R is for Ragsdale High

Ragsdale High School, located at the Jamestown end of High Point Road, has a whole lot of history, and it is well documented. The school was named for Lucy Coffin Ragsdale,  granddaughter of Dr. Shubal Coffin, a Jamestown physician. Her Quaker family was instrumental in helping with the Underground Railroad during the Civil War and her family members, in the Quaker tradition, were strong advocates of a community's educating its people. Mrs. Ragsdale organized the first PTA in Guilford County, serving as its president from 1919-1928.* Her husband, Billy, was president of Oakdale Cotton Mill.

Ragsdale High School opened in September 1959 and since that time 55 years ago, Ragsdale has only had three principals: T.G. Madison; Dr. Steve Dalton; and Dr. Kathryn Rogers. Principal #4 will have BIG shoes to fill! While the main part of the campus is an example of Guilford County's "postwar functionalist architure," and, the above photo represents a new building on campus, the Christine Joyner Greene Education Center. Ragsdale has grown so much over the recent decades, that they are making an effort to build and repurpose buildings so that students don't have to use the mobile units. The brand new Green Education Center is a welcome addition to the campus of the Ragsdale campus. Today is ABC Wednesday and R is for Ragsdale! See GDP's A-Q entries, here.

It would be WONDERFUL if ALL schools would have histories documented to the extent thad Ragsdale does. Hats off to Ragsdale. Here's to a good rest of the school year.

*read more on Carol Brooks' webpage- where we retrieved some of the biographical information.

Comments

[Roger Green]

Greene education - we approve!
ROG, ABC Wednesday

[lesliebc]

We sure are getting to know a lot about your city. Good on you.

Leslie
abcw team

[Reader Wil]

The history of any building is always important. Therefore I prefer old buildings to modern ones, which have no soul.
Great post!
Wil, ABCW Team.

[Amar Naik]

great article. nice to know about a new city