Powell School

The Powell School as it appeared in 1908

The Powell School is the oldest surviving school in the Birmingham City Schools system. Although the current building was constructed in 1888, the school's history stretches back to the first Free School constructed on the same site, the corner of 24th Street and 6th Avenue North, in 1874.

History

In October 1873 a group of citizens approached Colonel John T. Terry for help in establishing a school building. He approached James Powell, president of the Elyton Land Company, and secured the donation of a 100 by 190 foot lot. Though many complained that the site was too far "out in the country", it was accepted and Terry and Charles Linn began raising funds to build a schoolhouse. Powell donated a large sum, and later turned over his salary as Mayor of Birmingham for the school's use. In appreciation the children of the school presented Powell with a tailored suit of clothes. Ultimately the fund-raising campaign fell short and the new city's first bond issue was carried out, with Terry holding all $3,000 in bonds.

Birmingham's first school

The four-classroom brick school building was opened formally on March 1, 1874 with D. C. B. Connelly as principal. Terry served on the Board of Trustees along with George Thomas and J. J. Jolly. The new school remained the only public school in the city until 1883, at which time other schools for lower grades were built and it became a high school. In that year John H. Phillips was hired as superintendent to modernize the city's educational efforts. The following year the Birmingham Board of Education was created to take over school operations from the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. In 1886 the first school building was declared unsafe and plans were made for a new 15-classroom structure on the same site.

A $50,000 bond issue was drafted and an adjoining 50-foot lot was purchased. During construction, classes met at first in the Exposition Building on Capitol Park, then moved again to the Wright Building at 19th Street and 3rd Avenue North. The new school building was completed and opened on 1888. It was named Powell School to honor Colonel Powell at Colonel Terry's suggestion. Mary Cahalan was named as the first principal of the new school.

In 1891 the high school students moved out of the Powell School and met in the Enslen Building on the site later occupied by the Ridgely Apartments (now the Tutwiler Hotel).

Until 2001 the Powell School operated as Powell Elementary School. That spring it was closed and renovated for use as a teaching laboratory.

List of principals

• D. C. B. Connelly (1874 - )
• Reverend F. M. Grace
• F. M. McLaughlin
• Samuel L. Robertson
• John Rockett
• Mrs N. A. Thomas
• W. W. Wilson ( - 1883)
• E. C. Wingfield (1883 - 1885)
• George Brewer (1886)
• N. D. Van Syckel (1886)
• O. F. Barth (1887)
• W. K. Brown
• Mary Cahalan (1888 - 1906)
• T. C. Young (1906 - )
• Rosa Strickland

References

• Cruikshank, George M. (1920) History of Birmingham and Its Environs (2 vol.) Chicago: Lewis Publishing.