Historic Photos of New Albany, Indiana

1853 - The first high school for white students in New Albany was opened as Scribner High School. It was located in an old school building constructed in 1822 on the south side of Spring Street at W First Street.

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1859 to 1864 - The school closed and the building was used as a hospital for Union soldiers.

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1869 - African Americans rarely received formal schooling. The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation in 1869 requiring schools for African Americans but separate from schools for white children.  See 1880.

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1870 - The white boys and girls at Scribner were segregated by gender and sent to separate high schools. The boys continued in the Scribner building and the name was changed to Boys High School. The girls went to Female High School located at the northeast corner of Spring and Bank Streets.

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1880 - The schools were consolidated again and white boys and girls both attended the high school at the once Female High School at Spring and Bank Streets. It was now called Male and Female High School. The school remained at this location until 1902 when it demolished for construction of the Carnegie Library.

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1880 - The above 1880 consolidation allowed the school board to establish a school for black students at the Scribner school building. The board later changed the name to “Scribner High School for Negroes.”

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1907 - The 1822 Scribner school building was replaced with a new school at the same location of Spring and West First.

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1949 - Indiana mandated integration of public schools. In 1952 the schools were intergrated and local officials closed Scribner. It was demolished in 1959 to make way for the City-County Building. Thousands of African Americans graduated from Scribner during its seven decades of operation, 1880 to 1952.

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1902 - The Male and Female High School was torn down to make way for the Carnegie Library and the school was relocated to the Frisbee House at E Sixth and Spring. From 1903 to 1905 the school was located at the DePauw College building at E Main and Ninth.

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1905 - A new high school (Peoples College, later New Albany High School) opened at the northwest corner of E Sixth and Spring. (People's College was demolished in 1962).

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1927 - New Albany High School moved to its present location on Vincennes. It has had extensive renovations and additions.