Original high school, junior high school, on West First

The original senior high building is on the left and the new junior high building, on the right, that was completed in 1922. Courtesy photo

How many remember that there used to be two school buildings on the block that now holds Central Elementary? The beginning was the East building facing West 1st street built to house the senior high classes. The second building was erected in the fall of 1922 and built for the junior high and set to the west of the senior high building.

The high school, built in 1908, contained sixteen classrooms, an assembly room and the manual training department. Costing $300,000, the junior high building contained a gymnasium that would seat 1200, locker rooms, a stage, dressing rooms and the domestic science department on the ground floor, a band room and banquet hall off the balcony, and two floors of classrooms (17 in all) above for junior high students and central McCook kindergarten. Built at a size of 120 ft. by 60 ft., the junior high building was heated by an underground heating plant located between the two buildings that served both in an effort to eliminate fire hazard.

McCook was quite proud of the new building and judging from the growing size of the class pictures within the 1922 MHS Annual, it was definitely needed. I recall that in the 1960’s some of McCook Junior College classes were held in the original senior high building but for the life of me, I can’t remember the second, junior high building. Both level of classes were being held on West 7th at that time though I do recall my children going to school in one of the old buildings which I’m thinking was also the old senior high. My how time and memory flies!

The 1922 annual has many pictures of people and places in McCook but some of the most interesting are on page 138 consisting of six photos taken from an airplane overlooking the town. The center features a pilot, not identified. The original courthouse and Methodist church still stood then with their beautiful stone work and the Carnegie library is featured in another snap shot.

Manual Training, mentioned above, included courses in bench work, lathe work, and mechanical drawing for both junior and senior high boys. If you, as I do, have items that a grandfather or great uncle made in “shop” it may well be one of the things listed as projects: Hall trees, waste-paper baskets, necktie racks, chairs, chests, sewing tables, jewel cases, rolling pins, smoking stands, candle sticks, drum sticks, lamps and powder boxes. Plans were in the works to add an auto mechanics shop the following year which was to be held in the converted boiler room of the old building. Henry Robb, who was mentioned as a coach in prior articles, was the instructor for manual training.

This annual which has pictures of classes through the sixth grade in 1922 is available for research at the SWNGS library, 110 West C Street, Suite M-3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 PM.