History of AHS
Contents
(Click on the headings on the list below to jump)
Incorporation of Andrews High School (1893)
Andrews High School was incorporated on March 3, 1893, by the North Carolina General Assembly. The school had already been in existence before this date. Andrews High School originally began as a private school and remained so until 1906.
The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:
Section 1. That Andrews High School, in the county of Cherokee, be and the same is hereby incorporated by the name and style of "Andrews High School."
Sec. 2. That the corporate limits of said school shall be two miles in each direction from the place where the school-house now used for said school is situated, and it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture or sell or otherwise dispose of any spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors within said distance of the said school, and any person violating the provisions of this Act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Sec. 3. That D. W. C. Piercy, M. D. Callett, S. Porter, J. L. Welch and James Slagle be and they are hereby constituted a board of trustees for said high school, and they and their successors shall have all the powers and rights necessary for the proper carrying on of said high school, and all powers conferred by law on like corporations not inconsistent with the constitution of North Carolina and the United States.
Sec. 4. That this Act shall be in force from and after its ratification.
Ratified the 3d day of March, A.D. 1893.
Elias Carr, Governor
Rufus A. Doughton, Lt. Governor and President of the Senate
Lee S. Overman, Speaker of the House of Representatives
State of North Carolina,
Office Secretary of State,
Raleigh, June 13, 1893.
I, Octavius Coke, Secretary of State, hereby certify that the foregoing are true copies of the original public acts and resolutions on file in this office
Octavius Coke,
Secretary of State.
First Public School (1906-1915)
On October 27, 1906, over a year after the incorporation of the town of Andrews, a school was dedicated on top of what is known today as School House Hill. This school building also doubled as a Masonic Lodge and was demolished in 1961.
The photo above show 76 individuals numbered from 1-76. The following is that list:
- William Ellis
- Eric Whisenhunt
- Early Anderson
- Edward Anderson
- Marcus Pullium
- Marshall Bell
- T.C. Moore
- Chelcy Tatham
- Pascal (Peg) Palmer
- Fred Ghormley
- J.Q. Barker
- James Parris
- C.V. Orr
- John R. Leach
- Earle Orr
- Dillard Everett
- John Greenwood
- George Earwood
- Bynum Best
- Cleyburne Everett
- ?
- ?
- Edward Moore
- Lucius Waldrop
- Harve M. Moore
- Olivers Lyons
- Tillman Lovin
- Wade Pullium
- Ep Everett
- ?
- Harve Anderson
- ?
- ?
- ?
- ?
- Dr. Robert J. Orr
- Frank Hardin
- ?
- ?
- ?
- Andy Dillingham
- Will Sandlin
- ?
- ?
- Zeb Martin
- Burdis Holland
- ?
- Andrews Hyde
- Victor Raxter
- Walter West
- Henry O. Cozad
- Will Jones
- Bascom Padgett
- ?
- Dr. J.M. Sullivan
- Craig Phillips
- Posey Robinson
- Will Battles
- Claude Day
- Amos Knupp
- Shuford Robinson
- Will Matheson
- Albert Hooper
- Hayes Snyder
- ?
- ?
- Will Luther
- ?
- James Dillingham
- ?
- Bob Allen
- Claude Arnold
- Manuel Hardin
- Melvin Matheson
- Jack Dillingham
- West Best
Second High School (1915-1962)
The next Andrews High School building was built in 1915 and had many things, such as an auditorium. Growth of the Andrews City School District occurred during this time. In 1929, the first football team played. In 1934, the old Rock Gym was built. In 1952, the Andrews Primary School was built. A building located above the current Community Facilities Building was built for FFA around that time period.
Burning of Andrews High School & Aftermath (1962)
On Feb. 20, 1962, at around 4 AM, the two-story brick school building was destroyed by fire. The first call came about 3:45 AM from a resident on Happy Top. Murphy's Fire Department was called soon after 4. Superintendent Charles O. Frazier arrived around 4:15, at which time the flames were eating through the roof. The fire was believed to have started near the teachers' lounge in a part of the building where a fuse box was located. The flames were visible for miles and even gave the impression of the sun rising to a Cherokee Scout photographer. Current student records, books, and supplies were burned. Six brand-new electric typewriters and 21 standard typewriters were saved from the fire by basketball coach and business teacher Cecil Mashburn and members of the Andrews Fire Department. Those electric typewriters cost $400 each (about $4,300 today).
