John Adams Middle School: 50 Years on Presidential Drive, Charleston, West Virginia

 

John Adams Middle School 50^th on Presidential Drive

Ernest Everett Blevins, mfa

This year marks the 50^th year for classes at John Adams Middle in South Hills, however, the name John Adams Junior High predates the physical campus at 2002 Presidential Drive.

The first mention in the Charleston Daily Mail of John Adams was on November 15, 1959, noting John Adams Junior High is housed in the former “Technical High School” at 422 Dickinson Street in a story about women taking an automotive mechanics class.[1]

The first mention of the John Adams Junior High name was in the Charleston Daily Mail on November 15, 1959 in a story about women taking an automotive mechanics class.  The story referenced John Adams was housed at former “Technical High School” at 422 Dickinson Street.

After Brown v. Board of Education, Kanawha County desegregated threating the future of Garnet High School.  Garnet High was built in 1928-1929 is one of the buildings that is a local landmark in The Block section of town.  The last Garnet High commencement was held on May 25, 1956. The school was named for Henry Highland Garnet who was a Maryland born, New York state abolitionist and later an ambassador to Liberia.  It was the oldest school serving Charleston’s black population before desegregation. 

Hopes were expressed as early as November 1955 that Garnet would become a new technical school.[2]  In August 1956, the new Kanawha County Technical School held an open house at the former Garnet High.[3]  The technical school established at Garnet was the first state technical school in the state.[4] 

For reasons not uncovered in research the Kanawha County Technical School only lasted a few years at the old Garnet High.  John Adams was first housed in the old Garnet High School. 

In September 1965, the Kanawha County School Board proposed a $26 million school bond for new elementary schools, junior and senior high schools to replace older schools or where the population growth warranted newer schools.   The new John Adams building was part of this referendum.  In November 1967, $485,930 was allocated for John Adams.[5]   By October 1967, the land for John Adams was listed among property already acquired by the school board.

In 1967, Kanawha County voters voted down then passed in a revote a $9 million bond round boost for school funding.  In November 1968, the Charleston area schools of John Adams Junior and Ruthlawn Elementary were in construction and South Charleston High and Kenna Elementary were in the planning stages with several other schools in various stages of planning to completion.[6]

On May 22, 1968, Walker Construction Company was granted the permit to construct “an access road and prepare the site for the new John Adams Junior High School in South Hills.”  The permit stated the cost was $124,000.[7]  I n July 1968, Southeastern Construction was awarded the contract for $1,466,300.[8]

In  March 1969, the school board approved $15,387.70 for gymnasium equipment from Casto & Harris, Inc.[9]  In May 1969, the school board approved the water line extension of 520 feet to meet the water company’s existing line costing $7,814.77.[10]  In June 1969, the school board awarded Burdette Asphalt a “$21,216 contract to pave the access road, parking and service drives, and the tennis courts.”[11] 

The old John Adams Junior High School on Dickinson Street opened with the rest of Kanawha County on September 2, 1969, with split sessions of 7^th and 8^th graders in the morning and 9^th graders in the afternoon.  

In October, the new $1.9 million school “on Tennis Club Road” was ready.  The building took 15 months of construction to execute Charleston architect Donald L. Moses and Associates’ plan.[12] In addition to Moses, the Chicago based Perkins & Hill consulted with John Adams.  Perkins & Hill are also associated with Weberwood Elementary (1962-1963) and with Kenna Elementary (1969-1970, opened 1970).  The earliest reference to Presidential Drive is on February 9, 1973 for a movie showing at the school.

The new John Adams Junior High was first scheduled for occupancy on October 6, 1969, and finally opened to classes on October 21,1969.[13]  The school schedule was consolidated from the split schedule during the beginning of the 1969-1970 school year with all students attending from 8 AM to 3:15 PM.  John Adams opened the new school with 967 students and 39 teachers with principal John Hughes. [14]

 

 The new school featured “science, industrial arts and home economics laboratories, a two-teaching station gymnasium, an instructional materials center (library), and a music suite.”  Some students volunteered to assist with the move during the week of to October 13 to 17. 

 The new John Adams School did not bring in the students from the Triangle area where the old John Adams was located.  Those students were shifted to Thomas Jefferson Junior High merging with students from the Knollwood area.[15]  Since at least 1960, South Hills students were bussed to John Adams downtown.[16]  In 1965, some South Hills children attended Thomas Jefferson and others in John Adams.[17]   With the opening of the new John Adams attendance area pulled students “from Fort Hill, Holz, Loudendale, Fernbank, Oakwood, Overbrook and part of Weberwood” Elementary schools.[18] Later adding Kenna Elementary to the feeder schools.

 The school board announced upon moving the old John Adams building on Dicknison Street would become an adult education center.  In October 1969, the school board voted to rename the old John Adams, building recognizing it roots, the Garnet Adult Education Center.  It is now the Garnet Career Center.[19] 

The work appears without sources in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, 10 October 2019.

To date, four of the author's children attended John Adams Middle school between January 2014 and December 2020.

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[1] William C. Blizzard, “Feminine Flivver Fixers,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 15 November 1959 p 37.

[2] “Full-Scale integration Planned,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 22 November 1955, p. 37.

[3] ‘Open House Set This Week at New Technical School,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 26 August 1956, page 6

[4] ‘Open House Set This Week at New Technical School,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 26 August 1956, page 6

[5] “Credibility Gap Says School Board, Snyder Says,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 28 November 1967,  p. 13.

[6] “County Schools Building Program Passes Mid-Point,” The Charleston Daily Mail section 2, p 17

[7] “Record building Permit Issued:  $15.9 Million for Capitol Complex,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 22 May 1968, page 29.

[8] “Board Plans to Replace Fruth School in Triangle,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 19 July 1968, 19.

[9] “Cedar Grove Group Rebuffed by Board on School Transfer,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 13 March 1969, p 19.

[10] “County Court to get School Board Letters on ‘Water Shortage,’” The Charleston Daily Mail, 9 May 1969, p. 25.

[11] “2 School Bid Openings Set; Parochial Busing Declined,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 13 June 1969, p. 23.

[12] Jerry Kessel, “New John Adams Junior High Opening Tuesday,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 17 October 1969, p. 17.

[13]“Oct. 21 Opening Slated for New John Adams School,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 24 September 1969, p. 27.

[14][14] The Charleston Daily Mail,

“Oct. 21 Opening Slated for New John Adams School,” TThe Charleston Daily Mail, 24 September 1969, p. 27.

[15]  “Hotline,” TThe Charleston Daily Mail, p. 13.

[16] Jerry Kessel, “Board Will Study Adams-Jefferson Pupil Distribution,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 11 June 1965, p. 19.

[17] Jerry Kessel, “2 Parents Ask School Board to Reconsider Adams-TJ Lines,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 9 August 1965, p. 17.

[18] Jerry Kessel, “New John Adams Junior High Opening Tuesday,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 17 October 1969, p. 17.

[19] “Classes Start Sept. 2 for 55,035,” The Charleston Daily Mail, Back to School Festival section, p. 2

“Oct. 21 Opening Slated for New John Adams School,” The Charleston Daily Mail, 24 September 1969, p. 27.

Jerry Kessel, “Opening of John Adams School ‘Still Firm,” 8 October 1969, p. 37.