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EAST HIGH SCHOOL RECORDS 1876-1989

 Collection
Identifier: WH132

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Items in this collection highlight student life and events as rather than administrative and academic records. Oversize items include: ledgers, scrapbooks, newspapers and ephemera. Papers relating to the Class of 1939 50th reunion have been grouped together as they were donated separately.

SERIES 1 STUDENT LIFE 1877-1992 BOX 1

The majority of the series consists of special event programs such as club award ceremonies, oration contests, scholarship prizes, alumni receptions, concerts, theatrical productions and graduation. A small portion of this series includes written histories and memoirs by students and staff pertaining to school athletics, memorial services, alumni biographies and student directories and handbooks. One photograph is included in this series.

SERIES 2 AUDIO VISUAL MATERIAL 1992 AVBOX 1

This series consists of one VHS videocassette donated by the Class of 1939, entitled That's Dancing. The video is twenty minutes long and has footage of many of the famous stars from the late 1930s.

SERIES 3 OVERSIZE 1877-1945 OVBOX 1, OVFF 1, OVFOLIOS 1-5

Oversize material include: two ephemeral items and a single page from the Denver Post donated by the Class of 1939, as well as, ledgers and scrapbooks from the different clubs and individuals. Ledgers include meeting minutes from the Lyceum and Attic Literary Societies as well as the Denver High School Congress. The scrapbooks document student life and contain news clippings, programs and memorabilia. One scrapbook has mimeograph copies of the eighth grade entrance exams for East High School.

Dates

  • 1877-1992

ACCESS:

The collection is open for research.

OWNERSHIP:

The East High School Records are the physical property of the Denver Public Library.

PUBLICATION RIGHTS:

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

HISTORICAL NOTE

East High School, originally known as Denver High School, began as part of Denver’s first public school in June 1872. Called the Arapahoe School, it accommodated both elementary and high school students. With many students living far from the school it took a few years for student activities to take hold. The Woodbury Medal prize, field trips to Morrison, Colorado, dances and the school’s literary society, the Lyceum Club, were the only student activities. In 1876, the high school had four teachers and held mandatory entrance exams for each eighth grade student to advance to high school. In 1877, the seven graduating seniors elected the school colors of red and white.

As the Arapahoe School student body grew it became apparent that a new high school was needed. By 1882, only the south wing of a new building at 19th and Stout was completed. The high school moved into that section while construction continued. Once completed in 1889, it was listed in Baedeker’s Guidebook as one of the show places of the West. Although it was famed for its decorative architectural elements, the school lacked a gymnasium, cafeteria, shop building and supplies for science classes. The Arapahoe School remained open as an elementary school until 1890, when it closed and was eventually razed.

After moving into the new school, the Attic, another literary society was created. Each produced journals called The Lyceum Star and The Attic Sun. East High School, still called Denver High School, continued to grow. When the first middle school in Denver opened in 1917, the Latin School, or Old Broadway School, was closed and integrated into East High.

The class of 1925 wast the last to graduate from the 1886 Denver High School building, or Old East. Old East was demolished, and the new building, or New East, was dedicated on September 25, 1925. The new building located at 1600 City Park Esplanade, remains the current East High School. Speech contests like the Woodbury, Wolcott, Kiwanis Oratorical, Stevens Oratorical and Shafroth Extemporaneous competitions were widely popular.

The remainder of the 20th century was one of continued growth and development. The years also brought much social and cultural change to the school. As of 2012, there were approximately 2,200 students enrolled in the school.

Extent

1 box (1 linear foot)

1 Audiovisual box

1 oversize box

1 Oversize file folder

1 Oversize folio

Language of Materials

English

PROVENANCE:

The collection was donated by East High School in 1968. Some additional materials were added by Betty H. Nichols in 1989, and by Verna Rose Gagnon, on behalf of the Reunion Class of 1939, between 1989-1990. Additonal items were donated by Kenton Forrest in 1991. Items added in 2023 by Deborah Braun.

SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL

The Western History/Genealogy Department and Denver Public Library has additional collections with material related to East High School including:

Brief histories of the Denver Public Schools by Denver Public Schools, C370.9788 D437br

Flights of Angels: A History of Denver East High School, 1874-2004 by Richard Nelson, 373.78883 Nelson

Denver Public Schools records, 1892-2005, WH1990

SEPARATED MATERIAL

1980’s Denver tour books and the 1937 and 1938 additions of the East High Angelus yearbook have been transfered to the Western/History Department.

SIZE:

Number of Boxes: 1 (1 linear foot)

Audio-Visual: 1 envelope

Oversize: 1 Box, 1 File Folder, 5 Folios

LOCATION:

WH132

PROCESSED BY:

Sally McDonald

December 2012

PROJECT MANAGER:

Abby Hoverstock

Title
EAST HIGH SCHOOL RECORDS 1877-1992
Date
December 2012
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository

Contact:
10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
Denver CO 80204 United States