- by Gene Gill, Tech 1951

Although Tech High was closed in 1987, the historic Tech building still stands at 1266 Poplar Avenue in Memphis.  How it has escaped demolition all these years in a city well known for destroying its past, is another subject.  This building opened in 1928 and that's the official date for Tech, but the old school really began 15 years before that - in a different building and under a different name.    Today this old Tech building is the home of the Northwest Preparatory Academy - "...a specialized school that addresses the academic needs for each student".

In April 2007, the "Memphis Tech High Alumni"  website debuted on the World Wide Web.  It featured yearbook photos of every graduate of Tech High from 1922 to 1987. #56  It also included a history of Tech, as well as the traditional articles about Tech being the first school in Memphis and being older than Central High.  I created this website as part of a "love-affair" with this grand old Memphis high school.  As a loyal Tech graduate, I never considered questioning  the basic history of the school until some dedicated research convinced me otherwise.   

Dave French, Tech 1969, had become a loyal contributor to the website.  He had also begun reading the Ray Holt articles and re-thinking the beginnings of Tech.  We both agreed that the history we knew might be questionable.  During this period, Dave started his collection of vintage postcards which pictured the "castle on Poplar Av".  All of the postcards had different names for the same building, such as "The High School", "Memphis High School", and "Vocational High School".  At the time, we didn't understand why, because we only knew this building as "Old Tech" and "Board of Education".

Below are some of the postcards that Dave found on Ebay - Same building, 3 different names.

"Memphis High School"               

"High School Building"

           "Vocational High School"

A breakthrough occurred in July 2010 when Dave found an amazing antique pin for sale on EBAY.  The pin was for Memphis High School and the "castle" on Poplar was engraved on it.  We knew "the castle" as Old Tech and we had heard of Memphis High School, but we knew nothing about that school.  So we both began to devour the Ray Holt articles and the legend became more confusing than ever.  It took quite a while to sort it out, but we gradually learned that there was only one public high school in early Memphis and this one high school moved several times to different buildings and locations.  That one public high school was named Memphis High School.

During the early research, we were sure we had discovered the truth about Tech, but additional proof and validation was needed.  Finding this was a problem because Dave lived in Georgia and I lived in California.  Dave contacted Memphian and Tech collector Rob Jolly, Tech 1970, about scanning some of his documents which mentioned the Memphis High School.  In October of 2010, Rob Jolly came on board.  At the beginning he did not believed what we were saying, but he still volunteered to do library research.  After a week of research, Rob was convinced that we were on the right path, and was now totally with us. 

In addition, Dave contacted  Memphian and "honorary Techite" Maureen Thoni White, Immaculate Conception 1969, who also began to do library research for us. 

And now, we have validated the history of Tech and it's not what we had once believed.  Tech and Central  began at the same time - both dating from September 1911.  The history presented below is unique and for the first time, reinforced with documented and historical evidence.    
                    - Gene Gill,  November 2010

It's necessary to have some background  about early education in Memphis and about some school buildings before learning of Tech's history.  If you think this gets a bit confusing, think of us as we tried to sort it out before knowing all the facts.

Memphis Board of Education.  In the early history of Memphis education, the school board named schools after the streets where they were located - and then shortly afterwards, renamed the school for a prominent educator.   To complicate matters, the board continued using the old street name in their publications long after the school had a new name.  This habit obviously caused a great deal of the  misinformation and confusion about the origins of Tech High School, as well as other Memphis schools.  The final blow was when the school board literally threw out most of its early records in the late 1950's. 

Memphis Newspapers of the time followed the lead of the Board of Education and continued to refer to schools by their "Street Name" long after the board had renamed the school for an educator.  There were from 10 to 15  newspapers in Memphis during the early years and they all did this - as well as sometimes using BOTH names in the same article.  Of course, this perpetuated the inconsistencies that one finds when trying to research the early schools in Memphis.

