The Death Of A High School
The gargoyles in the brick structure pictured above once guarded the entrance to Hugh Morson High School. It has long since been demolished, and this was erected in 1978 to preserve the memory of it by alumni. The inscription above reads:
These gargoyles once graced the entrance to Hugh Morson High School. They now face the site approximately 275 yards southeast between Person, Morgan, Bloodworth, and Hargett Streets. Erected in remembrance by former students in 1978
This structure is located on Morgan Street, near where it intersects Blount Street. When doing my routine scientific and exclusive detective work that accompanies each post (a Google search), I found a treasure trove of Raleigh history in the form of a video interviewing the final class of Hugh Morson High School. Some of the interesting facts about Raleigh in 1955 noted by alumni include:
- The population was around 55,000 people
- There were 3 high schools: Broughton, Ligon, and Hugh Morson
- All schools combined their athletic programs to form one team, The Raleigh Caps
The original is hosted on the WCPSS web site but for embedding purposes, I uploaded it to YouTube. There are several incredible photos of Raleigh’s past that are worth checking out in the video below.
UPDATE: Karl (Raleigh Boy) has provided me with the following images of Hugh Morson High School. Thanks Karl!
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09/03/2014
Sure wish I had the recipe for the chess pie they used to serve…now that’s a memory!
09/04/2014
This website has been a cherished experience for me, for five years now. I attended Morson JH from ’62 to graduation in ’64, from 7th grade with Mrs. Oswald’s HR to 9th grade HR with Mrs. Yarborough and then a wonderful lady whose name I cannot right now recall – I’ll remember, as soon as I post this, I betcha! (never did know why they switched me :)Mr. Cook, the Boys’ Counselor, just told me one day that it was happening, and seemed to think I’d object. No problem, though. I liked all the kids there, with only one exception; and after he and I had it out in front of the whole assembly one day after recess (I won), I was happy wherever they put me.
I really feel great for those of you who have not read all of the messages here yet. You’ve got some great reading ahead of you.
Best to all the Blue Demons,
Rut
04/20/2015
I was at Hugh Morrison 7, 8, 9, Decker was the band director. Sorry I could not go on to Broughton with my friends but the Dragon Lady found a place in Garner she wanted to line. Mack Thompson and Buddy Watkins were my best friends along with Taff Kirt Dicke McClean and Ronny Padrick. I think of those days now and again.
04/20/2015
Sure miss those days and how times were so great
05/02/2015
What a great web site! I stumbled onto it around midnight, and it’s now 4am! For 7th grade – 1956-57 – I went to Hugh Morson where my 2 classroom blocks were taught by Mrs. Brett and Mr. Bridges. Those were the days of old desks with lids that lifted so books, etc. could be placed inside them. There were holes for inkwells used in the days of refillable fountain pens. I still have a now faint small scar on my right knuckle where the boy sitting in front of me turned around and jabbed his pencil into the hole of that inkwell when my hand was trying to retrieve a book from inside the desk. I can remember boys wearing suede leather jackets that we girls thought made us really special when a boy would let a girl wear his jacket. I can remember playground games, in particular snail hopscotch we used to draw with a stick in the dirt (or should that be called soil???) and a 4-square ball game. We were very young and very innocent children then at 11 and 12 years of age. What a different set of interests, values and lifestyle kids of that age have today! After my 7th grade year at Morson my parents moved us across town to a new home purpose-built for us. Tearfully and with great trepidation I entered Daniels to complete 8th and 9th grades then reunited with Morson classmates at Broughton in 1959. Broughton, for a while, still was named Raleigh High School in the fight songs cheerleaders and we sang at football games. It would be lovely to hear from anyone who was in my 7th grade class/block at Morson in 1956.
Karen Adams
May 2015
06/28/2015
Today I purchased an incredible scrapbook containing a portion of someones life , I have been able to determine that her name was Maxine Turner and that she graduated from either Broughton High or Methodist Orphanage in 1953 , I have tried searching the yearbook for Broughton 1953 with no mention of her , Methodist Orphanage has proved a harder nut to crack , if someone has knowledge of her or a photograph it would be greatly apprecited….looking through her memories I feel I owe it to know as much as I can about her.
07/09/2015
I moved to Raleigh in 1959, and attended Hugh Morson Junior High School. At that time, it served grades 7-9, and students in 10th grade or higher went to Broughton. I am not sure when it became a junior high school, but it was before 1960. I attended Broughton for one year (10th grade) and then on to Enloe which opened its doors in 1963.
07/11/2015
Hugh Morson High School became Hugh Morson Junior High School in the Fall term in 1955. It served grades 8 thru 12 before that date and elementary schools covered grades 1 thru 7. There was no public kindergarten. I don’t know when, or if, public kindergartens were started.
From 1955 Fall term until it closed, Hugh Morson Junior High served grades 7 thru 9.
I was in the class that first went to Hugh Morson as a junior high school for grade 8 and 9, leaving in the Spring of 1957 to go to Needham B. Broughton Senior High School. There was one other high school in Raleigh, Washington High. Those were the days before Brown v. Board of Education rules had been implemented in Raleigh.
09/19/2015
I was at Morson from 1958-61, Memories of great teachers:
Mrs. Ferguson, Redecker, Davis and Love, Coach Sexton and Mr.Cook, some of which along with Mr. Kahdy came to Enloe when it opened in 1962.
09/19/2015
Good to see again. Anyone ever hear from Mac Thompson Buddy Watkins Reed Jones or Janette Batten?
09/21/2015
David Austin, speaking of Coach Sexton, it is my understanding he is living at Brighton Gardens Assisted Living in Raleigh and would love some company. Several Enloe grads have been by to see him.
