History of Xenia High School

About the year 1847 a small two-story schoolhouse was erected on East Market Street on the site of what is now a parking lot behind the old YMCA building and  between Whiteman and Collier Streets . It contained four grade school rooms, and the rest were the High School rooms. The class of 1859 was the first Xenia High School graduating class with a total of 3 students.

The first superintendent was Mr. Herty. He remained until about 1857 when Rev. Twichell was appointed in his place. He stayed a short time and in 1861 Mr. Ormsby took his place.

In 1883 a new Central High School was built on the site of the previous small two-story schoolhouse. It was used for forty years when it was torn down and replaced by a second Central High School in 1923. This Central High School was built across Church Street opposite the old one. We knew this building as Central Junior High School. It served as a high school and a junior high school until 1957. It was destroyed in the 1974 Xenia Tornado.

Several African American or colored schools, as they were called, operated in various locations in the eastern end of the city. Xenia East High School held its first graduation in 1879, the last East High School was constructed on East Market Street in 1921. It served the education needs of the African American students into the late 1950’s when Xenia Schools slowly began integrating. A process that was ‘slow rolled’ as we would say today, with many African American students not being integrated until the early 1960’s. Later it became ‘The Center’ an experimental elementary school, after that failed, it became the Board of Education Office and remained so into the early – mid 2000’s.

In 1957 a new Xenia High School was built on the site of the old Cox Athletic Field on Edison Boulevard next to Benner Field House, (aka The Snake Pit). It was destroyed in the 1974 Tornado. The Class of 1974 was the last senior class to graduate from this location, although our final few weeks and the graduation ceremony were held in other locations, namely Beavercreek High School, and UD Arena. In 1977 a new Central Jr. High School was built on the site. Later named Central Middle School, and now known as Xenia Preschool.

In September of 1977 the present Xenia High School was constructed on the north side of town on approximately 44 acres of former farmland at the corner of Kinsey Road and Yellowstone. The first class to graduate, having attended all three years in the new building, was the class of 1980.

Some Trivia

Prior to the Tornado they were planning to replace the existing XHS, and were looking to Springfield Schools as to where to locate a new high school. One HS on the Northside, and one on the South (west) end. The Tornado forced their hand, but that was one of the reasons, (along with needing a larger building site) that the ‘new’ XHS was built on the North End.

The orginal part of the high school on Edison was almost an identical copy of Beavercreeks high school which had been built a few years earlier.

In 1956 Cox Field was moved, stands, stadium lights, etc. to it’s current location on Dayton Ave. to make room for the ‘new’ XHS. That is why the neighborhood behind the school was named Stadium Heights, as it was built prior to the move.

The current XHS has several decorative artifacts from the old Central High (CJH) installed in the building, but nothing from the Edison Blvd. XHS.