Earlier, a couple of months ago, I posted information that was provided by Howard Osborne from the Wayne County geneology Society regarding the initial name of Fort Gay High School. Originally, when it was being built, it was named Butler District High School. Whether this name was ever officially changed to FGHS is unknown. The name, Butler District High School, is engraved over one of the front entrance doors.
“Jim Doc” Frazier recently sent me several copies of photos. Include in the photos were some of my family members, but there was a copy of a publication that appears to have been printed in 1975, celebrating the 100th. anniversary of Fort Gay. One of the pages of the copy he sent was a picture of the Fort Gay freshman class of 1926. Where would high school have been held at that time? Anyone have an idea? This is a list of the freshman class of 1926 that is pictured, which included my mother, Lyda Raines. If anyone has an original copy of that photo, I would love to have a copy. The class members were Milton Lycan, Frank Mckinster, Lace Frasher, Frank Raines, Dudley Billups, Thursa Bartram, Julia Easley, Ruth Workman, Myrtle Portis Frasher, Genevieve Thompson, Lucy Lynch, Luther Lycan (who was the teacher), Virginia Bailey, Jennie Borders, Margaret Frasher, Margaret Johnson, Pearl Ferguson, Lyda Raines, and Zelma Handley.
Below are two additional Wayne County News articles that Howard Osborne sent just today. They provide additional insight into the early history of Fort Gay High School. We are ever grateful to Howard for providing links to our past.
(WCN – 8/11/1932)
THOMPSON, LOVELY WIN NET HONORS
Wayne County ran away with the honors at the Marshall College Tennis Tournament again this summer when Wardy C.
Lovely, teacher in the Fort Gay Junior High School and Jack Thompson, athletic coach at Butler District High School, Fort
Gay, won the doubles championship for the summer. The Wayne county pair played two matches Thursday afternoon,
August 4, defeating Dale Henderson, Richwood, W. Va., and Clyde Alford, Ravenswood, W. Va., in the first match and
Landis Litchfield, and Charles Gillian of Huntington in the finals, with a score of 6-3; 6-2.
Wardy Lovely upset the dope in the singles tournament by defeating Jonathan Lowe, of Milton, singles champion of last
summer, by a score of 6-4; 6-3. It will be remembered that last summer the Wayne pair were the doubles champs while
Rebecca Lambert, of Wayne, was the girls singles champ.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
(WCN – 10/6/1932)
WORK IS RESUMED ON H. S. BUILDING
BY L. L. LYCAN
M. W. Zinn, contractor, resumed work on the new high school building at Fort Gay this week, and will rush the outside
work to completion within 60 days. The first story was completed last year with a special levy of 30 cents on each one
hundred dollars valuation. This year the legislature reduced expenditures of Boards to 85 percent of what they spent last
year, and as a result the Butler High School Board of Directors will be unable to complete the inside of the building for
use this year, the amount of the reduction being equal to the amount to finish the inside.
It is hoped that some money may be obtained from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to finish the building this
year, and thereby save the amount that would be spent for rent.
The enrollment of Butler High has increased this year considerably, there being approximately 115 in Jr. High and 120 in
Senior High, making a total of 235 students.
Butler high school is a first class temporary high school, all teachers holding degrees from standard colleges, all
equipment being first class, and meeting all the requirements of the State Department of Education, except buildings or
rooms. As soon as the school is housed in its permanent quarters this temporary standing will be removed and the
school will be first class without any restrictions.
All students taking the teacher’s examination this year were permitted to substitute their high school work for grades on
their certificates.
The faculty is composed of N. E. Plymale, principal, Iliff West, R. J. Thompson, R. W. Gillette, Mrs. Madge Matthews, Mrs.
Opal Lycan.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
MOTHER THINKS IT WAS AT THE OLD BUILDING AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, I KNOW THIS BUILDING HAD 1906 OVER THE DOOR, WHEN I WENT THERE.
PAM