Market Street School, built in 1872, was the first brick public school in Memphis.  It was for grades 1-6, but there was also a small section for "higher education".   In 1877 the Market Street School was renamed Smith School and in 1920, Christine School - but  the School Board, the newspapers and the public continued to call it the Market Street School.   It gets more complicated.  When the city's Memphis High School was formed in 1877 by the merger of the girl's and boy's high schools, it moved to the top floor of the Market Street School.  But in our early research,  we had assumed that Memphis High School had its own building on one corner

of Market and the Market Street School building was on the opposite corner.  Then we  discovered the Memphis Directories posted on the Shelby County Register of Deeds website.  One day while re-reading the 1888 directory,  I noticed that both schools were listed separately but they had the same address and different principals.  That was a breakthrough:  One building - two different schools.  From 1877 to 1891, Memphis High School continued to occupy the top floors of the Market Street School.  Enrollment steadily increased to the point that a new high school became a necessity.  # 1,  2,  3,  4. 59 or see footnotes at the bottom.

Linden Street School - Leath High School.  In 1892,  a new school was built on the grounds of the Linden Street School and was named Linden Street High School, and then changed to Leath High School, after a school superintendent.  All the staff from the Memphis High School moved to this new school and the name "Memphis High School" was not used for the next 6 years.   Actually, before the high school officially moved to their new building here, they had already begun using Leath "Grammar" School as an annex because of severe over-crowding.  It's not clear why the Board of Education didn't call this new building Memphis High School -unless it had

something to do with it being built on land already occupied by Leath Grammar School.   However, Leath High School grew rapidly and within a couple of years it was was once again obvious that a new and much larger high school was needed.  The Board of Education settled on a lot where the old Memphis Market was located - the corner of Poplar and Yates.  The new building opened in 1898 and the previous Leath High School building was converted to use as a Junior High School.  # 5,  6,  7.  or  see footnotes at the bottom.

Poplar Avenue "Castle".  No building had more names than "the castle" on Poplar.  At various times it was called "Poplar Street School", "Poplar Avenue High School", "Old Poplar School", "Memphis High School", "Vocational Grammar and High School", "Vocational School", "Crockett Vocational", "Crockett Technical", "the Old Tech building", "Old Tech High", "Home of Hope Night School", "Memphis Board of Education", etc".   However, the castle was built specifically for Memphis High School in 1898 and that school occupied it until it closed in 1911. 

When the building opened in 1898, the Memphis High School name was resurrected and the entire staff from Leath High School moved to the new building.  A decree was issued from the Board that Memphis High School is now the ONLY high school in Memphis.  Thus the Poplar Avenue building became known as Memphis' first high school.  When Memphis High School closed in 1911 the board didn't have an immediate use for this building.  Since they had tried for many years to build a "Manual Training School", they created Memphis Vocational School just for this building, and the building gradually became far better known as the "old Tech building".  The history of this building is key to the misinformation as well as to the true history of Tech.  # 8,  9,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  58  or see footnotes at bottom

Fowlkes Grammar School.  At various times it was also called "Folks", "Folkes", "Jefferson High", "Jefferson Annex",  and "Memphis Board of Education".  This building is part of Tech's history because it was used as an annex to relieve the crowded conditions of Memphis High School, and later as an annex for Crockett Technical, and even as an annex for Central High.  When it was no longer used for a school, the Board of Education occupied the building.  The building burned in 1964 and was demolished.   #10. or see footnote at the bottom.

Hope Night School.  There have been writings by others that Hope Night School was the forerunner of Tech.  We proved very early that this was not true.  The Board of Education itself was partially to blame for this legend, because they published photos of "the castle" after the Vocational School opened there.  On the photo they identified it as "Vocational High School - home of The Hope Night School".  They didn't mention that these were two separate schools in the same building and that the Vocational High also had its own separate night school program.

Being in the same building is the only association these two schools ever had.  They never merged.  And the founder's daughter recognized in her memoir that the Hope Night School closed in 1928 "simply because there's no longer a need for it".  # 11,  12,  13,  14,  15.  45,  or see footnotes at the bottom.

Central High School always claimed that it went back to Memphis High School in 1887.  Yes it does,  and so does every new high school built in Memphis since 1911, including Tech.  However, Central was not a continuation of the Memphis High School.  The MHS name was only used when there was ONE high school in Memphis.  The Board of Education was keenly aware that the city was growing and that new high schools would be needed in all parts of the city.  Their plan was to start with one new school in a central location and name it Central High.  At the same time, the school board retired the Memphis High School name because there would 

Vocational Grammar and High School 1911-1917

Tech goes back to 1911, when a NEW school was created by the Board of Education. #16, #18, #58    There's no dispute that the newly created Memphis Vocational Grammar and High School is the beginning of Tech.  In June of 1911, the board had a building - "the castle", at 317 Poplar, for which they no longer had any use.  They created the new vocational high for this building, specifically "to take the load off the new Central so they wouldn't have to build a 2nd public high school for some time" #17.  Thus the new Central High and the new Vocational High Schools both opened in September of 1911. # 19,  21,  22,  23.  44.