09/21/2015
Coach Leon Gray Sexton passed away a couple of months ago. I don’t remember the exact date. You might be able to find it by searching the N&O web site obituaries.
09/21/2015
Regretfully, Coach Sexton passed away on July 2 this year. He was 88. There is an interesting bit of information about Coach Sexton (at least to those who knew him) in his obituary at The News & Observer’s Web site.
09/21/2015
Robert and David, thank you for the update. Oh, my. What a great person Coach Sexton was. I’m so glad that a number of football players and others who knew him got a chance to stop by and see him before he passed. I will always remember his wonderful sense of humor.
09/21/2015
Sorry to here about Coach Sexton. He was one helluva man as well as coach. I’m loving the se posts! I’m out in Calif and don’t here much about Morson, Aycock, Longview Elementary and Enloe. Made a lot of great friends my five years in the area there. After we moved away lost touch with everyone. We need to keep this site rolling as long as possible.
09/27/2015
I was at Hugh Morson at the same time as classmate David Austin. I remember Ms. Ferguson, Ms. Redecker. In those years, there was a female gym teacher there who coached a team of tap dancers….I think it was called the kick line. We performed at sporting events, Christmas concerts. Does anyone remember the teacher’s name?
Saundra Archer
10/01/2015
I have previously posted some notes about my mother, Drexel Layton Yorke (known in her high school days as Rex Layton)who graduated in the class of 1929 at Hugh Morson HS. She passed away very peacefully on August 21st at an assisted living facility in Winston-Salem at the age of 102. I believe she was probably the oldest living graduate of Morson at the time.
11/11/2015
I was fortunate to attend Morson HS thru my junior year(’55). Morson and Broughton were then merged so our class graduated from Broughton (56). It was tough to be moved across town, but it worked out fne. I have many friends from Morson and a ton of good memories from my days there. Among the memories are Farmer Smith and his paddle (never got more than deserved), Pickle Willy, Ms Woods (music teacher) Millard Burt (band teacher). Still stay in touch with many classmates. Would love to hear from anyone who might remember me.
larryandaida@aol.com
Larry
12/27/2016
[…] called Good Night Raleigh has two articles well worth reading covering demolition of the school: The Death of a High School and ‘In Days of Auld Lang Syne’ — Chronicling the Last Days of Hugh Morson High School. I […]
05/03/2018
I am also one of the class of 1955. I almost didn’t get to participate in graduation. Rex McMillan and I were going to give Coach Chris Shay a gift during our last assembly. We were told that we couldn’t. Well I didn’t get the word. We made the presentation, it took them about 4th period to find me. We were both expelled from school. This was about two days before finals. It was decided we could take finals but couldn’t walk for graduation. After several meetings with the Principle and parents. we did get to walk. lol lol. Great memories
I currently reside in Collierville TN. My Wife JoAnn passed in 2015.after 53 years of marriage. My son, Darrell, resides in Colliervill TN.That is the reason for moving here. He has been here about 7 years. He is a News anchor on Chanel 13 Memphis.
10/08/2019
10-07-2019 I stumbled onto this great site this evening. I attended Hugh Morrison Jr. High School grades 7 8 & 9, then went to Needham Broughton 10 11, & 12 greduated 1963. There are some names mentioned above that were friends of mine, I wonder where they are and how they are doing. Taff Kirk, Dicke McLean, Coach Sexton, Mr.
Kahdy. Boy it was a wonderful time to be living in Raleigh, NC..
10/28/2020
I am a historian trying to learn more about Chalmers Wessinger, A South Carolina native who is supposed to have taught at Morrison HS in the 1930s. While there he is reputed to have earned a law degree in Raleigh. Does any older alumni or historian of the HS have any information about Wessinger? Was he considered a good teacher, was he involved in the schools activities outside the class room, anything else of note about him while at Morrison?
Thanks.
01/18/2022
The Chess Pie was great,lunch was .25 then .35. Waiting for city bus to go home on N.Boylan Ave. ( bus required a token of .15) there was a bakery @ Morgan & Wilmington St. had the best French Pastry. T hose were the days .1955,56, 57.
01/24/2022
Just sitting around reading interesting things on the internet and ran across this web site. Was so exciting they sure were great times to be alive. I am still around, live in Raleigh, Retired and still enjoying life, pleasure hearing from some old friends from great time in Raleigh!
02/07/2022
I had the honor of attending HUGH MORSON from grades grades 8 thru 12 ( class of 1955). Farmer Smith, a general in USAF wrote me while I as serving in laon air base france. Our wing commander demanded I report to him imeately as to why I was receiving mail from a AF Gen. State side. I Began to laugh and he said airman I dont that is funny. I explained he was dean of boys at MORSON. Wing commanders are kinda sensitive to such letters and i told mr smith and he replied that will teach, rex, punchy and roy not to wear bermudas to school.
01/08/2025
Hello everyone! My mama went to Hugh Morson in either 1958 or 1959 possibly in 7 th grade. She was at the orphanage in Raleigh, and I am looking to see if anyone has a yearbook that she’s in and would be interested in selling. Mama and myself live in Wayne County and would be happy to drive to Raleigh to buy it. Please reach out to me if you have a yearbook for sell. Thank you all so very much!!
07/31/2025
My dad attended Hugh Morrison from 1949-1953 when it was still a high school. He says the football coach at that time was Coach King. The elementary and middle grade students went to Murphy. “Big Jack” will be 91 in November. Big Jack is currently a resident at Franklin Manor in Youngsville as it is close to our house! He’d love a card!!