Wds County High School

Woods County High School,  Helena, Okla.


The Woods County High School was established at Helena Nov. 8, 1904 by territorial election held in Woods County, Oklahoma Territory on that date.  (M) Woods County, Oklahoma Territory then consisted of what is now Major, Woods and Alfalfa Counties. 

The actual work on the building began Mar. 1, 1905. The total cost of the buildings was $40,000.00 and it was completed and accepted in April 1906. This building was located where the administration building of the Boys Training school is now located in the west part of town. It had 27 rooms with an auditorium that seated over 800 people.

The school opened Sept. 18, 1905 and was held in the various churches of Helena until the building was completed. There were seven members on the faculty. Charles Eckes was the first graduate in 1906. There were 104 enrolled the first year. The board of trustees consisted of seven members who were from the various towns in the county and were appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The school was operated as Woods County High School until the county was divided at Statehood in 1907 as it is now. Major County took the bridges on the Cimarron River, Woods County took the court house at Alva and Alfalfa County took the high school at Helena. The school was operated one year 1908-09 as the Alfalfa County High School.

The Connell State School of Agriculture was located at Helena in 1910 and the State of Oklahoma took over the building and grounds. They added a dormitory, shop building, dairy barn, horse barn and a number of other buildings. This was one of the secondary agriculture schools which served NW Oklahoma and grew to where there were over 200 students. In 1917 Gov. Williams vetoed the appropriation for the Connell State School of Agriculture and converted this to the West Oklahoma Orphans Home. However, the State of Oklahoma could not use the school building or grounds on which it was located for an orphans home because the former deed contained a clause which provided that it had to be used for school purposes or it reverted back to the three original owners who gave the grounds for the original old Woods County High School. The State of Oklahoma, then gave the building and grounds on which it was located to the Town of Helena to be used as their school building. The State used the old dormitory to house the orphans as it was located off the school grounds. Helena used the school building to house their grade and high school students from 1918 to 1923. The orphans had grown to over 150 and they did not have room for them in the old dormitory and they had to have more room.

The State of Oklahoma agreed then to pay the Town of Helena $50,000.00 for the building and grounds provided they could give them a good title. The $50,000.00 would build a new school building for Helena on a site which they had in the north part of town. Helena then got busy and located the three men who gave the original deed to the Woods County High School with the reverting clause in it (back to them when it was not used for school purposes). These men agreed to give a deed conveying all of their interest for a consideration of $10,000. Helena then got busy and voted $10,000 bonds and paid them and secured a deed from them conveying a clear title. Helena then built a new building and moved their school to the north part of town.

The orphans home moved from the old wooden dormitory to the brick building which was built as the Woods County High School. When the orphans moved into the new brick building there was nearly 200 of them. All of these ate, slept and went to school in this one building for the first year until they could build dormitories. The boys slept on the upper floor, the girls on the second floor, the first floor was used for school and administrative purposes and the basement was used for the kitchen, dining room and laundry.

There was a real houseful of them. As other dormitories, a dining hall, and a school building were added the orphans home grew to over 300. The old Woods Co. High School building was torn down in 1938 and replaced by a smaller building used as the administration building. The orphans home remained at Helena until around 1941 or 1942 when it was moved to Pryor, Oklahoma.

The State Training School for Boys was then located at Helena and took over the building and grounds. It has remained at Helena since that time except a few years when it moved to Stringtown and then was moved back to Helena.

information from 'Our Alfalfa County Heritage,' pg. 493-494.