The "castle" had originally been built in 1898 specifically for Memphis High School and that school occupied the building until 1911, when the Vocational School took over the building.   Since there would eventually be high schools in all parts of Memphis, the Memphis High School name was dropped after June of 1911 and never used again. #20

When the new Vocational school opened, there were 4 teachers and 73 students.  The first principal was J. W. Curtis.  That first year, the enrollment grew to 188 students.  In 1912-13 enrollment grew to 272,  and then to 284 in 1913-14, 347 in 1914-15, and 469 in 1915-16. #57  In 1916 the Vocational School was recognized by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper.  #62  The High school grew so fast that It wasn't long before "Grammar" ceased to be a part of the school's name.  In 1917, the Smith-Hughes program #55 was added to the Vocational curriculum.  #24  In the same year, this government program presented the school with $20,000 in Federal aid to be used to develop and expand their curriculum.  #61

The rare photos below, from a booklet published by the Board of Education, show some 1911 classrooms at the Vocational High School.  We had also hoped to have a list of the teachers in 1911 when the Vocational School opened, but the earliest list we have located is 1916.  #40
Sewing Class 1911	Shop Class 1911	"Domestic Science" 1911

Crockett Vocational High School 1918-1920

Crockett Technical High 1921-1927

The name is changed again in 1921 to Crockett Technical High - it's the same school, same location at the 317 Poplar "castle" building.  The school colors are changed to BLUE and GOLD.  Although the Crockett Technical High name does appear in the Commercial Appeal in 1921, the newspapers often refer to the school as the "Vocational High School" .   It should be noted, however, that the school does begin to call itself "Tech High School"  in yearbooks and all school publications.  This is long before the Board of Education's official date of 1928 for "Tech High" .

The first "Tech" yearbook (that we know about) was published in 1922 and was named "The Dynamo".  The Dynamo is published every year until 1927.  It's printed in the school's print shop.  (Note:  Since this was published, we discovered a copy of a 6 page yearbook printed in 1919, named "The Craftsman").  Some of the Championships won by "Tech High" in 1924-26:  Championship of the world in School Banking, Interscholastic Championship of Memphis in Military Drill won for 6 years, Interscholastic Championship of Memphis in Debating, Interscholastic Championship of Memphis in Girls' Basketball, Tri-State Championship in Boys' Basketball, Triple Tie for Football Championship of Memphis, Interscholastic Championship of Memphis in Wrestling, Boxing, and Golf, Championship of the United States in Safety Designing, and many more. #48.

The students call their school "Tech High" as early as 1926 #46, and in 1926-27, perhaps earlier,  the school nickname was "The One Hundred Per Cent School" #47.  The 1926 yearbook was printed in the school's shops and was lovingly dedicated to the "entire staff" #49.   Newspapers begin to call the school "Tech High".

A newspaper article in 1921 refers to the school as "Tech High", and that name catches on with everyone #35.  By the time the school moves to the new Tech High building in 1928, the newspapers have become so conditioned to calling the "castle" building "the Tech building", that they continue to call it "the Tech Building" until it is demolished in 1965 #52.  We are sure the legend started that Tech is the oldest high school, simply because it became so closely identified with the oldest high school BUILDING in Memphis.  Tech and the "Poplar Street School" or "Old Memphis High School" or "the castle" have become synonyms.  The confusion about the origin of Tech is complete.

The Castle is demolished

Memphis Technical High 1928-1987 

J. L. Highsaw finally gets his new building and a new school name.  The name is changed to Memphis Technical High  and the "new school" holds September classes in their new building at 1266 Poplar.  No one has ever disputed that Vocational High, Crockett Technical and Memphis Technical aren't the same school.  And although everyone knows that Tech goes back to the Vocational High School, the Memphis Technical name didn't officially begin until 1928 - and that's the date the Board of Education uses for the founding of Tech.

