December 8, 1941 fire destroys Chamblee High School

October 15, 2024 Valerie Biggerstaff

People who grew up in the northern section of DeKalb County and are old enough to remember Pearl Harbor Day remember that Chamblee High School burned down the following day. News of the fire spread quickly among families in Chamblee, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and Doraville.

Students from throughout north DeKalb County attended Chamblee High School, as it was the only high school in the area.

J. W. (Dub) Brown, who would later become Mayor of Chamblee, was a student at the school that year. Other students include George Pierce, Jr. Vivian Pierce, Manget Davis, Marion Chesnut, Charles Minors, and Malcolm Drake. Graduation for the class of 1942 was at Oglethorpe University. (Past Memories, Present Progress, Future Dreams, A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee, 1983, by Vivian Price Saffold)

According to an Atlanta Constitution article, Chamblee School Building Destroyed in $75,000 Fire, December 9, 1941, the fire took place on December 8th and started in the school laboratory. The two-story brick school was located on what was then known as Dunwoody Road.

M. E. Smith was principal of Chamblee High School during that time. On the day of the fire, he was overcome by smoke when he returned to the building to try and retrieve textbooks and other valuables. He was honored by the students and graduates in 1955 to recognize thirty years as a teacher and principal at Chamblee High School.

Firemen from nearby Lawson General Hospital, a military hospital adjacent to Naval Air Station Atlanta and on land that is now DeKalb Peachtree Airport, came to help put out the fire. There were also firemen from U. S. Veterans Hospital #48, located further south on Peachtree Road, and the Druid Hills fire station.

The band director, Dr. D. C. Edwards, managed to get a grand piano and thousands of dollars of band instruments removed before fire destroyed them. The band had performances scheduled around Christmas 1941 in McDonough, Norcross, and for the patients of nearby Lawson General Hospital.

The shop building and home economics building were spared in the fire because they were separate from the main building. The main building had twenty-one classrooms. After the school burned down, classes were held in other places around the community, such as Chamblee Baptist Church.

There were five hundred students enrolled at Chamblee when the fire of 1941 occurred. Over one thousand people are reported to have come out to see the fire. Some remember riding in the car to see the sight of their school burning. Fortunately, the fire started about 6:00 p.m. and no one was in the building at the time.

Antioch School, first Chamblee school 1905

February 5, 2024 Valerie Biggerstaff

This photo of Antioch School, identified as the first school in Chamblee and built in 1905, appears in the centennial book published by the city of Chamblee. (Chamblee, GA, “A Centennial Portrait, 1908-2008”)

A one-room school was built in Chamblee in 1905. Prior to that, some families sent their children to school in Roswell. Ida Wallace of Chamblee rode the Roswell Railroad from Chamblee to Roswell each week to attend school. She stayed in Roswell until the end of each week, then returned to her family in Chamblee. (“A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,”1983 by Vivian Price)

The location of Antioch School is now 5295 New Peachtree Road. The school site was next to the First Baptist Church of Chamblee Cemetery and for many years was the location of Interactive College of Technology. Today 5295 New Peachtree Road is home to the International Pentecostal Church of God.

When the Camp Gordon World War I encampment was built in Chamblee, it took over a large portion of the town, including Antioch School. A new school was planned for Chamblee and the two-story brick school was completed and opened in 1919.

The new Chamblee School housed both the grammar school and high school. The Atlanta Constitution proclaimed the school to be one of the finest schools in the state, calling it “beautiful and modern in every respect and contains every feature of the up-to-date school house.” The final cost of the new school was $30,000.

The old Antioch School was moved to the new property and was used for the Home Economics program.

This may not seem like a great deal of historical information about Antioch School. I agree! I’ll continue to be on the lookout for more history and this blog post will be updated when and if I locate more history.

During the time that World War I Camp Gordon took over Chamblee, the school was part of the camp’s property. After the war, it was moved to the new site for the school, which is the same location as Chamblee High School today. The old Antioch School building was used as the Home Economics building. This 1940 photo also shows the cannery on the right and students forming the letters CHS in front of the school. (Photo from “A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,”1983 by Vivian Price)

**This 1938 yearbook page shows students standing in front of the Home Economics building, the former Antioch School.**

Chamblee High School photo 1928

December 25, 2023 Valerie Biggerstaff

This week, I’m sharing a 1928 photo of Chamblee High School graduates. Kathryne Carpenter is in the center of the back row and the photo was shared with me by the Anderson family, descendants of the Carpenters. The Carpenter family lived in Dunwoody, but Chamblee was the only high school in north DeKalb County at the time. Students living in Dunwoody, Doraville, Brookhaven and Chamblee attended Chamblee High School.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I’ll return with a new history post next week.

