Piedmont High School - Summit Yearbook (Lawndale, NC)

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Lawndale, North Carolina 9 Library building was completed twelve years ago. This building, by the bequest of Miss Nancy Waters, was erected in memory of her brother, Capt. A. G. Waters, a brave Confederate soldier, killed in the battle of Gains Mill, near Richmond, Va., June 27, 1862. The building, thirty by thirty-six, two stories, built of pressed brick, the smallest of our buildings, adorns the crest of the hill. It is a fit monument for one who gave his life for native land—more appropriate by far than glistering marble or lofty granite. On the evening of February 15, 1913, when the ma¬ jority of the boys were attending church in Lawndale, fire broke out in Newton Hall, and in spite of the water¬ works and heroic efforts on the part of those present, the building could not be saved, as it was too far gone when discovered. There was some insurance and the hall was duplicated by the opening of the next session. May 17, 1911, the last day of Commencement, after an inspiring address by Hon. T. W. Bickett, Major H. F. Schenck, President of the Board of Trustees, presented the needs of the school to the audience, and asked for five thousand dollars to pay off the existing indebtedness, to paint the buildings and to install water¬ works. A wave of enthusiasm, such as is seldom seen, when the people are asked for money, passed over the audience. Wealthy men, boys and girls working their way through school, women and children, all caught the spirit of the hour. More than six thousand dollars was raised. The thanks of the school are due to the friends of the instit ution whose loyalty and liberality have made it possible for us to take another step forward in the march of progress. A steam heating plant has been installed for the use of Schenck Hall, the girls’ dormitory. This eliminates some of the fire risk and it is a great convenience to the young women who are boarding pupils of Piedmont. Piedmont is not dead. Piedmont is no longer in its infancy. Piedmont is not an experiment. From small beginnings, through toil and sacrifice, it has ripened in efficiency till it is now generally recognized as one of the strongest preparatory schools in the state. It has twenty-seven years of steady growth behind it, a large

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ELAM HALL GIRLS’ DORMITORY NEWTON HALL

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IO Piedmont High School patronage, many friends in the present, and glorious possibilities for the future. No history of Piedmont High School would be com¬ plete without mentioning the benefactions of the late Major H, F. Schenck, whose heart and soul and master mind were devoted to Piedmont and to the ideals for which it stands. Major Schenck was gathered to his fathers, September 25, 1916. The school, its teachers, its patrons and its pupils mourn the loss of this strong, broad-minded, big-souled friend of boys and of girls, who devoted his time, his talents, and his means to the edu¬ cation of all the people. He has been heard to say that, though he never received a penny from Piedmont in the way of financial dividends, he had never invested money in anything that pleased him better than the money he invested in Piedmont High School. Our water cannot be surpassed. At a distance of about a quarter of a mile from the school buildings is a fine, large spring of pure, sparkling water, affording more than twelve gallons per minute. The water is piped to us by means of an electric pump. A tank of fifteen thousand gallons capacity, standing on a steel tower more than fifty feet high, gives us means of fighting fire. With this and with electric lights, with no danger of exploding lamps nor deadly fumes of gas in our dormitories, with buildings of only two stories in front, we feel that we have less to fear from fire than ever before. At a distance of not more than four hundred yards from the school is a spring of health-giving sulphur-lithia water. Situated on top of a majestic hill sloping in every direc¬ tion, thus giving perfect natural drainage; commanding a magnificent view of hills, vales, grassy, undulating plains, and of the Blue Ridge in the distance; shaded by a forest of stately oaks; enlivened by the music of rip¬ pling water; with excellent drinking water and air free from the taint of malaria, nature has made this an ideal spot for an educational institution of high order. But what has man done toward perfecting it? He has given us daily communication with all the world by telephone and telegraph, a railroad within a mile of the school, electric lights, water-works, dormitories adequately fur-