Cherokee County Schools |
Cherokee County Schools |
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| By 1890, a new school was sorely needed in the east part of town which had grown considerably with new additions. Webster School was ready for use early in 1891, at a cost of $20,000. The contractor, J. H. Downing, must have done a good job, for his building has withstood the wear of four generations of children. It was originally made of locally manufactured red brick; the yellow coating was added when the brick began to soften. Limestone mortar was used and its deterioration cannot be stopped. "Outdoor plumbing" was necessary the first years, as there was no sewer. And board walks kept the youngsters out of the mud. Later, metal tubes were added on each side of the building from the upper floor to the ground to serve as fire escapes. What fun! But the night the chimney fell in was not humorous. "The Webster school building in the Addition was struck by lightning during the storm on Saturday afternoon. The bolt shattered the chiimney and went down into the basement." (The Semi-Weekly Democrat, Monday, April 19, 1909, pg. 4) "Severe Windstorm Does Extensive Damage Realizing
the danger if students had been present, the school board ordered the
whole roof, tower and useless attic rooms removed; a flat roof was
constructed.Serious damage, estimated in the neighborhood of $2,000, resulted at the Webster school when the big chimney crashed thru the northeast corner of the roof, and took with it a large part of the upper floor. Cherokee people are offering thanks that this storm did not come during school hours." (The Cherokee Chief, Thursday, May 3, 1928, pg. 1) Needing more classrooms, temporary ones were built as an addition to the old school in 1957. (Source: Former Cherokee County Historical Society scrapbook. Article hand dated 11-30-68) | |
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