Vintage memorabilia from all the Memphis Schools is featured on this page.  You'll find many complete school yearbooks, many historical photos and vintage  articles about individual schools.   Viewers of this page are encouraged to send in photos or scans of their own personal Memphis school memorabilia.  This is a very long page with a great deal of information.

If your school is not represented below, it's simply because no one has come forward to volunteer to send us any memorabilia from that school.  Please contact us:  gene.gill@verizon.net

CENTRAL HIGH  Yearbooks, Vintage Photos, Memorabilia
Central opened in 1911 as part of Memphis's plan to locate high schools in various locations around the city.  Within 7 years  the school reached capacity and students were being shifted to temporary locations, as Memphis continued with the plan to build more schools.  Central has always been recognized as a school specializing in College Preparatory programs.

1938 Class Photo

1920 Commencement

1926 Autographs

1929 Magazine

Central Button

Central Decal

Wooden Pin

Wooden Pin

Central High - 4th City Championship in a row - 1955

1917  Class Photo

1939 Class Photo

1946 Class Photo

EAST HIGH  .  Yearbooks, Vintage Photos, and Memorabilia

East High opened September 1948 on a site at the intersection of Poplar and Holmes - a truly modern work of architecture.  The Annex was added in 1950 and the auditorium in 1954.  J. P. Snider was the first principal and the new school's first senior class graduated in 1951.

1938 East High site

HAMILTON HIGH  .  Yearbooks, Vintage Photos, and Memorabilia

Hamilton originally opened in 1941 as a Junior High School.  In 1943 the name was changed to Hamilton High School and the first class graduated in 1945.   The school was named for Green Polonius Hamilton, who had taught and influenced thousands of students during his career.  He had been the principal of Kortrecht High,  the first and only school for Blacks in Memphis.

HUMES HIGH  .  Yearbooks, Vintage Photos, and Memorabilia

Humes High was built in 1925 to address the educational needs of the growing population on the north side of Memphis.  It was named for Lawrence Cavell Humes, local businessman who became Chairman of the Board of Education.  Today the school is remembered for one very famous 1953 student - Elvis Presley

1953 Class Photo (Elvis)

1953 Commencement (Elvis)

1953 Class (Elvis)

Elvis Diploma '53

1948 Commencement Program

1950 Miss Gibson's Class

Dear ole Humes

Humes Parade

Booster Pin

Humes

 Humes Postcard

KORTRECHT HIGH Vintage Photos, Articles, Memorabilia
From 1867 and for the next 75 years, virtually every African American in Memphis will trace his/her education to either Clay School or it's successor Kortrecht School.  Originally the first black school was named Clay, after the street where it was located.  Soon after opening the name was changed to Kortrecht after the school board President who was instrumental in getting the school built.  Green P. Hamilton became the first principal.  In 1926 Kortrecht High school became Booker T. Washington in a new building, and Green P. Hamilton became the first principal of the new school.

1881 Kortrecht Teacher List

Class Photo c. 1910-12

Green P. Hamilton

   1874 Newspaper Article

Lucie Campbell Williams

1918 . A Very rare Kortrecht Class Announcement and Graduation Program

1918 Class Announcement and Graduation Program

  Class of 1925

MANASSAS HIGH Vintage Photos, Articles, and Memorabilia
Manassas High was established in 1899 and was the first four-year accredited "colored" high school in Shelby County.  The first senior class graduated in 1924.  Manassas initiated the first sports program among black schools in Memphis in 1924.  Two famous names are associated with the school:  Isaac Hayes and Jimmie Lunceford.  The building at Manassas and Firestone closed in 2007 and will be demolished.  Rather than renovate the old building, Memphis built a new school just down the street.

1926 Report Card

1955 Gym Photo

Manassas Band -Vintage

Manassas Decal

MELROSE HIGH  .  Yearbooks, Vintage Photos, and Memorabilia

Melrose was established in 1890 and was the pride of the Orange Mound neighborhood.  It became part of the Memphis City Schools in 1919.  By 1929 the building was considered "a fire trap", and a new building was finally funded in 1937.  By the time it opened in 1938, Park Avenue Schools and Melrose had merged.  The first high school graduation was in 1946. 

Melrose 1938

Old Melrose 2008

Melrose Decal

Rare 1939 Melrose Postcard

Melrose 1938

Melrose 1960

Melrose Library 1946

Melrose Today

The FIRST consolidated school in Shelby County was organized in 1908, and composed of the elementary schools of Buntyn, Fleece Station, and Avlon.  It was named for the Superintendent of County Schools, Miss Elizabeth Messick.   In 1930 Messick became a Memphis City School.

1948 Yearbook

1950 Yearbook

1951 Yearbook

1960 Yearbook

        The Mar-keys

1915 Class Photo

Early School Bus

1952 Kids Day

1908 Photo      

1922 Photo

1970 Ring

1946 Play

1922 Class

To alleviate the growing student population a new high school was constructed in south Memphis in 1922 and appropriately named South Side High School.  The school was closed in 1989 and the building was demolished around 2001.

1958 Yearbook

1949

Decal

ROTC Patch

1931 Class Photo

Tech began in September 1911 as the Memphis Vocational High School in the old "castle" building vacated when Memphis High School closed.  In 1918, the name changed to Crockett Vocational High, and in 1921 to Crockett Technical High, and finally in 1928 to Memphis Technical High, when the school moved to their new building at 1266 Poplar.

1919 Yearbook

1951 Yearbook

1931Class Ring

Cheerleader 1950

Roster 1939-40

Diploma -Tassel  1951

  Tech Pass - 1950

1951 Honors Certificate

1933 Class Ring

1938 Class Ring

Between 1915-1920, measures were taken to acquire land and build Treadwell Elementary and Junior High School.  It was later expanded into Treadwell High School and graduated it's first senior class in 1942.  The school was named for Arthur Barlow Treadwell who donated the land for the school

???