If you have a relative in this photo send me a message!

More memories-7th grade safety patrol Train trip

September 11, 2023 Valerie Biggerstaff

As I mentioned in my August 28 blog post, I was a member of the safety patrols at Pleasantdale Elementary School during the 1969-1970 school year and went on their annual trip. We went by train to Washington, D. C. and then on to New York City. It was a lot of fun, not only visiting those cities which I had never been to, but spending so much time with school friends away from the usual school setting.

7th grade school safety patrol program and the annual DC/NY trip by train

August 28, 2023 Valerie Biggerstaff

When Marissa Howard, Programs and Membership Coordinator at DeKalb History Center, sent this photograph to me, I thought perhaps it was a group of school safety patrol students. The group of students in the front have a sign that reads Morgan Falls, a former school in Sandy Springs I have written about before. The photograph is part of the Guy Hayes Collection in the DeKalb History Center archives.

I wondered if the groups of children may have been preparing to leave on the annual safety patrol trip by train to Washington, D. C. and in some years New York City also. I participated in the safety patrol at DeKalb County’s Pleasantdale Elementary School back in 1969 and 1970 but didn’t know the origins of the program or when it started. I also did not recall that it was associated with AAA, the American Automobile Association.

If you look closely, you will also see the name of two other Fulton County Schools at that time-Center Hill and Lakewood Heights Schools of Atlanta. Several of the students are wearing badges and a few have on their safety patrol sash with the badge attached. There are quite a few suitcases.

Wylie School near Embry Hills

March 13, 2023 Valerie Biggerstaff

In Vivian Price Saffold’s 1983 book, “A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,” which celebrated 75 years of the city, there is a 1904 photo of children at Wylie School. The school was located near what is now Embry Hills. The children’s ages are described as from six years old to “as old as the teacher would keep them.”

Mr. Mosely, loved and admired Chamblee High School teacher

December 12, 2022 Valerie Biggerstaff

New posts each Monday morning.

A. Kennedy Mosely, known as Mose to many, began teaching at Chamblee High School in 1954. As he prepared to retire, Judy Fenster wrote about him for the June 1983 Dunwoody Crier in an article titled, “A. K. Mosely A Chamblee Favorite to Retire.” Mosely taught American Government and History. He was Chairman of the Social Studies Department.

In the years 1966 to 1968, when the number of students at Chamblee had grown to 2000, and Peachtree and Sequoyah High Schools had not yet opened, Mr. Mosely served as Assistant Principal. During six of his years at the school, he was also manager of adjacent North DeKalb Stadium.

Mr. Mosely in the classroom-head of the Social Studies Department in 1966. Photo is from the 1966 Chamhian, Chamblee High School Yearbook.

Mr. Mosely’s photo in the 1967 yearbook for Chamblee High School, when he was also Assistant Principal.

A description of the classroom includes that his room faced Stadium Drive. He had copies of historical documents on the walls and the American flag displayed overhead. The room had the typical green chalkboard and large clock, “always too fast or too slow.” The windows were usually open letting in “…the spring air and the drone of lawn mowers.”

On the day of the interview, Mose asked his Senior government class, “What do we mean by excise tax?”

A. Kennedy Mosely was born in 1919. He attended The Citadel and the University of South Carolina before serving in the Navy during World War II. Senior Jeff Meyers said of Mosely, “His stories about World War II really captured the feeling of history.”

Following the war, Lieutenant Mosely attended the University of South Carolina Law School, graduated in 1948 and worked for a time in law. He also worked in the insurance industry and as a stockbroker. He taught law at the University of South Carolina. Then in 1954 he became a teacher at Chamblee. He found his true calling when that change happened.

Former students of Mr. Mosely remember him as a great storyteller, who helped students understand government and shared stories from his experiences in WW2. He also told them about his hometown of Ninety-six, South Carolina. Several alumni of Chamblee High School describe him as the best and favorite teacher they ever had.

A comment from Senior student Gina Antinezi appears in the article, “He gives a better understanding of government because of his experiences as a lawyer.”

The principal of Chamblee was Hal Davis at the time of the article. Davis commented, “He’s one of those unique individuals who can get the best out of the students and make learning a joy rather than a chore. Taking a class with Mose has been a tradition as Chamblee High School and many students, and later their children have done this.”

As he retired, Mr. Mosely expressed his emotions on leaving the school. “I will miss being with them (the students). They keep you moving and thinking young and give you an inspiration to try to help.” He also looked forward to retirement and fishing.

Mr. Mosely died in 1990 and is buried in Ninety-Six Presbyterian Cemetery in Ninety-Six, South Carolina.