Marker Name: Lauderdale County High School 1912
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information::
Marker text:
Prior to 1912, a private school, Rogersville High School, was housed in a two-story wooden frame building located in this vicinity. On August 7, 1907, an act was passed by the Alabama Legislature to establish a state high school in each county. Communities desiring a high school were required to submit plans for a building, equipment and five acres of land, with a total value of at least $5,000. The property was to be deeded to the state. Governor Emmet O’Neal visited Rogersville in October 1911and gave his assurance that the high school for Lauderdale County would be located at Rogersville. On October 16, 1911, the trustees of the Rogersville High School Association conveyed to the state five acres of land and the existing building. That school closed on May 17, 1912, with Mr. W. R. Hale as principal. In early May 1912, the County School Board selected Mr. W. L. Davis as principal, and Mrs. W. L. Davis and Mr. C. W. Williams as teachers for the state high school. It opened on September 10, 1912, with 112 students. On May 20, 1913 Rogersville High School, later named Lauderdale County High School, held its first commencement with three graduates. Between 1919 and 1925 two buildings, agricultural and home economics, plus three acres of land were added.
On April 1, 1927, the original building burned and was replaced by a modern one-story brick structure at a cost of $30,000. By 1931, the campus had several athletic facilities and in 1948, a gym was completed. An elementary school, built prior to 1927, burned on January 20, 1960, and was rebuilt, along with a cafeteria, in front of the high school. A new high school was built in 1958 and the old building became the junior high. A new library was built in 1966 along with an office complex, In 1967, the stadium was moved to the pervious elementary school site. In 1977, a new junior high school was built and the old one was removed in 1982. From 1985 to 1997, a new gym, weight room, band room, and cafeteria were built. A new office/library complex was completed in 2001, and an additional elementary building in 2010. By 2013, the school had modern-day academic, athletic and support facilities and equipment on a campus of about 43 acres. It had 65 teachers under the leadership of the 18th principal. During the first 100 years, LCHS maintained a high level of academic standards. It developed a rich athletic tradition which received recognition in local, regional, and state competition. Also, LCHS had resented diplomas to approximately 6500 graduates.
Date Dedicated / Placed: September 2013
Marker Number: None
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