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Old schoolhouse (lop) as it looked soon after it was closed in 1970. Name on East Entrance was removed around three years ago.Time and vandalism, 1970-1973, then a fire in early 1974 wrought destruction. Auditorium (back section) and classroom space built after original main portion was not gutted by fire. It will be tom down as second phase of demolition.arewellOldAbernethyearly 1950s.Work started in early September on the first phase of clearing away remains of old Abernethy School one block west of Firestone Textiles’ Gastonia plant.“It was a wonderful school in its day,” remarked one onlooker as the bulldozer pushed and loaded bricks and ruoble onto a truck.The two-story brick, wood and plaster structure on its four acres of land was part of old Loray, later Manville-Jenckes and then irestone mill village; had been abandonedIn belter days: Opening morning of the school year in the since 1970.Closed oecause of its “antiquated condition”, it was a hollow, broken shell by 1972-—the victim of vandalism and decay. Then a fire in early 1974 destroyed much of the original classroom portion facing Second Avenue.BUILT in 1918, it was called West School for a time, butmany years ago renamed for E. J. Abernethy. He was principal for 28 years until his retirement in 1946. Mr. Abernethy died in early 1974, at age 97.Abernethy School held grades 1 through 8 until 1956 when Grier Elementary School was completed. After 1956, Abernethy had grades 1 through 6.Across the years, hundreds and hundreds of Firestone employees, their children and grandchildren attended the school. Some of the earlier students recall having helped plant the trees, now grown to giants.In 1973 the property was auctioned by the School Board, bought by Gastonia businessman Glen Powell. It was later purchased by Floyd Baker, a Cramer ton furniture store owner. What use the owner will make of the property is a yet-to-be-decided followup chapter in Abemethy’s historv.
Newspaper Details
Gastonia Firestone News
Gastonia, North Carolina, US
Tue, Oct 01, 1974
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
NC, USA 24 Apr 2021
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