Band Hat 1950s

ROTC Patch

Treadwell 1922

Treadwell 1946

Cheerleader

Chemistry Class

1960 Program

Tradwell 1960

1968 Class Ring

1922

Treadwell Painting

J Lawler-H.Stahl

BTW-1954

BTW - Diploma 1930

1930 - Booker T. Washington Diploma and note

1946 Band Photo

Memphis High School - 1877?-1910 .  Originally referred to as "The High School", the name gradually developed into "Memphis High School".  The school was located on the top floor of the Market Street School Building.  Their first real building was on the Leath Elementary School Campus and the name briefly changed to "Leath High School".  In 1898,  the Memphis High School name was resurrected when a new building opened on the corner of Poplar and Yates.  It remained here until 1911 when the new Central opened and the old building became Memphis Vocational High School.

1898 MHS Pin

1906 MHS Class

1908 MHS

1887 MSS- MHS

1879 MHS Diploma

1904 MHS

1904 MHS Program

MHS Souvenir Vase

              MHS Plate

1875 High School Commencement Program

  1909 MHS Commencement

1899 Memphis HS Commencement

MHS TP Holder

LeMoyne Diploma 1963

LeMoyne 1871

LeMoyne 1910

 LeMoyne 1930

Howe Institute

LeMoyne Button

LeMoyne Postcard

LeMoyne Campus

Bruce

Cummings 1931

Guthrie 1918-20

Kortrecht 1910

Leath - Lawler ? 1920

Maury1926

Maury 1931

Lauderdale 1919

Bruce 1928

Snowden 1948

Snowden 1920 

Fairview Classroom

Fairview Football 1934

Fairview Report 1945

Fairview Diploma 1948

Snowden 1912

Longview Football 1958

Hamilton JH - 1943

Bellevue 1953

Bellevue Kitchen

Program 1936

<         1949 Commencement        >

1887

1973 Cup

Football 1904

     Class - Vintage

Campus 1896

1944 Commencement

Baseball 1909

1880a  Adams

Immaculate Conception

In 1922, the Sisters of Mercy founded Immaculate Conception Elementary School, housed in a three-story parish building.  The following year, the school incorporated a co-education high school which shared the building.  In 1950 the high school was converted to an all-female student body. 

IC  1960s

Sacred Heart Coin

SH Token

1943 Stella Stevens

1936-39 Basketball Champs

Sacred Heart 1943

Report 1942-43

Diploma - Tassel

1965 Ring

1964 Prom Program

1913 Diploma

St. Agnes Academy

St. Agnes Academy "for young ladies" was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1851.  The school was located in the Memphis suburbs at 697 Vance  Street at Orleans.  On opening day there were 20 boarders and about 15 day-students.  By year's end, the enrollment had increased to more that 50. 

1947 Dance Ticket

University School

MUS was founded in 1893 as a college preparatory school for boys.  The school's purpose was threefold:  to prepare boys for competitive colleges, to provide them a liberal education, and to help them develop into cultured Christian gentlemen.  The school's reputation was so sound that many of America's leading colleges exempted its students from entrance examinations.

University Football 1906

University Gym 1909

Baseball 1900s

Higbee School 1907      

Higbee Chemistry Lab

1912 Higbee

Higbee Memorial

Hutchion 1936

Hutchison Button

Hutchison School

Hutchison Swim Team

1948 Hutchison

MVHS Building- 1912 flood

City Schools - 1885

Schools 1900

Magevney School

 White Station 1943

Raleigh 1894

Idlewild 1928

Arlington 1925     

1965 Principals Pin

Kingsbury 1960

1913 School Bus

Board Education 1960s

Whitehaven'29

Whitehaven Ring 1978

Whitehaven 1942        

Little Flower 1938

Carnes 1948

Collierville 1947

Pentecost Boy's Schl

Levi Certificate '25

Levi Graduation '25

Levi 1925

Levi Report 1924-25

Idlewild 1929

Certificate 1890

Whitehaven 1929

Pope 1912

Credits

The Historic-Memphis website does not intentionally post copyrighted photos and material without permission or credit.  On occasion a "non-credited" photo might possibly be posted because we were unable to find a name to give credit.  Because of the nature of our non-commercial, non-profit, educational website, we strongly believe that these photos would be considered "Fair Use.  We have certainly made no monetary gain, although those using this website for historic or Genealogy research have certainly profited.  If by chance, we have posted your copyrighted photo, please contact us, and we'll remove it immediately, or we'll add your credit if that's your choice.  In the past, we have found that many photographers volunteer to have their works included on these pages and we'll  also do that if you contact us with a photo that fits a particular page. 

The "Historic-Memphis" website would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their contributions which helped make this website possible:  Memphis Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Law Library, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Shelby County Register of Deeds, Memphis City Schools, Memphis Business Men's Club, Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis City Park Commission, Memphis Film Commision, Carnival Memphis, Memphis Historical Railroad Page, Memphis Heritage Inc, Beale Street Historic District, Cobblestone Historic District, Memphis Historic Districts, Vance Lauderdale Family Archives, Tennessee State Archives, Library of Congress, Kemmons Wilson Family, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew, George Whitworth, Woody Savage and many individuals whose assistance is acknowledged on the pages of their contributions.  Special thanks to Memphis Realtor, Joe Spake, for giving us carte blanche access to his outstanding collection of contemporary Memphis photos.

We do not have high definition  copies of the photos on these pages.  If anyone wishes to secure high definition photos,  you'll have to contact the photographer  or the collector.  (To avoid any possibility of contributing to SPAM, we do not maintain a file of email addresses for anyone who contacts us).