The Arkansas City High School was a comprehensive public high school serving students between 1910 and 2004 in Arkansas City, Arkansas, United States. Since 2005, the original 1910 building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has served as an annex of the neighboring Desha County Courthouse. It was a part of the Arkansas City School District.
Arkansas City High School | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | Robert S. Moore Ave. and President St., Arkansas City, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°36′36″N 91°12′05″W / 33.61000°N 91.20139°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Ferrell, Clyde A. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival and Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000005[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 4, 1984 |
| Arkansas City High School | |
|---|---|
 Arkansas City High School (pre-1983) | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , Desha County , United States | |
| Information | |
| Established | 1910 |
| Status | Closed |
| Closed | c. 1983 (building reopened 2005 for non-school use) |
| School district | Arkansas City School District |
| Mascot | River Rat |
| Team name | Arkansas City River Rats |
| High School | 1910-1983 |
| Not in Use | 1984-2005 |
| Courthouse Annex | 2005- |
History
editHistoric facility
editArkansas City High School (1910-1983)
editLocated in Desha County in southeastern Arkansas, the Arkansas City High School was built in 1910 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It was designed by Arkansas architect Clyde A. Ferrell in Colonial Revival and Renaissance Revival style architecture.[1] This building served as the high school until 1983, when the high school relocated to a newer building near Arkansas Highway 4, at Iulagi Street and Sadie Lee Avenue.
Courthouse Annex (2005-)
editFor approximately 20 years from its closure in 1983, the former high school fell into disrepair. By 2003, a $2.2 million two-year renovation of the building began. The revived structure reopened in 2005 as an annex of the Desha County Courthouse. While the courthouse underwent its own renovations in the early 2000s, the former high school also housed the county courts.[2][3]
Public education in Arkansas City
editThe Arkansas City School District served Arkansas City, with students at Arkansas City High School and Arkansas City Elementary School, until consolidation with the McGehee School District on July 1, 2004. Arkansas City High School's mascot was the River Rat, so named due to the town's close proximity to the Mississippi River.[4]
The district consolidation was the result of the Arkansas General Assembly enacting a law requiring school districts with fewer than 350 students apiece to consolidate with other districts.[5][6][7] Following the consolidation, the McGehee district continued to operate the newer Arkansas City campus as a K-6 elementary school[8] through its closure in October 2005.[9] The 1983 campus has since housed a branch of the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library System.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Desha County". Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ "Walks through History Historic Arkansas City Begin at Desha County Courthouse Saturday, October 15, 2011 By: Rachel Silva" (PDF). Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ "2002-2003 Arkansas Education Directory." Arkansas Department of Education. 54. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.
- ^ "Dumas inherits Gould district’s deficit Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Arkansas News. May 11, 2005. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
- ^ "The MHS Alumni Café Archived September 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." McGehee School District. Retrieved on July 27, 2011. "FYI... The Delta Special (Desha Central) and Arkansas City School Districts Consolidated with the McGehee School District as a result of a state mandate in 2004-2005."
- ^ "Consolidation/Annexations of LEA's (1983-2010) Archived 2010-09-24 at the Wayback Machine." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.
- ^ "Campuses." McGehee School District. August 28, 2004. Retrieved on July 28, 2011.
- ^ "Campuses." McGehee School District. October 18, 2005. Retrieved on July 28, 2011.
