Click here to see scanned images of an Announcement Booklet for Poplar Branch High School 1914-1915
Click here to see scanned images of an Announcement Booklet for Poplar Branch High School 1920-1921

    The information in this history was obtained from high school records, minutes of The Board of Education, other records from the office of the County Superintendent, The Daily Advance files, printed pamphlets and other sources.
    Sponsored by the Parent Teachers Association of The Doctor W. T. Griggs High School.  Presented April 8, 1948.

CONTENTS

Picture of Dr. W. T. Griggs
Pictures of School Buildings
History
Superintendents of Schools
Principals of the High Schools
Graduates of the High Schools

    The Dr. W. T. Griggs High School is located at Poplar Branch, North Carolina, Currituck County, on the peninsula between Currituck Sound and North River.  It was built on the grounds just back of the last Poplar Branch High School building, which was torn down after the completion of the new building.
    Let us go back to the establishment of the Poplar Branch High School and one can readily see why we have a Dr. W. T. Griggs High School now.
    Poplar Branch High School was one of the original high schools established by the State in 1907.  Dr. W. T. Griggs, our beloved physician of the past, and superintendent of schools of Currituck County, was the first superintendent of schools in North Carolina to apply to Dr. J. Y. Joyner for the establishment of a high school under the public school laws of 1907.
    The following paragraph was taken from the Board of Education minutes dated Monday, June 3, 1907.

“In compliance with the laws of 1907 in regards to public high schools, the Board of Education of Currituck County established a Public High School at Poplar Branch District N. 5, white race, Poplar Branch Township and appointed the following committee:  S. M. Beasley for six years, D. W. Woodhouse for four years, M. R. Gregory for two years.”  The members of the Board of Education being J. L. De Cormis, chairman, E. D. Bowden, and Dr. W. T. Griggs secretary and superintendent.

    Dr. Griggs made arrangements for an acre or two of land to be bought from Mr. Jordan Poyner, on which to erect the first Poplar Branch High School.
    The first High School was held in the Odd Fellows Hall, which was just across the road from the present post office, until a building was erected.  Thus the first Poplar Branch High School building was erected in 1907 and 1908.  It was a two room building with a steeple in front.  The people of the community made up money and the members of the gunning clubs contributed much to the cause.  Dr. Griggs guaranteed the cost of operating the school when the Board of Education declined to do so.  He met the deficit of the school operations out of his own pocket and declined to charge tuition to any student enrolled in the school and boarded at his own personal expense many of the students who attended it.  Dr. Griggs along with many patrons of Poplar Branch worked hard to build the school up to be one of the best in the State of North Carolina.
    In January 1914 a petition was filed by the committee of Poplar Branch High School for a loan from the State Department of Education for the purpose of enlarging the crowded conditions and the new high school building was erected in 1914.  This building was used only a short time for on the night of October 26, 1915 the two buildings were burned.  Then school was held in the Odd Fellows Hall, Chapel, and a two room building which was better known as the “Tar Baby,” until arrangements could be made for another building.
    When the Board of Education met July 3, 1916 a committee appeared before the board with plans to rebuild the houses that were burned.  A new modern building costing about $18,000. was erected.  It was a large two-story structure with nine class rooms, cloak rooms, a large auditorium, office and library.  It was heated by a modern steam heating plant located in the basement of the building.  Professor N. W. Walker gave liberally toward the building up of the library, giving as much as three hundred volumes at the time.  The members of the hunting clubs and patrons gave much of the money to replace the building and equipment, Mr. Clyde giving $5,000. at one time.
    Poplar Branch High School grew and was accredited in the year of 1921 and was one of the first in the state to be accredited.  It had a well equipped laboratory for science and physic courses according to the State Course of Study, music and public school music, arithmetic courses including plane and solid geometry, history and English, two years in French and four years of Latin.
    The parents and teachers had been meeting once a month in what was called a Betterment Society.  It was around the year of 1922 or 1923 that this organization was changed to the Parent Teachers Association.  The Parent Teachers Association has been and still is an active organization.  It is untold how many things the Parent Teachers Association has done and how much money has been raised and put in the school for many different purposes.  It has sponsored buying new uniforms for the band, made money for library funds in the high school and grammar grades,  bought athletic uniforms and sponsored athletics practically every year, bought shrubbery, pianos, curtains for the stage, Venetian blinds for the auditorium, lawn mowers etc.
    In 1923 four additional rooms were added on the back of the building, running water, indoor toilets, a Home Economics Department, a Commercial Department, of bookkeeping and typing and a full time Agriculture Teacher were added.  The first Home Economics teacher being Miss Sarah Newbern, first Commercial teacher Miss Mary Moore, and the first full time Agriculture teacher Mr. Emory Smith.
    It was about this time that Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Knapp began giving their help to the schools.  Additional pieces of land were bought at different times from Mr. Jordan Poyner and his heirs for the enlargement of the play ground and the building of a home for the teachers.  The teacherage, which at present consists of five bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom up stairs, two bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, breakfast room, pantry and bathroom downstairs, was erected in 1923.  It was equipped with the most modern furniture at that time, including a piano.
    Miss Maud C. Newberry came to the county as supervisor May 14, 1923.  She served as supervisor of schools until Feb. 9, 1924 and then took over the duties of superintendent and supervisor too.  With the support of Mr. Knapp, in the way of financing, she was soon able to employ teachers with four years of college.  Mr. Knapp did much for the schools under her administration.  He was responsible for the nine months school term.
    The Poplar Branch Township was divided into several districts, with small schools in each district.  The consolidation of these schools began around 1920 and the last to be consolidated was Powells Point, which was in 1940.
    When the Poplar Branch High School building, which was erected in 1916, was condemned by the state it was necessary to build another.  On May 6, 1940 the Board of Education approved the signing of the contract for construction of a brick building at Poplar Branch.  The secretary read the resolutions which had been ordered to be drawn up at the January first meeting.  The resolutions read as follows:

