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The
first brick school built in Niles was the Union High School, later
named Central High School. Construction began in 1870 and it opened
in May 1871, with six teachers, including the principal.
It was built at Mill Street(now East
State Street) and Church Street. It was a red brick building with
three stories and a basement, and cost $37,980.00.
A new McKinley High School was opened
in 1914 at the corner of Church Street and Arlington.
However, the Central High building
was in continuous use until the mid 1920s providing extra classrooms.
After a fire broke out in two of the classrooms, it was declared
unsafe and demolished. |
Postcard
of the Central Park fountain, wading pool, and band pavillion on
the site of the former Central School.

In 1976, the structures of this park
were demolished in the Downtown Urban Renewal Project. The new Central
Park apartments now occupy this space and provides homes for the
elderly. |

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Graduation photograph of Frank
Carl E. Robbins. He was the first to graduate from Niles Central
High School in 1875. |

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This photograph was taken in 1876
of the graduates of Niles Central School. L-R: Elmer Wilson,
A.J. Bentley, and Thomas Robbins. |

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Scene is of the Old Central School
with its bell tower. The road was dirt and transportation was by
horse and wagon. |

The Old Central School bell was located
on the front lawn of the new McKinley High School on Church Street. |
A
new McKinley High School was under construction in 1914 on Church
Street between Arlington and Chestnut Streets. It housed grades
1-12 and had an outdoor playhouse which provided play and exercise
areas during inclement weather.
The McKinley High School was renamed
Edison Junior High School in 1958 and converted for grades 7-8-9,
while the new Niles McKinley High School, built in 1957 on Trumbull
Drive, housed grades 10-12. New elementary schools: Lincoln, Jackson,
and Bonham were built to accomodate the increased elementary student
population. |

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A second image of
McKinley High School. ca 1936 |

The Niles McKinley High School opened
in the Fall of 1957. |

The 1959 Senior Class Project, under
the sponsorship of Miss Anna Compana, had the bell moved
from the old McKinley High School to a pedestal in front of the
new Niles McKinley High School.Their project also included the construction
of concrete benches and sidewalks leading to the pedestal. |

The Old Central School bell was located
in front of Niles McKinley High School from 1959-2013. |

The new Niles McKinley High School
on Dragon Drive was built in 2013. |

The Old Central School bell at the
new Niles McKinley High School on Dragon Drive. |

Detail of the Central School bell
with
school board members in 1871 listed. |