After a brief two days off from school, classes resumed on Thursday, February 22. Classes were held in the fellowship hall of the Methodist Church and at the First Baptist Church (now the Cultural Arts Center). Bells were installed in the two buildings. Berkshire Knitting Mills (located at what is now IOI) made desks and other school materials and offered up free labor for the setting up of temporary classrooms. The Andrews City School Board voted to start a reconstruction program as soon as possible. The 1906 building was torn down the year prior for proposed new construction (that never came to be). The old school bell is located by the flagpole at Andrews Elementary.
Andrews City School District (1906-1969)
The public school also had an established district. The Andrews City School District covered the Andrews schools and Marble Elementary School. After the 1915 AHS facility was built, the Andrews Grammar School (left in the photo) was built. As previously mentioned, the old Rock Gym was built in 1934 on the east side of the campus. That gym was demolished in 1999 due to deterioration.
The next expansion to the campus was in 1952 when the Andrews Primary School was built. This building had a second wing added in 1973, after the burning of the Andrews Grammar School in 1971, and became the new Andrews Elementary School. A third expansion happened when a new gymnasium was added to the west side of the 1973 wing in 2003. The primary school building featured nine classrooms with exterior doors, and each classroom having their own restroom. Each room was painted with pastel colors. There were also offices and a boiler room in the building. The architect was Lindsey Madison Gudger, who would also design the Marble school a few years later.
Marble Elementary was also part of the Andrews City School District. The old schoolhouse was also part of the local Baptist church. A new school facility was voted on by the Andrews Board of Education, and plans were underway as early as 1952. Gudger designed a new facility around 1954, and construction began in 1955. The new Marble Elementary School was completed in 1956.
Plans were being discussed for a new high school building in 1960. The plan would have been to build a new school within the next 2-3 years. That technically did end up happening when the school burned two years later.
Within the time that the Andrews City School District existed, the School House Hill changed dramatically. The only school that survived burning and demolition was the Andrews Primary School, but even it changed a lot too. On July 1, 1969, the Andrews and Murphy districts dissolved and merged with Cherokee County Schools, which operated Martins Creek, Hiwassee Dam, and other schools outside of the Murphy city limits and the Andrews district. The last superintendent of ACS was Landrum Wilson, who started just the year prior. CCS superintendent Lloyd Hendrix retired after 30 years of service that same day. The new superintendent of the new Cherokee County Schools was Murphy superintendent John Jordan.
Current High School (1963-Today)
After the burning of the school, plans were made to quickly build a new facility. Designed by Chivous Gilmer Harrill, who also designed Murphy High in 1956, a new 48,000 square foot facility was built in the spring of 1963, and a second wing, the cafeteria/gym building, was opened later that year. The new campus contained various classrooms, offices, and a stage where the weight room is today. Windows in the main building spanned from wall to wall, with skylights also helping with additional light.
The past two years have been a period of transition at Andrews High School. We have experienced the loss of a building by fire, a year of relative hardship and inconvenience in temporary facilities, and the slow process of rebuilding a new school plant on a new site.
The acquisition of new physical facilities has brought a new pride and a fresh educational outlook on the part of both faculty and students. We have accepted change with a cooperative and sympathetic spirit. Many of us have eagerly sought new methods and approaches toward quality and excellence in our school program. It must be a continuing effort for all of us.
We look back with pride on past achievements. We look forward with confidence toward further improvements and greater accomplishments at Andrews High School.
—Charles O. Frazier
The acquisition of new physical facilities has brought a new pride and a fresh educational outlook on the part of both faculty and students. We have accepted change with a cooperative and sympathetic spirit. Many of us have eagerly sought new methods and approaches toward quality and excellence in our school program. It must be a continuing effort for all of us.
We look back with pride on past achievements. We look forward with confidence toward further improvements and greater accomplishments at Andrews High School.
—Charles O. Frazier
Andrews City Schools Superintendent (1959-1967)
In 1970, the Andrews Junior High building, now Building B, was built. This was a smaller building to house the 7th-8th grades. In 1973, the band program was founded. The Hugh Hamilton Stadium was built around 1976. In 1977, the girls' varsity basketball team won the state in 1A.
Around 1978, the enrollment at Andrews Senior and Junior High was about 600, and the enrollment at the nearby elementary school was about 800, totaling about 1400. Andrews had a percentage of 64% of graduates who moved into higher education, compared to the state average of that time of 30%. 98.6% of that 64% received scholarships or financial aid through the efforts of student counselors. In 1978, Andrews was number 3 in the state of North Carolina in scholarship money awarded. Andrews was the top school in North Carolina for placement in summer jobs in 1979. Andrews had up to 8 sports around 1979, which was very high over the usual 2 or 3 sports for a school of its size. Band, art, and chorus were offered at Andrews High School, which was not usually found in schools with small enrollments. Band and art are still offered as electives today. An on-campus master's program was offered at Andrews with the help of Western Carolina University.
