1927 Schoolhouse

Schoolhouses have occupied this site since Mississippi Normal College was established here in 1888. The college served as both a grade school for local pupils and a boarding school for college students. Classrooms and an auditorium occupied a pair of two-story wooden structures and a third structure served as a dormitory. The wooden buildings were replaced in 1906 by a three-story brick public school that was razed after the end of the academic year in 1927 as a larger, more modern structure was nearing completion.

In January 1926 the board of trustees approved plans for a new school building designed by architect James Manly Spain of Jackson, MS. The three-story brick building opened November 25, 1927. It was expanded in 1938 by the addition of an eastside annex to accommodate a growing enrollment. In addition to classrooms, study halls, library and administrative offices, it included an auditorium, music rooms, chemistry laboratory, nurse's station and cafeteria. Wintertime heating was provided by steam generated at a furnace in the basement and circulated through radiators located in each room. Open windows provided summertime cooling. The school served all grades until 1950 when a separate elementary school was built nearby along with the school's first-ever gymnasium. The 1927 structure and its 1938 annex were destroyed by fire on September 30, 1973. By that time it was solely a high school, serving grades 9 through 12.

The class of 1928 was the first to hold graduation ceremonies in the new building. From 1928 to 1973 over 2000 students were awarded their high school diplomas here. Graduating classes ranged from fewer than 12 to more than 100. . This historical marker is in Houston in Chickasaw County Mississippi