The following ran in The Evening Review on August 28, 1951 and discusses the then new Jefferson Elementary.
There are about 375 Newell students looking forward to going back to school next week - they'' be attending the new Jefferson elementary building on Jefferson Street.
The $175,000 structure will be shown off at "open house" Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m. under the sponsorship of the Parent Teacher Association which helped push the three-year tax levy passed in 1949 to finance the building.
The building replaced the 39-year old Fourth St. structure, both physically and in name. The old school, erected in 1912 at a cost of $28,000, was condemned four years ago by the state fire marshal, but was preserved for temporary use by the installation of new windows and emergency tubular fire escape chutes.
The Jefferson building is of one-story brick and tile fireproof construction. It houses nine classrooms, an office, teachers' lounge, four pupil rest rooms, storage closets and a furnace room.
Classrooms are 22-by-30 feet with about 5 pupils slated for each room. The rooms are lighted by florescent lamps.
Clocks in each room are synchronized with a master timepiece in the principal's office, and an automatic bell system announces class periods. A two-way public address systems is being installed.
In the furnace room, a stoker-fed boiler furnishes steam heat for the ceiling radiators in the building. Floors are of composition tile.
Metal lockers and metal book cases are being installed in each classroom, although all have not been received from the manufacturer.
Started in June 1950, the Jefferson building will house grades one through six.
However, Principal Ernest John already has his problems. To handle the estimated enrollment, he's had to convert to basement rooms designed for other purposes, into classrooms.
One was a large 22 by 60 foot room planned as a cafeteria and the other originally was slated to be a large stockroom.
No classes are scheduled for the old Fourth St. building, John said. It eventually will be torn down.
The PTA, headed by President Ward Jackson, will serve refreshments during open house as parents and friends of prospective pupils are given the opportunity of seeing the latest addition to Hancock County's schools.
The three-year levy which financed its construction was a $240,000 program approved by voters to erect both the Jefferson school and to add four rooms to the Marland Heights building at Weirton.
A bond issue in 1946 for the construction of the Newell school was turned down by the voters. That's when the PTA took hold of the campaign and directed it to a successful conclusion.
