Spontaneous combustion in tampa

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Wauchula High School

By Spessard Stone



The predecessor of today’s Hardee County High School originated on August 4, 1903 when the school on South 8th Avenue and Bay Street, Wauchula, which had built by the Masons in 1895 and consisted of a two-story frame building with the school on the ground floor and the Masonic Hall above, became a county high school. The first commencement class, consisting of three girls and one boy, graduated from Wauchula High School on March 20, 1906. (1)

In 1909 a new brick building, which faced east on the corner of West Oak Street and North Seventh Avenue, was constructed and housed all grades, including the Wauchula High School. In 1915 the west wing of the high school was opened. (2)

The Tampa Morning Tribune of January 7, 1915 reported:

New High School

“Wauchula, Jan. 6, 1915--Monday the contractors turned the new school building over to the County Board, which was accepted.

“Prearrangements having been made for a short dedicatory service, a large crowd of the patrons assembled on the grounds at 9 o'clock (and) were escorted through the building after which they assembled on the east front of the old building where Prof. Shaver introduced architect of the building, Long, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Wright and member of County Board Mr. Hogan, who made short talks.

“The contractors Marshall & Sanders of Lakeland were congratulated by the patrons for the manner in which they completed the job.”

The Tampa Morning Tribune of January 8, 1915 further noted:

Wauchula High School

“Wauchula, Jan. 7---The Wauchula High School resumed work Monday morning after a fortnight for Christmas vacation. There were a number of new pupils and two new teachers. The faculty now consists of twenty-one able teachers. A crowd of patrons attended the opening as it was an auspicious day in the history of the school.

“Architect Long turned over to the trustees the keys of the handsome new $15,000 school building.”


In the spring of 1926 a new two-story red brick $50,000 high school, bounded by Bay Street on the north, west by Dixie Highway and east by 11 Avenue, was opened. It burned in 1945. (3) In the late 1930s or early 1940s the school’s name was changed to Hardee County High School.

The Florida Advocate (Wauchula, Fla.) of Friday, April 27, 1945 reported of the fire on April 20, 1945 which burned the school at the southeast corner of Bay Street and Florida Avenue :

High School Completely Gutted

“Fire of unknown origin destroyed the Hardee County High School building in Wauchula on last Friday morning, the county sustaining a loss of approximately $150,000. The building was gutted and the entire contents, including school books, library and all equipment, were destroyed.

“The alarm was turned in about 10:40 and the fire department responded promptly but the fire had gained such headway that the one engine was unable to do any effective work.

“Chief Peeples stated that when he arrived on the scene he realized that his department would be unable to handle it and calls were placed summoning help from Fort Meade, Avon Park and Arcadia, but even when help arrived hose was hurriedly hooked up with the fire hydrants and some nine lines were playing streams on the fire.

“Wauchula's engine broke down shortly after it arrived and was unable to take part in fighting the fire.

“Local volunteer fireman worked like Trojans fighting the fire but the heat was so severe they had to retire.

“The arrival of the fire fighting apparatus from the neighboring cities kept the fire confined in the building; there being no wind, none of the nearby residents were seriously threatened.

“All of the records of students who have graduated since the building was erected in 1925 were in the vault in the building and it is not known whether or not they were destroyed as the vault has not been opened; the authorities were waiting for the vault to cool.

“It is not known what part of the building the fire started and the fire chief states the entire building was filled with smoke when he arrived, but it is believed to have originated on the first floor near the center of the building. It might have been caused by defective wiring or spontaneous combustion.

“The building cost approximately $65,000 and with the equipment and additions the loss is conservatively estimated at $150,000 with only $20,000 insurance.

“The walls left standing were dynamited and torn down Friday afternoon and Saturday morning by the county authorities. The building was destroyed just a week before the new term was scheduled to start April 26.

“The county school board, which was in session on the morning of the fire, met again in the afternoon and discussed plans and arrangements to carry on the high school.

Plans For 1945-46 Term

“As the county is fortunate in that an ample high school building is located at Zolfo Springs, the school board passed a resolution authorizing County Superintendent Blackburn to immediately contact the trustees of the Zolfo Springs school district and secure permission from them for the use of the Zolfo Springs school building to house the county high school for the 1945-46 school term.”

The newly constructed Hardee High School on Florida Avenue, Wauchula, opened in the fall of 1949. The first graduating class was in 1950. (4)

A new high school, located at 830 Altman Road, Wauchula, was opened in 1981. The former site on Florida Avenue became the home for Hardee Junior High. (5)


Endnotes



(1) Margaret Stringer, Watch Wauchula Win, 1979, pages 70-72.

(2) Ibid, pages 73-74.

(3) Ibid, page 77.

(4) Edward Terrell to Sue Bryan Jackson, e-mail by Jackson to author, May 24, 2001. Edward Terrell was a member of this class.

(5) Hardee Senior High School Web Site, 2001.


May 25, 2001
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