Tazewell High School - History

History

Prior to the current location, Tazewell High School was located in three other areas: the current locations of the Tazewell County Courthouse, the Tazewell branch of the Tazewell County Library, and the Tazewell County Administration Building.

The current location was built in 1954. In 1975, a new wing was built to expand the school. The addition houses the science department and the library.

The school colors were originally purple and gold, but were later changed to kelly green and white.

Schools are the focal point for most communities and Tazewell High is no different. The walls have been located in four places: the Tazewell County Courthouse, the present location of the Tazewell County Public Library, the present county administration building, and the current school building, erected in 1954.

As the town grew and changed, so did the school. By 1975, increased enrollment prompted the addition of a new science and library wing, an elevator, and assorted other classrooms. The grounds were also altered with the construction of a football field, regulation track, two field houses, a baseball field, a picnic area, a memorial to John F. Kennedy, several parking lots, and tennis courts.

As students needs changed, so did the curriculum at Tazewell High School. Class offerings expanded to keep up with developments in education and technology, while a variety of extracurricular activities-including athletics, clubs, drama, and music-gave young people new avenues by which to explore their talents and interests.

Today the school reflects the pulse of the community, serving as the site for public meetings, cultural events, athletic meets, academic competitions, and assorted student-centered programs. Tazewell High is more than four walls; this institution embodies the rich heritage of the region's past, the current interests of the community at large, and the future hopes and dreams of its inhabitants. Yes, these walls do talk…and their whispered echoes of the past create a sense of tradition that still lives today in the halls, on the stage, in the classrooms, and on the athletic field. From the beginning of Tazewell County in 1799, education plays an important role in the lives of Tazewell’s young citizens. Through home instruction and the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, Tazewell Countians recognize the importance of education. The isolation of Tazewell County, however, makes it difficult during the early history of the county to get competent teachers to provide instruction to its children. The first free public school system is established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1850. Even by this time, however, many Virginia residents look upon this new public school system as a form of government charity. Therefore, public education is not very successful in any section of the commonwealth. Private schools, for those who can afford them, continue to play the major role in schooling for many of Virginia’s young people The Virginia Constitution of 1870, also known as the Underwood Constitution, finally establishes universal, free public education in the Commonwealth. Tazewell High School is established in October 1872. The first term at THS is completed in the spring of 1873 with a small student body. Professor A. D. Walthall is the first principal. Mrs. O. E. Witten, Mrs. J. L. P. Spotts, and Miss Louisa Todd Coulling are the first teachers. The original school board is made up of W. W. Peery, A. J. May, Isaac E. Chapman, George W. Gillespie, Zachariah S. Witten, A. J. Tynes, and Jonathan Lyons. The first graduating class completes their course of studies in the spring of 1879. The principal this year is W. A. Evans. The first graduates are H. Peery Brittain, Sproll Lyons, Ida Gillespie, and Annie Miller Stuart. Graduation ceremonies are held on June 14, 1879. The commencement exercises are known as "exhibitions" during these early years. During this first decade the school term runs for five months and the four teachers on the staff are paid a salary of $20.00 per month. Subjects offered during this period include advanced studies such as trigonometry, astronomy, and calculus. Classes during the early years of the school’s existence are housed in the Tazewell County Courthouse. Professor W. A. Evans is named the second principal at THS. In 1894 Tazewell High School is under the direction of a new principal, Mr. George C. Peery, who later becomes the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Peery serves only two years as principal; he resigns to attend law school at Washington and Lee School of Law. By the middle of the 1890s the enrollment at THS reaches 75 students. THS also establishes its first band by 1898.

Interscholastic sports competition features basketball with teams from Tazewell High School competing with such schools as Witten’s Mill and Burkes Garden on outdoor dirt courts. In 1909 the old bank building which houses Tazewell High School is torn down to make way for a new school structure. This new building is first occupied on August 19, 1909, and includes both elementary and high school students.