To make way for the new Tech Building on Poplar, the Board of Education acquired the old Van Vleet Mansion and 20 acres.
Van Vleet Mansion	Tech Lions at Gate	Certain architectural elements of the old mansion were retained for the architecture of Tech - notably the classic four front columns and portico.  In addition, two stone lions, two giant urns, a curved stone seat, stone sun dial, and large mahogany book cases all became part of the new building.  The new Memphis Technical High building opened in September 1928, and was one of the finest schools in the country, with all the latest equipment.   #37,  38

Update March 2017:  Email from Ray Gill of Gill Properties Inc  "...the columns, balcony, door and window accents that are on my house ... came from the Van Vleet house on Poplar.  My mother's father Cordra York built (my) house and I understand he bought the columns, etc ... when the city tore down the Van Vleet house.  He stored them for several years until he built the house I live in ... on Yorkshire ... in 1939."  *

Columns Door and Window Trim Doors Capital Base   The front columns are easily recognizable, as are the door and window accents - the balcony, not so easy.  Mr. Gill states that the columns are hollow and made of wood with iron trim.  He has climbed into the portico attic to look down into the columns to verify that they are hollow.  For more information about the Gill Home, read the Memphis Magazine article >    http://memphismagazine.com/features/the-heart-of-the-matter/ *  Thank you Mr. Gill for this important footnote of historic information and for your photos.

We had hoped to list the teachers who opened the Memphis Tech High building in 1928, but the earliest list we have is for 1929 #41.  The 1927 list of teachers is also available so it's possible to determine who came from the Crockett Tech building and who might be new #50.  Beloved teacher and Assistant Principal Alice O'Donnell passes away in 1931.  Effie E. Wright becomes Assistant Principal in 1931, retires in 1950 and passes away in 1957.  J. L. Highsaw retires in 1957 and passes away in 1962.  William A. Bourne becomes Principal in 1958, retires in 1975, and passes away in 1987.  William C. Kobeck becomes principal in 1976.  Robert Terell, Assistant Principal 1976-81, was the first black administrator.  We currently have no names of later administrators, other than Ira Spillers, who was principal when Tech closed in 1987.    In a 1963 newspaper interview, long time teacher Mary Ormond Butler says "I introduced the first National Honor Society to Memphis when I was at Tech High".  #60

In 1963, Tech was the first Memphis school to be integrated.  It's not the best of times nor the worst.  The first black student is Willie Walker, Class of 1965.  For an excellent accounting of integration at Tech, written by Tech teacher Carolyn Elliott, Click on > #39.  Mandatory busing arrived in 1975 and many "whites" began sending their children to private schools.   The Memphis public schools will never completely recover from "white flight".   In 1974 Tech has 192 graduates in the senior class, 178 in 1976, 149 in 1977, 114 in 1982, and the last class in 1987 had only 55 graduates.

After closing Tech in 1987, the Board of Education re-opened the building as "The Pyramid Academy" - a school for students who couldn't make it in a regular school environment.  The Pyramid Academy principal was never friendly toward the Tech alumni who wanted to collect the old Tech trophies, photos, and other memorabilia, for posterity.

Tech Alumni websites:  Bill Lamkins, Tech '60 was the first to add information about Tech to the WWW.  His 1960 and 1961 class rosters are still on the internet.  Gene Gill, Tech '51 added a website for Tech 1951 in November 2001.  Bill Lloyd, Tech '52 added his website for Tech 1952 in October 2002.  Nancy Tucker Douglass, Tech '50 added her website for Tech 1950 in May 2005.  Bill Tucker, Tech '57 added his website for Tech 1957 in August 2005.  Gene Gill added the Tech Alumni website in April 2007.  As of this writing, all of these pages and websites are still on the internet.  Please support the website of your choice by your visits.  Tech is also represented on Wikipedia - the online Encyclopedia,  and on the social network, Facebook.

Tech 1960-1961 members.tripod.com/memphis_tech	Tech 1951    www.tech51.com	Tech 1952   www.tech1950.com
Tech 1950    www.tech1950.com	Tech 1957   www.tech1957.com	Tech  Alumni    www.memphistechhigh.com