A Brief History of Hughes

Historical Sketch of Hughes High School

Thomas Hughes, after whom Hughes High School was named, died December 26, 1824, leaving a will dated 22 days before his death, by which he left his property to the City of Cincinnati for the education of poor children. This is the oldest of all the bequests for education now available in this city. This property, consisting of land within the present limits of the city, was left in the hands of a board of 5 trustees named in the will, who were to administer the trust and who were also given power to fill all vacancies that might occur in the board.

Hughes, an immigrant from England, adopted Cincinnati as his home sometime near the beginning of the nineteenth century. He earned his living as a cobbler, repairing shoes and other leather products, in his shop which was located in his small, log cabin home on Liberty Street. (On the north side of Liberty between Main and Sycamore Streets is a short street named Hughes and this is where his shop-residence was located.) Hughes lived alone, except for his dog, pony and some chickens.

The income from this property for the first 10 years was used to pay for the education of indigent pupils in the Woodward College, a private institution that was in existence before the organization of Woodward high School. Of the money collected from rents during the next 5 years, over $6000 was lost through the misappropriation of funds by one of the trustees.

In 1845 a lot for a high school was purchased on Ninth Street, between Race and Vine at a cost of $9000. No building, however, was erected on this lot, and in 1851 it was sold for $15,700, and the lot where the old school building stands on Fifth Street, opposite Mound, was purchased for $18,000. Meanwhile, in 1847, the Central School was opened in the basement of the Lutheran Church on Walnut Street, with Mr. H. H. Barney as principal. The next year the school was moved to Longworth Street, between Race and Elm, where it remained until after the organization of Hughes and Woodward High Schools.

In pursuance of an act passed by the legislature in 1845, a tripartite contract was entered into in May, 1851, between the Trustees of the Hughes Fund, the Trustees of the Woodward Fund, and the Trustees and Visitors of Common Schools of Cincinnati, whereby the Hughes and Woodward Funds were to be consolidated with the common school fund of the city, and a Union Board of High Schools was provided for, to have charge of the two high schools to be organized.

The consolidation of these funds, and the organization of free public high schools, had been under discussion ever since the passage of the law in 1845, and had awakened some bitter opposition. Mr. Barney, Principal of the Central School, had taken a prominent part in this discussion in favor of the law, and the views which he represented finally prevailed. The Union Board of High Schools composed of 7 members representing the Hughes and Woodward Funds, and 6 members each year from the Trustees and Visitors of Common Schools, was organized July 22, 1851, and entered upon its duties. In May 1895, this contract was modified so as to give the organization of the board it was decided that Race Street should be the dividing line between the 2 schools, all pupils west of that line to remain at the Central School, which was henceforth to be known as the Hughes High School, and all pupils east of that line go to the building that already stood on the Woodward lot, and to constitute the Woodward High School. This took place on the 16th of September, 1851, and on that date the Hughes and Woodward free public high schools entered upon their career.

In July, 1852, there was graduated at Greenwood Hall the first class of Hughes pupils.

During the following year the new building was erected on the lot on Fifth Street, opposite Mound. This building was imposing in its architecture and was considered at the time as affording exceptionally fine accommodations for the school. It was formally accepted from the contractors on January 5th, was dedicated with public exercise on Monday, January 17th, and the school immediately moved into these new quarters with Mr. Barney and his corps of assistants in charge.

But the reputation of Mr. Barney had extended over the state and in a few weeks after the opening of the school he was elected State School Commissioner of Ohio. He continued in his place a principal of the school until February, 1854, when he resigned to enter upon the duties of his new office.

Mr. Barney was succeeded in the principal ship by Mr. Cyrus Knowlton, a graduate of Brown University, who had for several years served as an assistant in the school. Mr. Knowlton continued in the office of principal until the year 1860, when he resigned, with the intention of entering upon the practice of the law.

The Hughes High School was especially fortunate in having two such men as principals in its early years. Mr. Barney had shown his ability not only as an administrator of the affairs of the school, but also as an advocate both by tongue and pen of the cause of free public education and of the high school as a legitimate part of that system. It was a time when these were burning questions, and when the discussion of them was the order of the day, and when the cause of public education needed bold and aggressive champions. Mr. Barney bore an honorable part in this conflict. Mr. Thornton M. Hinkle, in his address on Founder’s Day, 1898, in speaking on this subject says: “Mr. Barney and his associates, the victors in the struggle of 1845 to 1853, are entitled to as much honor as any of the heroes in our recent war. They settled the question, and it is no longer open for debate in Ohio. They insured the perpetuity of our school system.”

