| Hutto
was the first school for former slaves in Decatur County. The AMA established
it in Bainbridge around 1865. A rundown house or an old church could have
been its original setting. A new building was constructed on the corner
of Shotwell Street and Donalson Street for the Whittier School and Tabernacle
for Colored Children (Hutto's original name). It was completed March 6,
1869, and served grades one through seven.
test During the early education of former slaves, volunteers from the North taught at the school. A method was soon devised whereby students who learned to read taught others to read. Students could complete seventh grade, pass a state test and become a teacher. The word normal was added to the name of some grade schools to emphasized this process. Thus, the Whittier School and Tabernacle became known as Whittier Normal School. Whittier was a public school when George Reuben Hutto and his wife Addie came to Bainbridge in 1895. The Hutto's, who originally lived in South Carolina, were influenced by friends to move to Georgia. They were working near Camilla, Georgia, when Commissioner Sumpter Bradwell of Decatur County persuaded George to become Principal of Whittier Normal. At that time it was a three teacher school with a five-month term. George, Addie and Lena Whaley comprised the faculty. A short while after the Hutto’s arrived at this school, the Supreme Court decision in 1896 of the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling (separate but equal) was handed down. Deemed to be too close to a white neighborhood, Whittier Normal was torn down and the school was relocated. George Hutto was authorized to erect a school on Planter Street (now Dr. Martin L. King Drive). Some of the original lumber was used in rebuilding. The school was renamed Bainbridge Colored Graded School. The school had three large rooms, a broad front porch that stretched all the way across the building. Steps were at the west and south ends. In back of the rooms were two tiny storage areas for janitorial supplies used by the faculty for cleaning. A few years later, three more rooms were added to the north of the building. This made the same number of rooms on each side of a wide hall. The curriculum then extended through ninth grade. Upper grades were in the original rooms and the 1st through the 6th grades were in the new addition. To help finance teacher salaries, students paid tuition and bought their own textbooks. Tuition per month was: 1st and 2nd grades, $.50; 3rd and 4th grades, $.75 and higher grades, $1.00. Immediately following the death of George Hutto in July of 1922, the Board of Education named the school in his honor and elected Addie E. Hutto as Principal. She continued to extend the grades. Through the Rosenwald Foundation, Mrs. Hutto was able to secure a building to house the high school. The architectural design had three rooms on two wings and a large auditorium between the wings. In the front was a long porch that had columns. In 1927, the tenth grade was added and the teaching staff increased from 9 to 13 members. Eleventh grade was added in 1928. Hutto obtained initial certification by the State of Georgia and the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1929. Students were then able to receive scholarships without taking an examination. When the original school building on Planter Street burned, it was replaced with a large stucco structure. The new facility had a long hall that reached from front to back with classrooms on both sides. The main entrance to the building was centered on the west side. A few years later, the elementary school (grammar school as it was called) burned again. Grades one through six had been housed in this building. It was rebuilt in 1940 using the same architectural plan. During construction of the elementary building, students went to school in shifts in the high school building. The elementary grades went in the morning and the high school went in the afternoon.". The restrooms were on the outside in the rear of the elementary school department, with no running water. Later, new restrooms for the elementary school replaced outdoor toilets. Teachers and students worked together to trim expenses for construction improvements. The entire school (elementary and high school) had the same lunch period (recess). That gave me a chance to engage in hodgepodge games and socialize not only with students in my class, but with other classes as well. Following World War II, veterans were able to return to school along with regular students to complete high school. The younger students liked the war stories that were shared with them, especially the ones about experiences in foreign countries. After 52 years of service at Hutto, Addie E. Hutto retired in May 1947. She was named Principal Emeritus. William David Mann, who had been employed at the school for many years and acted as Addie Hutto's assistant, became Principal. Transition was smooth for he continued programs she started and added others. During the late 195O's, Hutto's elementary school was destroyed by fire again, and was not replaced. Instead, several additions were made to the Rosenwald Building. Referred to as the Annex, the additions housed business, homemaking and science departments and several self-contained units for the elementary school. A library and the cafeteria was also in the Annex When the Rosenwald building burned in 1961, the new replacement included provisions for all of the classes held in the Annex. A gymnasium was also added to the school. It was constructed on the site of the original school. On the property at the rear of the gym, a football field was built and dedicated to Samuel Burgess. The Sam Burgess Stadium honored one of Decatur County's oldest citizens. When Decatur County Schools were desegregated in 1970, Hutto High School was renamed Hutto Junior High and served students in grades 7 & 8. Following major renovations in 1989, it began serving students in grades 6, 7, & 8 and was renamed Hutto Middle School. Hutto's campus is currently made up of nine buildings. It currently has 712 students enrolled and a faculty and staff of 3 administrators, 47 teachers, 2 counselors, 1 media specialist, 4 custodians, and 6 lunchroom personnel. Students experience regular academic classes (Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts) as well as an exploratory program of art, chorus, band, general music, agriculture, industrial arts, industrial technology, Health and Physical Education. Hutto Middle School students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff are a family striving for excellence. Together WE are making a difference. |
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