SCHOOL HISTORY
Kokomo's first high school building opened at the at the northwest corner of Clay (Armstrong) and Taylor streets for one school year, 1872-73. The Normal Building, which was located on Superior Street, faced the land where Central Middle School now resides. It opened for high school students in the fall of 1873, and continued in that capacity until the building burned in 1898.
A massive brick and stone high school building was completed in 1898 at the southwest corner of Market and Sycamore streets. The structure burned March 24, 1914, and all that remains are the cement front steps at the corner. The present downtown structure on east Superior Street was opened as a high school in the fall of 1915. Seniors graduated from this location until 1984. Because of overcrowding in the 1960's, officials built a second high school, Haworth High School, at 2501 S. Berkley Road. That building, which was renovated and expanded during phase one of the 21st Century Project, now serves as the high school and has an attached career center.
The present Kokomo facility was enlarged in 1929, and then was remodeled and enlarged with a swimming pool being added behind Memorial Gym in 1974. Memorial Gym was completed at the site in 1949 after the Haworth Gym (which was home to KHS basketball from 1925 to 1944) was destroyed by fire in 1944. During the more that 100 years of existence, the Principals at Kokomo High School/Central Middle School have been J.Z.A. McCaughan, C.V. Haworth, C.E. Hinshaw, O.I. Farmer, Kenneth Crook, Frank Moore, Harold Canady, Dan Shockley and Jan Noelle.
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A Basic History of KHS/CMS |
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| 1859-1861 | Professor Joseph Baldwin provided the first impetus to higher education in Kokomo. He taught a few students in a one story frame building near the present intersection of Mulberry and Main Streets. He urged the building of a normal school to provide higher education. The townships provided common schools where a student could receive a basic education somewhat comparable to our present day elementary schools. |
| 1861-1862 | No School - Civil War begins |
| 1863-1869 | The Normal School provided education above the common schools. Funding for the building was raised by a company called the Normal Association through subscriptions from citizens in all parts of the county. Many of the students studied to become teachers in the common schools. |
| 1872-1873 | First School Board organized. Began thinking about a high school. |
| 1869-1872 | Howard College - Occupied 2nd and 3rd stories of the Normal building. Students wanting more than common school education could attend. Howard closed in 1872. Board focused on establishing first high school. |
| 1872-1873 | First KHS established - Northwest corner of Armstrong and Taylor Streets. |
| 1873-1898 | Empty Normal School purchased and used as the high school. |
| 1897 | 254 students crowded the building. |
| 1898 | New building constructed in Central Lot facing Sycamore and Market Streets. The older Normal building was to be used as a junior high, but it burned in the fall of 1898. |
| 1902 | Central Junior High built. |
| 1914 | The KHS building erected in 1898 burned. |
| 1915 | New building constructed on south side of Superior Street facing north. |
| 1923 | Haworth Gym built west of the 1915 building by the alley. |
| 1929 | KHS enlarged - back section added. Kautz Field completed. |
| 1944 | Haworth Gym burned. |
| 1947-1949 | Memorial Gym constructed. |
| 1950 | Vocational building constructed on old Haworth Gym site. |
| 1967 | KHS 1915 building remodeled. |
| 1968 | Haworth High School built. |
| 1974 | KHS remodeled: middle section added, pool added, Central Building torn down. |
| 1984 | HHS -KHS consolidated into one high school with 2 campuses. |
| 1998-1999 | KHS Downtown Campus will be remodeled into a 6-8 middle school. Memorial Gym will continue as the high school spectator gym facility. |
| 1998-Present | Central Middle School established. |