Friday, May 24, 2013

Abandoned Utica High School, Utica, Mississippi

Utica is a small town in Hinds County about half way between Vicksburg and Crystal Springs. Like many towns throughout Mississippi, especially in the Delta, that I have described in these pages, Utica must have been active and prosperous decades ago. Today, it is a sad place; most of the stores are boarded up, there is little commercial activity. A few years ago, a block of the former commercial shops on Depot Street were dismantled for their bricks. Drive west out of town on West Main Street, turn left on Carpenter Street, and the old high school is on the left. Built in 1948, it is a traditional brick building with large windows and a cheerful look.
The large windows date to the time before air conditioning was installed in schools, and the natural light reduced the need for fluorescents.
Two of my friends attended Utica HS. One of them told me that it originally was for African-American students in grades 9-12. Students in grades 1-8 attended Mixon Elementary Colored School, a few miles north. In 1970, Utica's schools were integrated, and the first mixed black and white class met in Utica HS that year. It was renamed Utica Consolidated High School. With a satellite building to the east (now a grass field), the new consolidated school held about 800 students in six grades, with about 500 in high school.
The building has a fallout shelter in the basement. That dates it to the early cold war era, the time of "duck and cover." I recall air raid practice in elementary school in New York City in 1961. My grandmother lived in Berlin in World War II, and from her descriptions of bombings, I was familiar with the concept of a shelter.
The inner hallways were decorated with that terrible green industrial paint you see in mid-20th century schools and asylums throughout the country.
This building is still in reasonably good condition. As usual, I can't understand why a school system abandons a facility in sound condition. You wonder who really benefits from new school construction -  empire-building by bureaucrats perhaps? Kickbacks from the construction trade?
The transoms are another example of ventilation in a pre-air-conditioning era.
The Gold Waves were the basketball team.  They won many athletic events.  The trophy racks and the fantastic purple wall were in the athletic building just to the south of the main school. The roof of the field house is collapsing now and the gymnasium is a mess.

Photographs are from a Panasonic G1 digital camera with Lumix 14-45 mm lens, tripod-mounted.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you got your dates confused actually haha! I did some research on the state's Archive website, and Utica HS was built in 1939. The elementary and junior high was built in 1948! There was also an elementary school on the grounds of Utica HS built in 1928, that burned in 2000. What I'm thinking, is that during the segregation time, African-Americans attended Mixon and Utica Jr. High, and I guess there was also a HS there as well. The Whites attended the Utica School Complex in town. Sorry for the novel, but I think I straightened it out a little!

Unknown said...

The elementary and high school was connected by an overhead hallway that went across the roadway between the two sections. I went there through all my elementary and high school days. There are many fond memories of that place. Whenever I visit Utica I ride through the streets just to see watch has changed.

Anonymous said...

i need help

Anonymous said...

Andrew again Thank you. Old buildings in decent shape... what a waste. I work in schools now and wonder who is getting rich off all the fancy new schools. Keep on working... Ann in Texas

Anonymous said...

Your story is all right about the Utica High School, you need to get the facts before posting it was an all-white school and Mixon was all black, until the late 60's and early 70's, it was called Utica Consolidated High School and renamed Utica High School after we were integrated I should know I started school at Utica Consolidated and by third grade I was send to Mixon!!

Anonymous said...

Excuse me but it should read " NOT RIGHT"

JSJCH said...

I only attended for a short time, in 1975 and part of 1976, but graduated out of state. Pictures bring back many fond memories. Mr. Huskey was the Principal. Ms. Debbie Wilkinson, Ms. Petty, Ms. Huddleston, old Mrs. Stewart, and Coach Terry Clark, who taught Algebra. Coach Clark was the ONLY teacher who ever taught me Math with patience. Oh, and Coach Der. He was a kook! I counted the Knights, Dungans, Tompkins, Dodsons and many others as my classmates and friends, and would have graduated in 1978, had I not moved out of state. I was selected to join the BETA Club, I think in 1976, just before I moved. Also, I remember hearing someone say back in 1976 that out of 588 students, 500 were black and 88 white. And there were rumors way back then that Utica High School was going to be condemned...in 1976! Very sad that community leaders let it go, but I don't know the whole story after I departed. It was a cool school. Basketball team was #1, Football was good too. Great teachers and good friends. I raise a glass to all...Great memories, if even for a short time. JSJ

Anonymous said...

There was a school for black children out on Chapman Road. I don't know what it was called. I believe that was before Mixon was built. The older black students went to the Agricultural school, I think. What I recall with the fondest of memories were some of the teachers...Mrs. Osborn, Mrs. Starnes, Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Simmons, Mrs. Womack, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Walker and I loved the auditorium. It's a real shame the elementary portion of the school burned. There was also a separate building to the side of the elemetary building which was used for home economics and I think forestry at one time.

Unknown said...

I went to junior high there. As an entrepreneur, I wish I could pick the brain of Warren Buffett and ask him how do you rebuild small towns like Utica, MS. Of course, I would turn Utica High into really nice apartments.

Ro said...

That was tried with the old Mixon Elementary didn't last long.I wish there was something that could be done to bring Utica back to life it use to be the place to go back in the days now it is a ghost town. I am from Utica and wish there was something to be done to make it beautiful again.

