Dublin Core
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Until 1907, high school students in Avon attended classes in a building constructed in 1841. It was built as the Avon Academy for young women, then purchased by the village in 1867 as the Avon Union Free School, and finally renamed the Avon High School in 1895.
As Avon grew in size, the need for a larger, modern school became evident. This postcard dates to the decade after construction of the new brick schoolhouse, which added music, domestic science, and athletics to its curriculum. New wings were added in 1929 and 1936, with the original structure becoming a 28-room elementary school.
On 27 October 1957, the aging school already described as a "fire trap" burned to the ground. Teachers leery of the the building's danger had routinely practiced fire drills, and all 450 students escaped safely. Firefighting efforts were concentrated on saving the two newer wings.
At the time of the fire, Irene Coleman was the Elementary School supervisor and by 1961 had become the school's principal. Her memories of the fire and its aftermath are recounted in an oral history.
Work Consulted: Don Fradenburgh, "They Didn't Know it Was Afire," Rochester Times-Union 28 Oct. 1961: 1
As Avon grew in size, the need for a larger, modern school became evident. This postcard dates to the decade after construction of the new brick schoolhouse, which added music, domestic science, and athletics to its curriculum. New wings were added in 1929 and 1936, with the original structure becoming a 28-room elementary school.
On 27 October 1957, the aging school already described as a "fire trap" burned to the ground. Teachers leery of the the building's danger had routinely practiced fire drills, and all 450 students escaped safely. Firefighting efforts were concentrated on saving the two newer wings.
At the time of the fire, Irene Coleman was the Elementary School supervisor and by 1961 had become the school's principal. Her memories of the fire and its aftermath are recounted in an oral history.
Work Consulted: Don Fradenburgh, "They Didn't Know it Was Afire," Rochester Times-Union 28 Oct. 1961: 1