Barberton High School 1915 to 2004 The first separate high school was called West Central. It stood on the block where the YMCA now stands in Barberton. West Central served as our high school from 1905 to 1911 and was replaced by Lincoln High School from 1912 to 1915. However the high school we all remember is what was named B.C.H.S. (Barberton Central High School) in 1915. In that year the high school opened with 19 rooms. Additions were added in 1924, 1939, and 1965. In 1915 the original high school building was built out of concrete from the O. C. Barber Concrete Company on Norton Ave. West Central High School became an elementary school and in 1939 a gas leak caused it to explode while school was in session. Over 60 people were injured including many first and second grade students and teachers. After the explosion West Central, or what was left of it, was demolished and replaced by the Industrial Arts Building. This new building also held the new basketball gym. In time B.C.H.S. became known simply as B.H.S. and we all remember the tile lined tunnel that connected the High School to the Industrial Arts Building. Now they are both gone, but the tunnel remains filled with rubble at both ends, but still running under Hopocan Ave. When the original Barberton High School building was demolished in 2004 the Barberton Historical Society salvaged all of the railings and newel posts from the old high school. They rest in the Colt Barn waiting to be adaptively reused in Barberton. We also salvaged the date stones off of the building and helped numerous people salvage bricks from the original Barber built part of the building. This photo shows the nice sycamore trees growing along Wunderlick Ave. It was a shame that when the building was torn down these magnificent old trees were all cut down. Now please tell us your reminiscences of old Barberton High School.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 22:53:11 +0000
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