In the fall of 1866, the board of education began the erection of the Washington building. It was located at the corner of Seventh and Green Streets and dedicated in April 1867. This would have been the original Parkersburg High School building. The West Virginia Journal dated April 16, 1867 described the first structure:
"The new brick school house dedicated Thursday last in the Fifth Ward is an honor to the city.
It contains four rooms capable of seating 250 scholars. The building cost $6,000.00."
Parkersburg High School's second building was also located at Seventh and Green Streets and cost $55,000.00.
Parkersburg High School third and current buildings cornerstone was laid January 4, 1916. The stone was quarried in North Carolina and is 2 feet three and half inches high and two feet one inch wide and is located at the South-East corner of the building. There is a copper receptacle inside to contain its contents.
It was necessary to get a special law passed through the West Virginia legislature to obtain the property. At that time a West Virginia law existed saying no school ground could contain more than four acres. Since Charles Van Devender, superintendent, wanted twenty seven acres he met with Charles Kreps, attorney for the board of education and had a bill properly drawn up. The legislature was in session and Van Devender took a train to Charleston and met with Senator Robert Gregory and convinced him to present the bill making it legal to acquire thirty acres of land for school use. The bill passed making it possible for Parkersburg to obtain its twenty-seven acres for the new high school.
There was bitter opposition against the Dudley Avenue property selection. Some opponents went so far as to burn and hang Van Devender in effigy in front of the old high school building on Seventh Street. They felt it was foolish to build an enormous high school in a swamp, a cow pasture, that was located outside the city. "A building to house 1,200 students that would never be filled with students."
When the building was completed in 1917, the front campus and front door could only be reached by an elevated board walk. The building, grounds and equipment cost approximately a half million dollars. The main building structure is floating on quicksand. It rest on a concrete slab and underneath the slab is many pilings. Because it floats very few cracks have occurred in the building.
In 1928, money was made available for the building of two wings. The title Central Junior-Senior High was used for many years when the school used the six year plan, seventh through twelfth grades. In 1956 with the completion of two junior high schools and a third almost finished, seventh and eighth grades were taken from the high school building. It hen became a four year institution until 1960 when it became a three year institution.
The stadium has served the Parkersburg community since its completion in 1924. The instillation of the stadium lights during the fall of 1940 made it possible for football games to be played at night. The lights were installed by the Parkersburg Junior Chamber of Commerce at a cost of $7,007.75.
Memorial Field House was dedicated December 4, 1951 at a cost of $175,000.00.
The construction of the planetarium was conducted through the joint efforts of the Rotary Club, Corning Glass Works, the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) and the Wood County Board of Education. Cost for constructing the room and purchasing equipment was $32,770.00. It is one of the first high schools in America to have a planetarium.
Few recognize the famous frieze on second floor as a priceless work of art. The frieze was a gift to Parkersburg High School from the 1926 graduating class. The original frieze was executed in 1812 for one of the apartments of the Palace of Quirinal in Rome. At the same time, the Danish government ordered an exact reproduction in marble. The copy was placed in the Thorwaldsen Museum in Copenhagen. The model of the frieze at Parkersburg High School was made directly from the original marbles in Copenhagen by special permission of the Danish government.
-Ken Gilbert, former Art teacher, PHS
Last Updated: 05/11/09