During the first decade of the 1900s Tazewell High School’s student magazine, The Pep, is born. The magazine contains student written literary essays, students' news, and even a gossip column. Harriet Scott serves as one of the first editors. The daily recess routine at THS consists of lining the entire student body up two by two in front of the high school building on Main Street. Next the group marches down Fincastle Turnpike around the bend to the intersection with Carline (Tazewell Avenue). The students then proceed down the avenue, then up Pine Street, and back to the high school. Social life at the school centers on parties that are held at the high school building. Students dance the Waltz, the Turkey Trot, and the One Step. At the high school, students dance in the long hallway on the third floor of the building. Students also dance in a large room located above Greever Hardware and another hall located in the building across the street from the Bank of Clinch Valley. In December of each year the third floor hallway at THS is the location for a Christmas Bazaar sponsored by several different community groups. Thirteen students graduate Tazewell High School in the class of 1919. All 13 students take part in the ceremony; playing the piano, speaking, or singing. At the end of the ceremony the younger students walk to the stage and present the graduates with gifts consisting of wrapped packages or flowers. Graduates in 1919 include two sets of twins, Katie and Mary Hurt, Mary and Martha Coulling. In addition, Miriam Buchanan, Elizabeth Gillespie, Vera Jones, Jesse Gillespie, Harriet Scott, and Elmo Peery are listed among the graduates. Mr. Carson is the principal at Tazewell High School. The salary schedule for teachers in Tazewell County during this decade varies from $30.00 to $50.00 per month depending on the teaching certificate held.

Nationally known evangelist, Billy Sunday, speaks to the THS student body Monday morning, May 23, 1923. Dr. Charles J. Smith, president of Roanoke College, delivers a "literary address" to graduates on Wednesday, May 25, 1923. Graduation for the class of 1923 is held Friday, May 27, with 17 students graduating. The 1923 graduates include Helen Lake Bottimore, Mary Ellen Bowen, Louise Jackson, Hattie Beavers, Dorothy Hankins, Mildred Hankins, Kate Johnson, Louise Peery, Virginia Pobst, Louisa Witten, Margaret Keister, Lucille Leister, Annella Greever, Jim Sam Gillespie, Joseph Gillespie, Moss Peery, and Paul Repass. Tazewell High School's mascot is created by the first football coach Homes "Pard" Byrd in 1926. Byrd is a recent graduate of Emory and Henry College. His favorite football team is the Georgia Bulldogs, so he decides to name his team the Bulldogs.

The Bulldog becomes the THS mascot in 1926.

When the local newspapers begin writing articles on the boys, they refer to them as the Bull Dogs. Later, the words are combined to create "Bulldogs." In 1926, the school colors are purple and gold because the uniforms that are donated to the team are these colors. According to unofficial records Tazewell's football team is created because Richlands is also establishing a team. Tazewell High students play their first interscholastic football game in the fall of 1926 against a team from Council in Buchanan County. This first game is won by the Bulldogs by a score of 12-0 over "Triangle Mountain Institute." Other wins during the inaugural year include 14-0 over Bramwell, 6-0 over Richlands, and a win over Graham. The overall record of this first football squad (1926) is 4-4. In 1929, maroon and white uniforms are given to the Dogs, as a result, THS's first school colors become maroon and white. A November 16, 1929 football game pits Tazewell's maroon and white team against Bluefield, Virginia High School in a Saturday morning game played at the Wade Field in Bluefield.

Tazewell High School's first football team is organized in 1926.

Graduation for the class of 1929 is held on Tuesday, May 29, with Jesse McCall as valedictorian. Tazewell High School receives its first official accreditation from the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools of the Southern States on Friday, June 7, 1929. Appalachia High School, Galax High School, Saltville High School, Troutville High School, and Wise High School join THS and a total of 62 Virginia High Schools out of the 408 high schools in the state which achieve accreditation standards by the 1928-1929 school term.

The Class of 1928.