The geocache container is a tethered pill bottle that contains only a log, so bring your own pen. When replacing this cache container, remember that It is as important to hide the tether as it is to be sure the container is well hidden..
This is the former site of one of several historical Longview High School buildings.
According to various sources, the first Longview, TX public school that offered high school classes was built in 1880. A photograph of the building is featured on a University of North Texas web-site. The same sources document that, in 1884, another larger building was erected accommodate a larger student population. A photograph of this building is also hosted on a University of North Texas web page. An ancestry.com web-site publishes other dates and information, but identifies the site of at least one of these older buildings as the southeast corner where Green Street and College Street intersect.
In 1929, the southeast corner of College and Green street saw the erection of a new high school building that still stands today. This building was converted to the "Henry L. Foster Junior High School" in 1932 to cope with a huge enrollment increase attributed to an area-wide oil boom, and a corresponding decision was made to build a new high school structure on East Whaley Street where this cache is hidden.
Though some other buildings associated with the main high school building still stand, all that is left of the East Whaley Street high school is a piece of masonry located nearby. A monument and historical marker also grace the site. The marker reads:
LONGVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
1932 - 1976
On this site in 1932, a three story concrete and brick
high school building for three grades was erected
fronting Whaley Street. The structure was designed by
noted architect Mark Lemmon and featured art deco
entrances with terra cotta and fluted pilasters.
The classrooms had hardwood floors. A gymnasium also
served as an auditorium. A modern chemistry laboratory
and library were well equipped. Redbud trees were planted
near the street.
By 1976, enrollment growth dictated the move of the
high school to larger facilities north of town. In 1988,
after prolonged attempts by former students to preserve
the building, it was demolished.
As the cache owner first arrived in the area during 1982, the site stirs some personal memories. Interestingly, the cache owner also assisted with termination of optical fiber and installation of networked equipment in the adjacent T. G. Fields Auditorium when it was still utilized by the Longview Independent School District.
Does it seem to you that the post-modern age deemphasizes the importance of architectural beauty in public buildings? Sometimes it seems that way. Even if you do not design buildings for a living, perhaps it is worth taking a moment to think about how to make a mark that someone else will want to remember some time down the road of life.
See the cache gallery for some photos of the cache site.
Again, when replacing the cache container, take good care of the tether...
Congratulations on the FTF Nickandsummer, wilsonworld, and jesusfreak9245!