In 1985, the Band & Art Building was constructed to the northwest of the school. This was part of a project to build Cultural Arts buildings at Andrews, Murphy, and Hiwassee Dam High Schools. In 1987, the shop building was constructed next to the Band & Art building. The Kenneth Moore Track was constructed at AHS in the Hugh Hamilton Stadium in 1990. TVs were also installed in the school in 1990.
In 1992, Andrews High was renovated. Renovations included changing windows in the three main buildings, new entrance doors to the Admin and Gym/Cafeteria building, and new bleachers in the gym.
Cherokee County Schools launched their website http://www.grove.net/~coffice/ around 1997/1998. The site later became http://www.cherokee.k12.nc.us around 2000. This featured all the schools' webpages. Our site was http://www.grove.net/~coffice/AHS.html. Andrews High operated as a junior and senior high school until 1996, when the Andrews Junior High was renamed to Andrews Middle. In 1999, the new Andrews Middle facility opened on the east side of town. Andrews High was a 7-12 school, and Andrews Elementary held K-6 across the street. The building of Andrews Middle was completed around 1999, and classes at the new school began in August. Andrews High now began operating as a traditional 9-12 high school.
In 2004, Andrews High was once again renovated. The most notable were the exterior changes, as a new roof was built on the main building (Building A), with a gable roof, instead of the previous flat roof, giving the building a taller look. Removal of the skylights in each building occurred. The gymnasium is now the only part of the school with skylights. The ceilings in all the classrooms were lowered.
In 2011, the former Junior High School/Middle School building, Building B, was expanded on the west side and the northern part of the building. On the north side, a large new choral room with two offices was added. The west side of the building also saw the addition of restrooms. On January 15, 2016, the school gymnasium was dedicated as the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center, in honor of coach Kenneth Solesbee, a prominent figure in Andrews' athletic history. The dedication also included naming the court the Ken Solesbee Court, refurbishing the bleachers, and repainting the entrance to the center.
Andrews High School continues to live on a great legacy. For nearly 133 years, Andrews High has been educating students to become successful adults. Whether they go off into a large profession or simply a small town job, the mission of Andrews High School is for each of its students to reach success. No matter the obstacle.
| Principals (1893-1906) |
|---|
| O.C. Huskins (circa 1899) |
| Superintendents of Andrews City Schools (1906-1969) |
| John H. Highwood (1906-????) |
| F.C. Nye (circa 1923) |
| C.W.E. Pittman (????-1932) |
| J.J. Stone (1932-1935) |
| Isham Barney Hudson (1935-1951) |
| J.E. Rufty (1951-1959) |
| Charles O. Frazier (1959-1967) |
| Fred W. Rogers (1967-1968) |
| Landrum Wilson (1968-1969) |
| Principals (1969-Present) |
| Mack D. Jones (1969-1971) |
| William Roy Pipes (1971-1976) |
| Maynard Brown (1976-1981) |
| William Roy Pipes (1982-1983) |
| Joseph C. Morrow (1983-1988) |
| Stephen Tim Coffey (1988-1997) |
| Mike Rogers (1997-2004) |
| Olin O'Barr (2004-2006) |
| Stephen Tim Coffey (2006-2008) |
| Floyd A. Lowman (2008-2009) |
| Virginia C. Haynes (2009-2015) |
| Dr. Lisa Anderson Fletcher (2015-2021) |
| Lance Bristol (2021-2024) |
| Dr. Sheryl Rogers (2024-10/2025) |
| Ruby Cutshaw & Thomas Graham (10/2025 Interims) |
| Dorin Oxender (10/2025-Present) |
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Sources:
- Private Laws of the State of North Carolina Passed in 1893 (Page 283)
- The Heritage of Cherokee County, North Carolina (Alice D. White, Nell A. White, 1987)
- Cherokee Scout Archives
- School Archives
- "Welcome to Andrews 1979" (David Williams, YouTube)
- North Carolina Education Directories
Facilities History
AHS Building A
1962-63 - Construction
1992 - Remodel
2004 - Remodel
Architect: Chivous Gilmer Harrill
AHS Gym/Cafeteria
1963-64 - Construction
1992 - Remodel
Architect: Chivous Gilmer Harrill
AHS Building B
1970 - Construction
1992 - Remodel
2011 - Additions & Remodel
Architect: Chivous Gilmer Harrill
AHS Cultural Arts Building
1985 - Construction
2009 - Renovation
Architect: Eric Townson
AHS Shop Building
1987 - Construction
2009 - Renovation
Architect: Eric Townson