The community of Edgewood became a full-fledge town in 1920 and soon after, leaders decided they needed their own school. Six acres of land just off Broadway was purchased and the town deeded five of the acres to the Jefferson County Board of Education in 1924. Before the school was even completed, the School Improvement Association, which would later become the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), started identifying and supplying the needs of the school. One of the first needs was a road. You see Edgewood School was built on a “muddy field” that did not even have a road leading to it. The School Improvement Association petitioned the town for a road. A gravel road from Oxmoor Road was soon opened. A path on the north side of the school was added as well. It went from east to west. This path did not access Oxmoor or Broadway but was eventually extended and renamed College Avenue.
Edgewood Elementary was completed in April 1926 and opened that September with 100 students and 4 teachers. The school had Grades 1-8 and the way they taught with only four teachers was to have two grades for each teacher. First and second together, third and fourth and so on.
Listen to the episode at https://dev.shadescahabahistory.com/podcast/homewood-elementary-schools/
This photo is from the Jefferson County Board of Equalization Appraisal Files, which are located in the basement of the Lin-Henley Research Library.
