Jefferson County was once served by four high schools, Charles Town High, Shepherdstown High, Harpers Ferry High and Page Jackson High School. Consolidation into one high school (Jefferson High) occurred in the early 1970s and it wasn’t until 2007 that a second school (Washington High) was added.
Of course, a high school is the educational launch pad for students who either go on to higher education or enter the workforce. But for so many, it is a place where lifelong friendships are made or nurtured, life goals are discovered, and a vast array of experiences shape fill the memory book of a lifetime.
In Jefferson County, there were communities within communities that sent farm children into classrooms with city and mountain kids, and there were the divisions of race that created social and civic layers within the same geography, but worlds apart.
Charles Town High School
By 1922, the original Charles Town Graded School had become too small to serve all of the area’s students. To relieve overcrowding, the county purchased the Timberlake family property on Congress Street and converted the existing house into a high school.
The arrangement was only temporary. Student enrollment continued to grow, and voters approved a $125,000 bond issue to construct a new Charles Town High School and a new Eagle Avenue School for African American students, reflecting the era’s segregated school system. The Timberlake house was demolished, and a modern school building rose in its place. When it opened in 1929, it became the new Charles Town High School. Today, that same building houses Wright Denny Intermediate School.
As enrollment increased once again, another new Charles Town High School was built in 1959 on High Street, just outside town. High school students moved to the new campus, while the Congress Street building became Charles Town Junior High School.
The year 1972 brought dramatic changes. Charles Town’s elementary school was destroyed by fire, and Jefferson High School opened its doors. High school students moved to Jefferson High, the former high school became Charles Town Junior High School, and the former junior high building was converted into Wright Denny Elementary School.
Harpers Ferry High School
Education in Harpers Ferry has an equally long history. In 1912, a school was built on Washington Street to serve both elementary and high school students.
County officials proposed a bond issue in 1928 to build a consolidated school serving both Charles Town and Harpers Ferry. Because the proposed location was closer to Charles Town, residents of the Harpers Ferry area strongly opposed the plan. Instead, voters eventually approved a different bond issue that funded a new Harpers Ferry High School as well as elementary schools in Millville and Bolivar.
The new Harpers Ferry High School opened in 1930 on Washington Street. The older school building became Harpers Ferry Graded School and was later renamed C. W. Shipley Elementary School in honor of the longtime principal. In 1971, a new C. W. Shipley Elementary School was built along Route 340. The original building is now used by the National Park Service for storage.
When Jefferson High School opened in 1972, Harpers Ferry High School became Harpers Ferry Junior High School. More than fifty years later, the building continues to serve Jefferson County students in grades six through eight.
Shepherdstown High School
The Shepherdstown area established a high school program in 1922. Classes for grades nine through eleven were held in the Old Shepherd College Building, now known as McMurran Hall on German Street. A twelfth grade was soon added, but conditions were far from ideal. One room served simultaneously as a library, principal’s office, study hall, lunchroom, and locker room. Even more remarkably, the building had no bathrooms.
Local voters rejected three separate bond proposals between 1924 and 1927 to build a new school. Finally, in 1928, a bond measure passed. Land was purchased from the B&O Railroad on Minden Street near Kearneysville Pike, and a new school was constructed.
The new Shepherdstown High School opened in 1930 and educated students in grades seven through twelve for more than four decades. When Jefferson High School opened in 1972, the building became Shepherdstown Junior High School. It remains in educational use today, serving students in grades six through eight.
Page-Jackson High School and Segregated Education
Like much of the nation, Jefferson County operated segregated public schools for more than half of the twentieth century. African American students attended separate schools and often faced unequal facilities and resources.
Until 1938, Storer College in Harpers Ferry provided high school-level education for Black students. When that program ended, Jefferson County became responsible for creating its own high school program. The effort began under difficult circumstances. Although students were assembled at Eagle Avenue School in the fall of 1938, officials said there was no funding for additional space, equipment, or staff. Volunteers and existing teachers stepped forward to fill the gap, often taking on extra duties without additional pay.
Progress came slowly. By the next school year, a second faculty member had been hired, and Works Progress Administration (WPA) teachers offered classes such as home economics and woodworking in private homes and workshops. Community members, especially parents, pressed school officials for better facilities.
Their persistence paid off. In 1942, the school building was expanded and equipped with much-needed classroom space and resources. The school became known as Page-Jackson High School, honoring educators Littleton L. Page and Philip Jackson.
In 1951, the high school program moved to a new building on Mordington Avenue, where it remained until school integration and countywide reorganization in 1965. Today, that building serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jefferson County Board of Education.
The Page-Jackson name lives on through Page-Jackson Elementary School on Augustine Avenue, while Wright Denny Intermediate School now serves many of the county’s upper-elementary students.
Charles Town High School Girl’s Basketball Team – 1948
Page Jackson High School dance
Charles Town High School – 1921 to 1930
We have many hard-to-find yearbooks from the county’s high schools.
Preserving Jefferson County’s School History
The Charles Town Library and Jefferson County Museum continue to preserve the story of education in Jefferson County. We are always seeking yearbooks from any Jefferson County school, along with photographs of school activities, class pictures, athletic teams, clubs, and special events.
Individuals who wish to share their memories need not part with treasured family photographs. We are happy to scan images for our digital collection and return the originals to their owners, helping preserve Jefferson County’s educational heritage for future generations.
The Charles Town Library and Jefferson County Museum are always happy to receive donations of yearbooks from any school in Jefferson County. Additionally, we are building our collection of photographs of school related events and activity (whole class pictures, sports team pictures, etc.).
Donations of these items are always appreciated, but we can also scan photographs for our digital collection and return them to the owner.