Time Travel: Complete History of Simpson Elementary Site and a Civil War Poster Calling 'Brave Men' into Action
By Dick Duez on August 24, 2014 from History Blog via Connect-Bridgeport.com
Look familiar? It should as it was the foundation for what would eventually become Simpson Elementary School. The wooden high school seen here soon went up to grade 10 and was built in the 1880s. It lasted a little more than 20 years before the new high school was built seen in this 1908 photo. It only lasted to the early 1920s and a new high school called Bridgeport Union High (name changed later to Bridgeport High) was built on high school hill on Newton and Orchard Street, which lasted to 1963.
A school on Worthington Avenue – then Mechanic Street (which was the main roadway in the city up to 1836) – during the Civil War era was called Laurel Hill School and individuals had to pay to attend. Soon after the war a new school made of stone was erected, but was eclipsed by the wooden one in this photo.
This poster from 1861 explains itself. This is just as the Civil War, of which West Virginia played a huge part, was beginning to heat up.
Editor's Note: This ongoing photo feature of pictures from Bridgeport and throughout the Mountain State is part of local historian Richard "Dick" Duez's collection. Duez, the unofficial historian of Bridgeport, would appreciate any scanned photos emailed to him for use here or to include in his ongoing efforts to preserve local history. You can email photos, or let him know how to acquire copies of photos you may have in your possession, to Duez at grinder12@frontier.com.
The ME Church steeple, which was built in 1873 and became an apartment complex later, can be seen in the background. It was on Davis Street and was lost several years ago to make was for development.