RESOLUTIONS BY THE CURRITUCK COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Whereas, Dr. W. T. Griggs has been one of the County’s most progressive citizens for many years and

Whereas, he has served in the schools of Currituck County both as teacher and superintendent and

Whereas, he built the first two room school building in Currituck County and began the first consolidation of schools in Currituck County and

Whereas, he was the first superintendent in North Carolina to apply to Doctor J. Y. Joyner for the establishment of a high school under the public school laws of 1907 and did establish the first public high school in Currituck County, and, because of the refusal of the Board of Education to guarantee the cost of said school, he became personally responsible for the expenses of running said school and maintained said school at personal expense to himself and

Whereas, he refused to charge tuition to any student in said school but invited anyone to attend and boarded, at his personal expense, many of the students in said high school and

Whereas, he personally canvassed the county and was influential in having passed a special tax an raised the school term the county over and

Whereas, he established the first eight months school in Currituck County and

Whereas, he has been the leading physician in his section of Currituck for many years and

Whereas, he was largely instrumental in completely eradicating typhoid, diphtheria, smallpox and other scourges of mankind from his section through his modern and progressive methods long before the day of Public Health Departments and

Whereas, over five thousand babies have been delivered by him during his lifetime with a low mortality rate of which any physican could be proud and

Whereas, he has been an advocate of good roads and was chairman of the Highway Commission for twelve years and

Whereas, in general he has been the moral, physical and financial mainstay of his section for many years and

Whereas, many citizens of the county have requested that the Board of Education properly recognize the contributions of Doctor W. T. Griggs to the up-building of his community and county,

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED
by the Board of Education of Currituck County:

Section 1.  That at the completion of the new building now being constructed on the grounds of the Poplar Branch High School, the full name of said school shall be the Doctor W. T. Griggs High School of Poplar Branch, North Carolina, and full name of the school shall appear on the seal of the school, diplomas, all certificates of merit and in all other similar places.

Section 2.  That on all official records, reports, etc; the name of the school shall appear as the Griggs High School.

Section 3.  That copies of this resolution shall be forwarded to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for his approval.

Section 4.  That the original copy of this resolution shall be presented to Doctor W. T. Griggs on the occasion of the dedication of the new building.

