Montevallo High School - Montevallo, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This marker tells the story of the different names and locations of Montevallo High School. The marker is somewhat confusing in that the side of the marker facing the street says "Continued from other side" and yet the text makes the most sense when read from that side. Also, the events and dates on the marker are not all in chronological order. The marker is located in front of one of the old buildings on Oak Street. The marker was placed by the MHS Class of 1952, Emily Vest Pendelton, President and the Cahaba Trace Commission.

Marker Name: Montevallo High School Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: One of the earliest schools resembling a modern high school was the Montevallo Male & Female Collegiate Institute incorporated in 1858 and operated by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. However, not until the opening of the Alabama Girl’s Industrial Institute (later Alabama College and now University of Montevallo) in 1896 and the creation of a training school for prospective teachers did a contemporary high school exist in Montevallo. Classes were conducted in a wooden structure on the Alice Boyd Building site beginning in 1906. The high school was housed in the Jeter Building from 1915-1920 and then moved to a building where Palmer Hall now stands from 1920-1922. In 1922, the high school was moved to Reynolds’ Hall. Dr. M. L. Orr served as High School Director for many years and was a leading advocate for progressive education and cooperation between the town, Girl’s Institute and the Shelby County Board of Education in the operation of Montevallo High School. Known as the Alabama College Laboratory School, Montevallo High School was housed in Reynolds’ Hall on the University of Montevallo campus from 1922 until January 1930 when the central portion of this building was completed. The original Structure contained 9 classrooms and housed grades 7-12. The class of 1933 had 35 graduates. Around 1940, the Works Progress Administration constructed the building’s wings. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in1990. In 1964, a gymnasium was added and later dedicated to long-time teacher and 1933 MHS graduate Susie DeMent in 1978. The school first fielded a football team in 1930. Coached by Leon Hicks, the first game was played against Piper – Coleanor HS. The longest serving coach has been Theron K. Fisher (1947-1966) for whom the stadium was named in 1977. The blue and orange school colors were adopted circa 1936. In 1969-1970, MHS and the African – American Prentice HS merged. Date Dedicated / Placed: 2004 Marker Number: None

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/21/2012 xptwo visited it