Then & Now: Clarke & 8th Streets

The first official high school classes began in Clay Center in 1881 in a school built at 8th and Crawford. It’s where the former McKinley School sits today. The 70 by 80’ building cost $25,000 and held 72 students. (Around $773K today.) High schoolers used the east half of the second floor while the rest was used for younger grades. 

Its first graduating class was in 1884 when four students graduated. 

In 1909 a separate high school was built off of Clarke Street between the blocks of 8th and 9th Streets. Known as the Clay County High School, its first class graduated from the building in 1910.

In 1922 it was renamed, becoming the Clay County Community High School, while an addition including an auditorium and gym was included in 1930. The building graduated students until the spring of 1963.

In 1966 it changed names again when it was dubbed Clay Center Community High School. 

Ground was broken on Presbyterian Manor on May 7, 1967, and it was completed in June of 1968 with Mrs. Rosamond Frick serving as the first resident. Originally the location had 44 units of various sizes. An addition was made in 1983, along with redecorating. 

When building the 1909 high school, workers found buried materials, including brick, iron, and cut stone, as reported in the Times. 

They called in an “old settler” who said the spot was one of the county’s showiest homes. Commissioned by A.F. Dexter himself in the winter of 1873. However, the soon-to-be-finished home went up in flames before it was finished. With few homes in the area, help was unavailable. 

Dexter had paid $8,000 for the structure and was an estimated $2,000 from completion. (Combined $261K today.)

The article states that the home was fancier than any home from Topeka to the mountains. The only thing left of the structure was Dexter’s buggy, and he let the ruins sit for three years, crumbling into the cellar.

When building his dam in 1875, he took most of the stone for its foundation in the river. 

The contract for the Clarke St. High School was signed in 1908 with a bid of just over $46,000. ($1.577 million today.) This included nearly $39,000 for the building, along with genuine slate blackboard and an extra fire escape. Another $7,600 would go to automatic heating ventilation and plumbing. 

In 1925, the Promoter, the high school paper, printed names of the semester’s new students, including those from Leonardville, Green, and nine students from Morganville. It said that students must know the words to the school song and yells before one could feel a part of the school. 

The school song, The Orange and the Black was three verses about “dear CCCHS.” Meanwhile, the chants featured nonsensical rhyming and onomatopoeia.

Strawberry, shortcake, blackberry pie; V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Are we in it? Well, I guess! CCCHS YES YES YES!

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