Read and approved by the Currituck County Board of Education, May 6, 1940.
Currituck County Board of Education:

C. P. White, Chairman
I. T. Corbell
E. W. Addison
Frank B. Aycock Jr., Sec.

Approved:
Clyde A. Erwin, Superintendent of Public Instruction

    The corner stone of one of the handsomest high school buildings in North Carolina was laid on May 15, 1940.  The cost of the building being in the neighborhood of $100,000.  The county issuing bonds for part of it and the Knapp Foundation furnished about $40,000. of the cost.  In addition, the Knapp Foundation furnished all the money for the Agriculture Building, which was built from scraps taken from the old building, which amounted to about $3,000.
    The Dr. W. T. Griggs High School building is so arranged that it forms a Y.  It has a furnace room and coal room on the back, an auditorium, which will seat around five hundred fifty people, a large stage with two dressing rooms.  It has about twenty five rooms, including fifteen class rooms, cafeteria, libraries, office, rest rooms, storage rooms, closets etc.
    At present the school has a faculty of thirteen, besides the music teacher and band director.
    The first commencement exercises of the Dr. W. T. Griggs High School and dedication of the building was held Friday night May 23, 1941.
    The following description of what took place was obtained from the Daily Advance.

            “The presentation of diplomas, the first to bear the name of the Griggs School followed a commencement address by Dr. Hugh Lefler, historian and professor of history at the State University at Chapel Hill, and appropriate dedication exercises in which County School Superintendent Frank B. Aycock, W. P. A. Publicity Director Fred J. Cohn, Executive Secretary Lloyd Griffin of the State School Commission and Dr. Griggs participated.  The building was presented by Superintendent Aycock and received and dedicated by Dr. Griggs.

            Recognized by Aycock for outstanding work in making the new building possible were Marvin Fisher and Cleveland Aydlett of the Board of Commissioners, Carl P. White and E. W. Addison of the Board of Education, Newton Hampton who had so large a part in carrying Coinjock for the bond issue by a majority of fifty three votes, Paul Spry and the local school committeemen.”

            Those serving on the committee at the time were:  T. S. Harrell Jr., W. P. Wright, Mrs. Clara Snow, Mrs. Pat O’Neal, and Mrs. Elsie Jackson.

            “Too much attention in our histories,” said Historian Lefler, “has been given to certain prominent leaders of state and nation and too little attention to the community leaders like Dr. Griggs, who have made the work of the more prominent leaders possible, and who, whether they were doctors, farmers, teachers or lawyers have made North Carolina the great state that it is today.”

            “I didn't know I was such an important person,” said Dr. Griggs as he arose after being presented the Resolutions adopted by the Board of Education and read by Aycock.”

            Processional and recessional were rendered by the high school band directed by Miss Minnie Nash, invocation and benediction were made by the Rev. James Overton, musical numbers presented by the girls glee club.

    The first graduates to receive diplomas were:  Elizabeth Parker, Edmond Woodhouse, and Lancelot Poyner.  The commencement address was delivered by Judge Boush Leigh, of Elizabeth City.  The diplomas were presented on April 26, 1912.  There were nine grades at this time.  No record of graduates between 1912 and 1916.  In 1916 there were eight to graduate, which was the first to graduate from the eleventh grade.  An additional grade was added in 1942, which made twelve.  There were no graduates in the school year of 1946.  The first to graduate from the twelfth grade was in 1947.  There were sixteen in the class.
    The total number of pupils known to graduate from Poplar Branch and the Dr. W. T. Griggs High School being five hundred forty three.
    All over the country you will find doctors, preachers, teachers, lawyers, college professors, and many others with different professions and occupations who have graduated from Poplar Branch and the Dr. W. T. Griggs High School.
    Following is a list of the Superintendents of Schools, principals and graduates by years.

COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS

PRINCIPALS OF POPLAR BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL AND DR. W. T. GRIGGS HIGH SCHOOL

TEACHERS

GRADUATES OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS

1940

Albert Bright	Hazel O’Neal
Nelson Butler	Mae O’Neal
Margaret Etheridge	Vernon Parker
Thelma Garrington	Thurman Poole
Jeanette Gray	Carl Ross [E-mail from Art Ross states his father's name should be Carol Grady Ross]
Lavinia Hampton	Carl Sawyer
Hammond Killingsworth	G. C. Sawyer
Gladys Melson	Scott Sawyer
Alice McCarthy	Marguerite Sawyer
Dorothy Midgette	Wilbur Walker
Mildred Midgette	Marvin Waterfield
Hester Newbern	Naomi Waterfield
FACULTY
D.W. Smith Principal	Murray John Chappell Agriculture
Joseph Alexander Ross Mathematics	Miss Moore
Miss [Mabel] Whorley	Goldie Harrell Science Goldie Harrell (28 Jan 1907 - 21 Apr 2002) m.  Theodore Stockton Meekins, Jr. (4 Apr 1909 - 11 Jun 1959)

1941

Alethia Mae Aydlette	Rayburn L. Hampton
Sam Russell Barnard	Cyril G. Matthews
James M. Beasley	David Matthews, Jr.
Paul W. Brumsey	Howard G. Matthews
Johnie T. Butler	Lessie Kathleen Merrell
Clemen Casiano	Annie Susan McLaughlin
Boyce Young Cotton	Minnie Alene Newbern
Margaret Crank	Pauline Sawyer
Margaret Alice Dowdy	Dennard Springle, Jr.
Anne Dunton	Richard Gordon Springle
Foster Forbes, Jr.	Madge Elizabeth Twiford
Sidney Mollie Forbes	Laura Marie Walker
John E. Guard, Jr.	Catherine H. White
Nina Isabel Guard	Major G. Woodhouse
Nellie Louise Garrington	Ruby Wright
FACULTY
Joseph Alexander Ross Principal
Miss [Goldie] Harrell Science	Miss [Mable] Worley
Miss [Rowena] Hicks French & Mathematics	Miss [Frances]Nance (26 Oct 1919 - 15 Mar 2008 see obit)      m.  Bruce Thornton Nash (3 Apr 1918 - 23 Jan 1989)    (Bonlee Baptist Church Cemetery, Bonlee, Chatham Co., NC)
Mr. [Murray John] Chapple	Miss Bryant

1942

Clara Belangia	Paul Herman Leary
Olive Bunch	Marion Jean Meiggs
Elizabeth Abigail Cotton	Nell Louise Newbern
Porcius F. Crank, Jr.	Wallace O’Neal, III
Willis Melvin Dowdy	Norma Erline Owens
Frank Doyle, Jr.	Kathleen H. Parker
Laura Louise Doyle	Marion Yvonne Parker
Charlie Edward Dozier	Mary Elizabeth Pendleton
Pauline Dunton	Martha Marie Perry
Doris Forbes	Jean Marie Pruitt
Addie Iona Gallop	Pearl Virginia Sawyer
Carlton Chesson Hampton	Willia Irene Severn
Cecil Milton Harris	Morrell McKenzie Shelor, Jr.
Sarah Lititia Harrison	Jarvis Lee Snow
Christabell Jones	Walton Worth Snow
Marjorie Poyner Krank	Carolyn Parker Walker
Joyce Elizabeth Leary	Mildred Inez Wright
William Earl Wright	-----
FACULTY
Joseph A. Ross Principal	Elizabeth Pritchard Meiggs Science & Social Science (5 Aug 1920 - 20 Mar 1989) f:  Clarence C. Meiggs m:  Bessie Meiggs of South Mills, Camden Co., NC m. (1)  Dewey Leggett Brown (28 Aug 1921 - 13 Mar 1961) m. (2) Edwin Rhoads, Jr. (3 Oct 1921 - 28 Jul 1992) She d. Greensville Memorial Hospital, Emporia, Va.
Rowena Rebecca Hicks French & Mathematics 3 Sep 1919 Athens, GA - 14 Feb 2017) Graduate of East Carolina College;  She taught for 30 yrs--21 at John Nichols School on the former campus of Oxford Orphanage m. Frederick Maurice Adams (9 Oct 1914 - 5 Apr 1987) Buried:  Elmwood Cemetery, Oxford, NC	M.J. Chappell Vocational Agriculture
Mabel Worley Wright Home Economics & History	Marion Fiske English Marion Fiske (16 Sep 1907 - 28 Jan 2001) m.  John Davis Welch (11 Jun 1910 - 10 Jan 1966)