The large brick school located on the hill beyond the end of Putnam Street has had many lives in its 98-year history as a key part of the Marietta School System.

Ground was broken for the “new” high school on Nov. 6, 1924, for the structure that would replace a smaller school on Scammel Street. If you view old photos of the location, there was once a knoll that was removed during construction. The dirt was taken down the hill to the Cisler Brick Yard, where it was fired into brick and sent back up the hill to build the school.

Construction of the school would take nearly two years, and cost $595,255. Staff, teachers and 1,200 or so students first occupied the school on Sept. 26, 1926. The original project did not include the gymnasium, with boys going to the Armory and girls going to the Betsey Mills Club for physical education. The gym at the school you see today was constructed a few years later. The school was designed to house six grades.

Students came to the school after attending their neighborhood schools such as Norwood Marion, Harmar and Washington.

This arrangement worked well for 40 years, but births from the post-World War II baby boom began crowding the school in the 1960s. On Nov. 13, 1966, the current high school on Davis Avenue opened and the old high school became Marietta Junior High School with grades 7-9 attending.

When I arrived at the school for eighth grade in 1974, it was already middle aged. I ended up being at the school for two years. The school had an old but solid vibe then. I am pretty sure that much of the original equipment was still being used.

I recall being a standout student in study hall and perhaps mechanical drawing. It was during a science class though at the school that a presentation about photography sparked an interest that not only got me a job, but has led to a 47-year career at The Times.

In 1983, it was decided that ninth graders would move to the high school. It made sense with class sizes decreasing to include the freshman class with the rest of the high school students.

In 1987 sixth graders would move to the school and the structure would get its third name change. Marietta Middle School would now house grades 6-8.

Following a trend that has been going on for nearly a century, students at the school continue to get younger. In 2021, the seventh and eighth grade moved to the high school and the school on the hill started housing grades 3-6, giving the school its fourth name when it became Marietta Elementary School.

A playground now occupies land that at one time was a practice area for the Marietta High School football team. It still feels a bit odd to see it, but only to the adults who remember a much older student body.

The school has served the community well for nearly a century. It is remarkable to think that students today are walking the same hallways that in some cases their great-great-great grandparents did.

Art Smith is online manager, he can be reached at asmith@mariettatimes.com