About Central High

About your Alma Mater

The history of Knoxville Central High School

Six miles north of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee in the "Fountain City" community, Gresham Middle School rests on a wooded hill overlooking the central business district. The fountain and lake for which the community was named lies no more than a quarter-mile distant. This site was a home for educational institutions as early as 1892, with the establishment of the Holbrook-Tennessee Normal College.

When Knox County took over the property in 1906, it served as the campus of Knoxville Central High School. The site was modernized in 1931, and by 1950 the flourishing community was among the largest unincorporated communities in the United States.

Fountain City was annexed by the city of Knoxville in 1962 and a new high school was built one mile to the east in 1971. The old building became Gresham Junior High School, aptly named after Hassie K. Gresham, a former student of the Normal College and principal of the high school from 1919-1947. The school was renamed Gresham Middle School when it assumed its present curriculum of grades 6-8 in 1979. The photo shows the Gresham auditorium, a 1931 addition to our campus.

In September of 1906, 134 students enrolled in Knox County's first, free public high school. Within a few years the school became known for its high academic standards. A Knoxville Journal article reported that "the school prepared the graduate students to enter the university without an examination, and while the city high schools prepared their students to enter the freshman class, this school will take them one year further, thereby preparing them to enter the sophomore year. Students from the Knox County High School can enter the freshman class of any of the larger institutions of the country, such as Yale, Harvard, or Vassar."

As the community grew, Central High School grew, from 134 students to a staggering 1800 in the 1960's. In 1916, the Annex was built. In 1930-1931, the old Holbrook Normal College structure was replaced with the building that is now Gresham Middle School. In 1954, the cafeteria, home economics, art, and music wings were added to that structure.
Much of the fame of Central during those years is credited to Miss Hassie Gresham who became a teacher there in 1908, and its principal in 1918. She retired in 1947. A believer in strict discipline, Miss Gresham declared, "Children like to be directed and controlled if they are happy. Children have to be pruned, cultivated, and directed."

After 64 years in the same location, Central Faculty and 1400 students moved to the present location in September 1971. In the Knoxville Journal, the assistant superintendent of instruction quoted, "There is evidence of real pride in this school on the part of the students and the other people in the community. The quality of morale is high, with a good attitude toward the school. "

For nearly one-hundred years, Central High School has served Fountain City. Undoubtedly, the future will challenge us with additional variations. To meet the challenge, Central will strive to be flexible enough to make modifications and yet strive to hold fast to the ideals and standards which have earned respect for our school since 1906.