Antioch School, first Chamblee school 1905
This photo of Antioch School, identified as the first school in Chamblee and built in 1905, appears in the centennial book published by the city of Chamblee. (Chamblee, GA, “A Centennial Portrait, 1908-2008”)
A one-room school was built in Chamblee in 1905. Prior to that, some families sent their children to school in Roswell. Ida Wallace of Chamblee rode the Roswell Railroad from Chamblee to Roswell each week to attend school. She stayed in Roswell until the end of each week, then returned to her family in Chamblee. (“A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,”1983 by Vivian Price)
The location of Antioch School is now 5295 New Peachtree Road. The school site was next to the First Baptist Church of Chamblee Cemetery and for many years was the location of Interactive College of Technology. Today 5295 New Peachtree Road is home to the International Pentecostal Church of God.
When the Camp Gordon World War I encampment was built in Chamblee, it took over a large portion of the town, including Antioch School. A new school was planned for Chamblee and the two-story brick school was completed and opened in 1919.
The new Chamblee School housed both the grammar school and high school. The Atlanta Constitution proclaimed the school to be one of the finest schools in the state, calling it “beautiful and modern in every respect and contains every feature of the up-to-date school house.” The final cost of the new school was $30,000.
The old Antioch School was moved to the new property and was used for the Home Economics program.
This may not seem like a great deal of historical information about Antioch School. I agree! I’ll continue to be on the lookout for more history and this blog post will be updated when and if I locate more history.
During the time that World War I Camp Gordon took over Chamblee, the school was part of the camp’s property. After the war, it was moved to the new site for the school, which is the same location as Chamblee High School today. The old Antioch School building was used as the Home Economics building. This 1940 photo also shows the cannery on the right and students forming the letters CHS in front of the school. (Photo from “A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,”1983 by Vivian Price)
This 1938 yearbook page shows students standing in front of the Home Economics building, the former Antioch School.