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Residents share memories of Fairfield’s Central Elementary

Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School
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Though Central Elementary, which opened in 1929, was a beloved icon in Fairfield the latter years of its operation were frustrating ones at times for teachers in the old school. Classrooms were tiny, hallways narrow and the school, which was once Fairfield’s high school, was falling apart. The building, which was the second oldest school in Butler County, lacked air conditioning and the heating system was an antiquated boiler system housed in a dungeon-like basement. The school’s cafeteria was so small the school had no kitchen and breakfast and lunches were rolled on carts – through an underground tunnel – from the adjacent Fairfield Freshman School’s kitchen.
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By Michael Clark
June 20, 2017
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The sound of falling bricks are mixing with many memories for Fairfield residents as Central Elementary continues its demolition this week.

The Journal-News coverage has attracted many comments from readers who attended the old school, which opened in 1929 during the presidency of Herbert Hoover.

ExploreSTORY & VIDEO: Crowd watches start of Central Elementary demolition

Here’s what some residents have shared on Facebook:

  • "Sad to see this this history erased! My grandmother, Geneva (Park) Hillman, went to this school when it opened in 1929. This replaced her previous school, Stockton, a two-room school." — Scott A. Hillman Ramirez
  • "I went there between 1998-2001. So many great memories, impactful teachers and fun stories went down in the books there. So many students' lives were changed because of the teachers and staff of this school. But all good things must come to an end." — Amy Wallace
  • "I remember putting pencils on the heaters so we could bend them." — Michael Stephens

  • "I remember trying to learn math in a 100 degree room." — Bob Grove
  • "Almost all butler county schools have been torn down and replaced." — Wayne Cummins
Cummins is right.
In the last decade — thanks in large part to a state program that helps local districts pay for new schools if the local communities approve tax bond issues — most of Butler County’s oldest schools have been replaced.
Central Elementary was the second oldest school in the county. Verity Middle School in Middletown is the oldest.
ExplorePHOTOS: Sky-high view of new Middletown High School
When Central was opened in 1929 it was hailed as the area’s most modern “rural” school, long before the sprawling city of Fairfield began to grow around its Route 4 campus.
Next on the demolition block for Fairfield is the adjacent Fairfield Freshman School.
The two schools are being leveled as Fairfield prepares to open three new schools in September.
ExploreMORE: Bird’s eye views of Fairfield’s new schools
Gina Gentry-Fletcher, spokeswoman for Fairfield City Schools, said the outpouring of emotion about Central, which at one time served as Fairfield’s high school, was not surprising.
A small crowd gathered Monday to watch the beginning of demolition.
“We estimate that about 100 showed up to witness the beginning stages of the end of a building that has served the educational needs of so many children in kindergarten through 12th grade during its 88-year span,” said Gentry-Fletcher.
ExploreEDUCATION NEWS: Michael D. Clark’s Facebook page includes the latest in local, national education trends
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About the Author

Michael Clark