Messick High School
Encyclopedia
Messick High School was a public high school in Memphis, Tennessee
, established in 1908 and operated from 1909 to 1981. The main building was demolished in 1982, but Memphis City Schools
uses some other former Messick facilities to house the Messick Adult Education Center.
Messick High School was built by Shelby County
to consolidate three elementary schools. It was a full 12 grade school until 1912 when the high school grades 9-12 were moved to the new and nearby West Tennessee Normal School (Now U of M) to train teachers. After that Messick School included only elementary grades, but a high school building was added in the 1920s and all 12 school grades were enrolled as of 1924. At the time of its construction, the school was in a rural area of Shelby County called Buntyn, Tennessee, where truck farming was a major economic activity.
The school was named for Elizabeth Messick (1876-1951), a University of Chicago
graduate who was superintendent of Shelby County Schools
from 1904 to 1908 and who had been criticized for spending $30,000 to build the new high school. Messick later married Memphis Commercial Appeal journalist Elmer E. Houck and used the name Elizabeth Messick Houck.
In its rural location, some early students lived too far from the school to walk there, so they were transported to school in horse
- or mule
-drawn wagon
s. Initially, lunches were provided by students' mothers who brought hot meals to the school at mid-day. With time, Messick became the first school in West Tennessee
to have a school cafeteria
.
Residential subdivisions grew up in the surrounding area in the 1920s. In 1930 Messick became part of the Memphis City Schools system. Much additional residential development occurred in the area in the late 1940s, after World War II
ended. By the 1970s, however, the neighborhood was losing population and Messick's enrollment declined. The city school board voted to close the school. The graduating class of 1981 was Messick's last, and the school's main building was demolished in 1982.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, established in 1908 and operated from 1909 to 1981. The main building was demolished in 1982, but Memphis City Schools
Memphis City Schools
Memphis City Schools is the school district operating public schools in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Its headquarters are in the Francis E. Coe Administration Building...
uses some other former Messick facilities to house the Messick Adult Education Center.
Messick High School was built by Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
to consolidate three elementary schools. It was a full 12 grade school until 1912 when the high school grades 9-12 were moved to the new and nearby West Tennessee Normal School (Now U of M) to train teachers. After that Messick School included only elementary grades, but a high school building was added in the 1920s and all 12 school grades were enrolled as of 1924. At the time of its construction, the school was in a rural area of Shelby County called Buntyn, Tennessee, where truck farming was a major economic activity.
The school was named for Elizabeth Messick (1876-1951), a University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
graduate who was superintendent of Shelby County Schools
Shelby County Schools (Tennessee)
The Shelby County School District is a public school district headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. It serves Shelby County, Tennessee, except for the city of Memphis...
from 1904 to 1908 and who had been criticized for spending $30,000 to build the new high school. Messick later married Memphis Commercial Appeal journalist Elmer E. Houck and used the name Elizabeth Messick Houck.
In its rural location, some early students lived too far from the school to walk there, so they were transported to school in horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
- or mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
-drawn wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s. Initially, lunches were provided by students' mothers who brought hot meals to the school at mid-day. With time, Messick became the first school in West Tennessee
West Tennessee
West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the State of Tennessee. Of the three, it is the one that is most sharply defined geographically. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River on the west and the Tennessee River on the east...
to have a school cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
.
Residential subdivisions grew up in the surrounding area in the 1920s. In 1930 Messick became part of the Memphis City Schools system. Much additional residential development occurred in the area in the late 1940s, after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended. By the 1970s, however, the neighborhood was losing population and Messick's enrollment declined. The city school board voted to close the school. The graduating class of 1981 was Messick's last, and the school's main building was demolished in 1982.