School – Vancleave MS

Description

Efforts to improve the school in Vancleave began in February 1936 when the new teacher’s home and addition to the agricultural building and general school repairs were undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for a cost of $7000. JohnT. Collins was the architect. In August, WPA employees used salvaged materials to rebuild the school. In 1939, application was filed for a PWA grant and a bond election called to finance the remainder of the cost of constructing a new school with light and water system. Architects were Carl Oschner and L. C. Winterton of New Orleans, and constractor was O. H. Pittman and Son also from New Orleans. However, records indicate the PWA grant, initially approved, was not carried out as it does not appear in the completed projects, apparently due to conflict between the citizens regarding the bonds and they were not issued. In August 1940, approval was given for the construction of a one story school building, teacher’s home, gymnasium, garage building, and vocational agriculture and home economics department as WPA project No. 41,188 in the amount of $48,146, with Jackson County appropriating $32,000 toward the project. In 1942, the main school building, garage, laboratory and janitor’s home were destroyed by fire believed to have been caused by lightning. All textbooks, records, and equipment were destroyed.