The Grove Comet ~ 1969 ~ Final Copy ~ Section One ~ Page 4

E. W. Grove High School
first opened its doors to the
students of Henry County in
mid-winter of the school year
1907. With the opening of this
historic and picturesque school,
a great goal and ambition of Dr.
E. W. Grove was realized. He had
endowed for the high school
students of his county an
educational institution, tuition
free to all residents of this
county, which was to make its
presence known in the pages of
the history of this state.
Dr. Grove, whose picture now
hangs in the library of the
school, named for him, first
proposed the building of the
county-wide high school to the
people of Henry County in 1906
From the money resulting from
the success of his "Grove's
Tasteless Chill Tonic" he
endowed the proposed school
with $80,000 five percent interest-
bearing bonds on the condition
that the county would provide
ample buildings and grounds.
To meet Dr. Grove's stipula-
tions, the City Council of Paris
contributed about $12,000 and
the quarterly fiscal court ap-
propriated about 34,000. The
site for the marvelous new
building was a 17% acre campus
donated by Mr. and Mrs. T. P.
Jernigan. This hill, the highest
point in the entire area, and
surrounding land had been
locally dubbed Jernigan Heights,
but was soon after the advent of
the new county high school, the
name "Grove Hill" came into
being and has remained, along
with the title "The Hill,"
throughout the history of the
school.

   On Tuesday, June 26,1906, the
cornerstone containing a bottle
of the famous chill tonic, was
laid with all the pomp and
ceremony the event called for.
A program way printed and
distributed which included the
"Order of Procession to School
Grounds." Several speeches were
given and a band played to
celebrate the birth of this $46,000
institution of learning.
   And thus was the beginning
of E. W. Grove High School. In
only a few short years the school
grew rapidly in size. First came
the addition, in 1910, of Cavitt
Hall - a two story and basement
girl's dormitory. By 1927 such a
building was no longer needed
and so it became a combination
home economics department - first floor, coaches' and janitors' residence second floor, and cafeteria for the high school - basement.
   The obvious cause of the
physical expansion of Grove
High School was the increase in
the number of county students
it had to accommodate. As the
years passed the enrollment grew
and continued to grow until the
Tower building, which was
designed for 250 students,
became altogether inadequate.
To remedy this in 1937, using W.
P. A. funds and labor, a
gymnasium containing two
classrooms was built. Still the
enrollment exceeded the
facilities of the school. Thus, in
May 1948, funds totaling $700,000
were appropriated by the Henry
County Court for a building
program to establish schools
throughout the county to
alleviate the burden at Grove.

Of these funds Grove received
$370,000 and Weston Hall emerged
where before a wooded hillside
stood. Still the building and
growing and expanding
continued and in 1958 Grove
Junior High School emerged
from the wooded land adjoining
the high school on Grove Hill.
Not all of the history of E. W.
is as pleasant and prosperous as this.
Tragedies and major setbacks and
discouragements have marred
the tranquil history of the
school. The fire which consumed
the interior of Cavitt Hall in
January of the year 1943 was such
an event.
If Dr. Grove were alive today
he would find that the county
high school which proudly bears
his name has altered a great deal.
Gone are the stables at the foot
of the hill where the high school
students left their horses until
they were needed for the return
ride home. Gone is much of the
slyvan hillside and secluded
atmosphere. In its place stands a
much enlarged and respected
institution of learning, bordered
by the many walks and
thoroughfares necessary for the
conduction of such an
institution. Yet despite these
seemingly drastic changes, the
spirit which Dr. Grove instilled
remains as the backbone and
guiding influence of the new
school. The purpose for which it
was intended, for which Dr.
Grove endowed its creation,
remains - to provide for the
students of Henry County a
place of learning which would
maintain the goals, standards,
and ideals of which Dr. Grove
would be proud.

   Here are some facts about
Grove that are not widely
known:
   There is a bottle of Chill
Tonic in the cornerstone of the
Tower Building.
   In the times when students
rode horses to school there was a
barn by the football field where
they could be kept for the day,
   Cavitt Hall was first used as a
girls' dormitory for those girls
who lived in the county and
could not make the daily trip to
school.
   Mr. E. W. Grove always sent
apples to the students at
Christmas time. The baskets
were placed in the halls so
everyone could help himself,
   The first two principals were
brothers-the Chappells.
   There were no interclass
basketball games but there were
interclass speech contests. These
were held at the Capitol theatre
after the nine o'clock show,
because there was no other
auditorium.
   For gym the boys had drill
exercises walking around the
hill. The girls did exercises in the
Study Hall.
   The outdoor basketball court
is the parking lot now, Later
basketball was played in the
Crosswy's (Mr. Crosswy's uncle)
tobacco barn. Finally the games
were moved to the City
Auditorium.

Football games were played
in the afternoon. There were no
seats in the stadium.
Instead of lockers the
students had pigeonholes.
Cavitt Hall burned in 1943.

The building as it is now is not
at all like the one that burned.
   The lunch room was where
the Band Room is now. The
teachers had their lunches
brought to them in their
classrooms.
   The Study Hall was where the
Library is now; and the Library
was in Miss Brashear's room.
   Chemistry and Physics classes
met in Mrs. Bomar's room.
   The Interclass Speech Contest
aroused spirit. The class who put
their class colors on the highest
point was said to have the best
spirit. Some of the "highest
points" were the water tower,
the Tower building and the
hands of the Court House Clock!
   The football stadium was
enclosed with a wooden fence.
   The nickname of the first
football team was the - "Chillers".
   At one time there was a
motion made by the school
board to remove the tower from
the Tower Building! The people
soon rejected this idea.
   During the reign of one
principal of the 1980's the
teachers were not allowed to sit
down during class. The holes in
some of the classroom doors
were used by the principal to
check on the teachers.
   Home EC Cooking classes
were held in. Mrs. Hopkins's
room - The first semester the
students studied sewing and
made uniforms. The second
semester they wore the uniforms
and studied cooking. Home EC
was a required subject at this
time
   At one time it was required
that students take 'three years of

math and two to four years of a
foreign language. Latin, Greek, and French were offered.                                School was never dismissed
for bad weather in the early days.
Exams were given to all
students at one time in the gym.
desks were brought in from the
classrooms.
   The class of 1931 gave the iris
plants on both sides of the
Tower building to the school as
a departing gift.
   In 1939 the Grove Blue Devils
were named the number one
high school football team in
West Tennessee by the TSSAA.
   An advertisement in a 1931
COMET by the Capitol theatre
promises - "Perfect talking
pictures"
   Before Grove was completed
classes were held in the old City
Hall.
   At the site of the present day
football field, there was
formerly a farm for agriculture
classes.
   Sophomores took English
twice a day-grammar and
composition m the morning and
literature in the afternoon.
   In 1912 Dr. Grove visited the
school. After his visit the school
began receiving checks to buy
fruit for the students to eat
during their fifteen minute
morning recess.
   The day after Congress passed
the Vocational Education Act,
the Tennessee Commissioner of
Education, a former teacher at
Grove, came to the school and
organized the first Vocational
Agriculture class in the United
States.