Jewel Barlow said...

I attended Utica schools from Sept 1946 through May 1958. First six years were in the elementary building to the east of the still standing building and grades 7 through 12 in the building shown in the photos. There was a "Home Ec and Vocational Ag" building south of the elementary building that burned some years ago. I will not give a list of the many teachers who labored mightily to persuade me to learn things, but two really stand out in my memory for very different reasons. "Ma" Gleason had the greatest positive impact on my life of anyone beyond my parents. And "Chief" Walker was a great principal as well as coach. It would be a nice thing if Jo Anne Mosley could turn the building into something useful.

Utica is my home said...

I live in Utica now, I am a graduated of Hinds in Utica, still kind of new to the area,but love the peace and quite in our small town...

Tracy Hughes Liddell said...

My mom attended Utica elementary/high school. She graduated in 1955. Freida Traxler Hughes Germany. �� I grew up in Utica, but went to Rebul Academy.

Anonymous said...

Utica should really open this school back up put something into it education wise summer is here. Prepare it for next summer for kids to still learn and be refreshed on things. I would love to see this happen

Anonymous said...

As were many, I was pulled out of Utica in 1967, I think, when desegregation was announced an went to one of the new rural private schools that formed back then. I was in third grade with Mrs. Rowe. Can't remember her son's name (maybe Warren), but he was very tall and she would have him come in once in a while to intimidate us. It was all in fun. I came back to Utica High School in my 10th grade year and ultimately graduated from there in 1976. At that time, my senior class had about 5 whites out of a total of 63 graduates. I have lots of fond memories. I still find myself chanting Goldwaves cheers sometimes. It is very sad to let the building go to ruin, just as it was very sad that fear set it on a collision course with failure back in 1967.

Anonymous said...

They have a fallout shelter and if anything was to pop off I'm shooting straight towards there doesn't matter how abandon it is...it won't be abandon when I get there

Unknown said...

Do you know if I can get in contact with the owner of this place? I'm a photographer and I would like to take pictures for college

Kodachromeguy said...

I assume the City of Utica owns the old school. I cannot advise trespassing, but most people just go and take photographs. Be careful because some of the roof is dangerous.

Gwen said...

You are correct. Except the Utica college was originally built as an all black school high school before forced integration. I graduated from Utica High ( Utica Consolidated School) in 1969 and we were very upset that they would actually bus blacks to our old antiquated school that had heater blowers mounted by each classroom door that blew warm air down into the class and we had no air conditioning. The black school was modern and no one could understand why we werent bused to their school instead! Lol.

Unknown said...

I went to Utica Jr High in 1973. Was a cheerleader and loved the school. I remember the overhead walkway and the best HomeEc teacher. Fond Memories. I had a great Science teacher....Mr Walls.

Anonymous said...

My father went to Utica Consolidated, and I went also started in 1967 to 1970, then schools were combined and I went to Mixon Ele. 1971 to 1973, back to Utica in 1974 to 1979. Yes when I started school Utica Consolidated was all white grades 1-12, Mixon was all black grades 1-6 and then they went to Hinds AHS, on the Utica Junior College campus which is now Hinds CC. Utica High School was one the best schools around, won many state championships, in football, basketball. We had teachers that wanted to teach, cared about their students. We didn't sit in a classroom and be tested all day like they are now. we took what I believe was called the "SAT" test once a year. That's when the town was booming. It's a crying shame that our children have to be bused 20 miles to Raymond to go to jr. high and high school. I was a cheerleader in jr. high, in FFA. The last principal I remember was Mr. Sam White. He was the best of the best. What was a shame was went the combined the 2 schools 90% of the whites left and went to private schools. If you worked for a public school back then and you put your child in private school, your job was in jeopardy not like today!

Anonymous said...

Regarding why a town would build a new school rather than refurbishing the old one, sometimes it is easier and cheaper to build new than bring these up to code. If it is two-story and no elevator, that has to be built. Central air. Plus removal process of lead paint and asbestos. While that may not be the case for this specific one, that has been the reason in other places.

Unknown said...

I think part of the problems with abandoned and neglected buildings are at least to some part,a fallout of parents removing their children from public schools and sending them to private ones to avoid desegregation (I guess).
It is hard to see these abandoned buildings in the Jackson area. I grew up there and graduated from Central High School in 1961. Still love Jackson and Mississippi and visit whenever I get a chance.

Kodachromeguy said...

Hi Everyone, I saw how my sentences about comparing Utica with towns in the Delta might be confused. I have rewritten a couple of sentences to make them clearer. Tammie was right, of course Utica is not in the Delta; I know that.

Unknown said...

As far back as the 50s and 60s Utica H.S. was segregated. The town was segregated. Only whites attended Utica. The blacks went to Utica Institute later called Hinds A.H.S. when deseg came some blacks went to Utica High but most went to Hinds. They called it Utica Consolidated then. One part were the whites and the other part was for blacks. They had a white principal for the whites and a black principal for the blacks. Many whites left and never returned. The people grew up and moved away. There were no jobs no visions so ghost town it became. Young people moved where the jobs were and elderly people passed on. No people no taxes no money.To survive would mean to buy the town rebuild tear down or bring people there to a new Utica. Don't see that happening. There is nothing there just good memories.