Historic Washington Irving Middle School honored with farewell tour
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Clarksburg Visitors Bureau (CVB) hosted a commemorative event titled 'A Final Walk Through the Halls and Town That Made Us,' celebrating the rich history and lasting legacy of Washington Irving Middle School before it closes.
In a press release, the visitor's bureau acknowledged the closure of the school and wanted to give those who attended and the community members one last look at the building after decades of shaping countless lives.
The CVB extended an invitation to alumni, faculty, coaches and community members to gather for a reunion and take one final walk through the beloved school building, reflecting on their cherished Hilltopper memories.
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'This was the central part of the city, it was, it was one of the nicest high schools built in 1913 in the entire state. First graduating class was 1914, so it began I think 250 kids were in the original school. During the last 50's and through the 60's and 70's grades nine through 12 was about 1,000 students in this building even before the new gymnasium was built,' an organizer of the tours and President of the Clarksburg Visitors Bureau Curtis Edwards said.
Following the tour, attendees were encouraged to enjoy a walk through historic downtown Clarksburg, explore local businesses, and appreciate the city's cultural and historical significance.
'The stories have been coming in, phone calls, people that I run into, and the stories are just nonstop, it almost makes your brain hurt because your trying to remember back, in my case 50 years, graduating here in the 1969. A lot of the people coming up of the tour will be sharing some stories,' Edwards said. 'So, the history is strong and it was a close tie between downtown Clarksburg and W.I. We were lucky to have and hour lunch and and as soon as the bell rang everybody headed downtown to go to all the different drug stores and the countertop service that we had.'
As part of the event, the historic Gore Luxe also welcomed visitors for an open house from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., offering pastries, tea, and coffee.
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