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Watkins Glen Middle School ...

A Look Back --- A Look Forward: Part 1

By Brian J. O'Donnell

My nephew -- SEAN HOLLAND, an 8th Grade student at the Watkins Glen Middle School --recently asked me for some historical information on the school to help with a dedication he was writing for a class. It occurred to me that, since the District will be closing the Middle School at the conclusion of this school year, many people would be interested in some of the history of this facility. This will be the first of several articles on the Middle School and the role it has played in our Community.

To preface my history of the Middle School I'd like to begin with a brief look at the "history" of public education in the Village of Watkins Glen.

* September 29, 1853 -- last Will & Testament of CYNTHIA ANN FREER (Mrs. Freer was the wife of George G. Freer and the widow of Dr. Samuel Watkins for whom the Village was named): Provision #7 of her Will provided the land which set in motion the "birth" of public education in Watkins (which became Watkins Glen in the 1920s).

* April 3, 1863 -- New York State in Chapter 69 Laws of 1863 created a Union School District in the Village of Watkins with legal authority to create a Board of Education with the power of taxation; formal name of the School was the Watkins Academy

* from 1863-1868 academic classes were housed in the Court House (when the County Seat was moved from Montour Falls to Watkins in 1868, this changed);

* in early 1868 academic classes were held in the old Presbyterian Church (on the site of the present parsonage) while the new school was being built on the block bordered by Decatur, 9th, Porter and 10th Streets; in the Fall of 1868 that building was moved to the new site to join with the newly-constructed Grammar School, which was built to house the Lower Grades; both buildings were on the back section of the site closest to Porter St.

* for this new school "complex" windows provided the only lighting, individual wood stoves were the heating system, toilets were outdoors, and drinking fountains were a cup & pail of water in the hallway. (Remember this was 1868, only three years after the end of the Civil War!)

* June 19, 1897 -- the Grammar School which housed the Lower Grades burned down and classes were held temporarily in Gurnett's Hall (corner of 3rd & Franklin Sts.)

* February 4, 1898 -- fire destroyed the Academy (Upper Grades), forcing classes to be held elsewhere; temporary facilities were found in the Baldwin Block (site of the Glen Theater) and in the Beach Building in the Sheldon Block just East of the Jefferson Hotel;

* a new facility -- state of the art for the late 1890's -- was constructed on the front of the lot (closer to Decatur Street) and for the first time all grades were housed under one roof in a three-story structure of brick and stone;

* on January 14, 1929 fire destroyed the "new" school; high school classes were housed first in the Glen Theater, then moved to the Cole-Royce Hall; later on the high school classes were housed in the new Masonic Hall; the lower grades -- up to Grade 8 -- were scattered throughout the Village (Catholic Daughters' Room, American Legion, Red Men's Hall, Odd Fellows Building, Episcopal Parish House, Court House, Sciore's Store, Crofut House and Sullivan House);

* the 1930 Senior Play was performed in the Presbyterian Church and Graduation took place at the Glen Theater; Class of 1931 was 1st Class to graduate from the new facility (the current Middle School);

* from 1930-1953 Grades Kindergarten through Gr. 12 were housed in the current Middle School facility;

* March 1950 -- a resolution was voted upon which consolidated District #1 of Towns of Dix, Hector, Reading, Orange and Tyrone to establish a Central School; many one and two-room rural schoolhouses were closed and many more students came to the Village of Watkins Glen for their education;

* construction on a new Elementary School began in 1951 and the new Elementary School opened its doors in September of 1953 for Gr. Kindergarten through Gr. 6 students. The "old" high school remained for Gr. 7-12 students. As the student population increased dramatically construction began on a new High School in 1967 which opened for students in Gr. 9-12 in September of 1969 (the current High School facility); Class of 1970 was 1st Class to graduate from there;

*In September of 1969 the former High School officially became the Watkins Glen Middle School for students in Grades 5-8; as everyone knows, the Middle School today contains only Grade 7-8 and is scheduled to close forever at the conclusion of this school year.

CHANGE is difficult for most people, and major change can bring an anxiety and sadness regardless of the positive reasons for such change. Some of those changes have just been outlined; others will be presented in future columns here as we build up to the consolidation of all District grades and programs onto one main campus to begin the 2014-2015 school year.

Photo in text: The Watkins Glen Middle School.