Mr. Knowlton was a man of marked qualities of character that eminently fitted him for the position to which he had succeeded. Not only as an administrator, but as an instructor, he exerted a potent and lasting influence upon the students of the school: and many who have now grown to manhood and womanhood acknowledge their great indebtedness to him and cherish his memory with gratitude and affection. These two men gave a tone and direction to the school that have characterized it to the present day.

Upon retirement of Mr. Knowlton, Dr. Joseph L. Thornton, who had been a teacher in the Woodward High School, was chosen principal. The school continued under his leadership for 13 years, until the close of the school year 1872-1873, when he resigned. Upon his resignation the Union Board passed unanimously the following resolution: “Resolved, that in accepting the declination of Dr. Joseph L. Thornton to reappointment as principal of Hughes High School, after 13 years’ faithful service, this board hereby expresses its confidence and appreciation of him as a man of high and unblemished moral character, diligent and faithful as a teacher and an ardent friend of the public schools.”

The school opened in September 1873 with Mr. John M. Edwards who had been a teacher in the Central High School, and had been in the Hughes from the beginning, acting as principal.

In December of the same year, one whose name is known far and wide, Mr. E. W. Coy, who had been appointed principal, entered upon the duties of his office.

When Hughes High School outgrew its facilities at the old location, the Board of Education and the Trustees of the Hughes Fund purchased a large lot in Clifton, across from the University of Cincinnati, on the corner of Clifton and McMillan Streets in 1906. The lot, 420 feet by 427 feet, cost $102,000 and the building cost was $727,000. The equipment to furnish the new school came to $73,500.

The massive high school containing approximately 5 acres of floor space in its 4 floors and tower was completed in 1910. The building contained approximately 200 rooms, 80 of which were classrooms and had a capacity for 2000 students. The original old Hughes building had but 17 classrooms and little else. The increase in the number of classrooms plus the auditorium, 2 gymnasiums and 2 lunchrooms to accommodate all of these students in these varied fields of study demonstrated how the concept of secondary education had expanded. At that time, 90% of the young people went directly into commerce or industry after completing their education.

Friday, December 2, 1910 was specifically chosen as the date to have the dedication of the new Hughes structure because it was the approximate date of the month that Thomas Hughes signed his will which created this first public education trust.

The “new” Hughes graduated its first class of 107 seniors on June 9, 1911. The first faculty had 54 teachers including 7 Latin teachers, 4 German and 1 Greek teacher. Hughes’ motto contained on the school seal is PRO DEO PATRIAQUE, or “for God and country.” Since 1881, the school’s colors have been red and white.

Hughes High School has undergone significant changes since 1910, both physically and academically. In 1971-72, the large recreation/gym, the Kreuck Center was built. This facility was shared with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission until 2005. The Kreuck Center was named for Edward “Red” Krueck, a well-known teacher and football coach at Hughes in the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1976, an expanded education curriculum was established in a strikingly beautiful building known as the Professional Building, utilizing the most advanced equipment and technology. This 6-story building opened in 1976 to meet the expanded vocational curriculum that was needed to replace what had been offered at the now closed vocational high school,

The entire complex is currently known as Hughes Center and houses 6 college preparatory programs: The Paideia High School for Critical Thinking, the High School for Teaching and Technology, the Cincinnati Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMAS), the Zoo Academy, the High School for the Health Professions and the High School for the Communications Professions.

For 2 years in a row, Hughes Center won the Cincinnati Board of Education’s School Achievement Award. This award is bestowed upon those CPS schools with outstanding student academic achievement. During the 2000-2001 school year, Hughes met 88.8% of its academic targets and qualified for the district’s distinguished School Incentive Award. Only the highest performing CPS schools earn this special status.

These awards symbolize the remarkable educational renaissance that has been taking place in your alma mater’s hallowed halls. Since 1989, when Hughes High School was closed as a neighborhood school and reopened as a district-wide magnet with its unique programs, student academic performance has been steadily improving and since 1999…improving dramatically.

The work that the Hughes School has done has established for it a reputation that cannot without strenuous effort be sustained in the new building.

Let this thought be an inspiration to all and not only awaken ambition, but also increase the loyalty to the very name, Hughes.

The current Hughes High School, also known as Hughes Center, is comprised of two buildings. The Classical Building is a splendid example of Tudor architecture which is a modified English Gothic. The cornerstone of the school, which was designed by J. Walter Stevens of Minneapolis, was laid on October 16, 1908. The square tower over the front entrance rises 145 feet above the ground and is 45 feet square. There are four lanterns at its corners. The entire structure is in the form of a hollow square, in the middle of which is the large, beautiful auditorium and gallery. Underneath this area are two gymnasia.

The 5-story, “L” shaped annex, also part of the Classical building, was built in the early 1920s and contained 27 rooms, which housed Art, Drafting, and Industrial classes.