. W. Ray 1932-1935 C. M. Dannely 1911-1912 W. H. MacGregor 1935-1936 J. R. Kimbrough 1912-1916 L. C. Warr 1936-1937 H. A. Pettus 1916-1918 C. Q. Baxter 1937-1941 Oscar Horton 1918-1919 H. E. Williams 1941-1942 J. 1. Riddle 1919-1925 T. N. Snead 1942-1944 W. V. Luckie 1925-1927 R. C. McCulley 1944-1947 F. D. Dowdy 1927-1928 R. F. Bailey 1947- Ben S. Copeland 1928-1932 In October, 1931, ground was broken for the gymnasium. The gym came to be known as Noah's Ark. During the summer of 1947, Noah's Ark was torn down and replaced by a modern, concrete dressing room for boys athletics. In the year 1936, $11,000 was appropriated by the Federal Government for improvement of the school grounds. This fund was used for the complete remodeling of the football field. The year 1938 was marked by the organization of the Student Senate. 1939 brought a new sister to our Alma Mater — the new building. It was during this year that our Student Creed, as written by Roger Holmes and Charles Rowan, was adopted. This was also the red letter year when the Etowah High Band was organized. Our school Emblem was adopted in the year 1940, and the first flag of Etowah High School was unfurled. The emblem was also placed upon the official seal of the school. The year 1941 and 1942 found many of our boys entering the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Many of them distinguished themselves by deeds of valor, and we shall not forget those who sacrificed their lives. In 1944 the traffic system was adopted by the Senate. 1945 is one of the red letter years in Etowah's history. This was the year when the Etowah Blue Devil conquered the Gadsden Tiger in the annual football classic, after having been defeated by him over a considerable stretch of years. We, the editors of the 1950 Etowahian, hope that this book will be a constant reminder of the joys and sorrows we have shared together during our high school days at Etowah.

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THE IIEHId TIHH We, the Senior Class of 1950, dedicate this volume of the ETOWAHIAN to Catherine Brasher with sincere regard for her help to us in the past. Through her efforts and with her help the 1948 and 1949 annuals were published; with her kind assistance the 1950 annual is being published. Always we have found her willing to listen to our problems and ready with advice. Her sympathy and understanding of the students' point of view has endeared her to us all.

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