JAMESTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOL

Historical Information

• 1907- Guilford County Board of Education named Jamestown as one of the first two sites for county’s first rural standard high schools.
• 1915-CONSTRUCTION (after first school destroyed by fire)

  COST- $18,117

  ARCHITECT- Charles E. Hartge of Raleigh

  NEOCLASSICAL STYLE (Portico is the dramatic focus of building, with Greek ionic columns)

  CONTRACTORS- A.F. Brooks and William Baker Hunt

  FIRST PRINCIPAL- E. J. Coltrane (later President of Brevard College)

  JAMESTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOL is said to have become the first accredited rural high school in North Carolina

• 1926 Auditorium and classroom addition
• 1930’s Annex addition

• 1945-46 Twelfth grade added (formerly eleven grades)

• 1948-49 Gymnasium and athletic field addition
• 1959 High School students moved to new school, Ragsdale High School
• 1967 Middle School students moved to new school, Jamestown Middle School
• 1980 Alumni and others met with county school board to advise desire to raise funds to renovate school and spare it from demolition
• 1982 Elementary students moved to new school, Jamestown Elementary School
• 1985 Fund raising campaign initiated by the Save the Old School Committee
• 1986 Ownership transferred from county school board to Town of Jamestown, and subsequently leased to the Old Jamestown School Association
• 1986 Renovation, with funds provided by alumni, friends, and community
• 1988 Reopened as Jamestown Public Library
• 1988 Dedication of renovated library building, with N.C. Governor Jim Martin and other dignitaries in attendance
• 1998 Construction of Town Commons by Town of Jamestown on grounds surrounding building
• 2000 Dedication of renovated second floor of building

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