Morgan School

 

 

 Morgan School...."built on the wrong side of the river".

Generously transcribed and submitted by Nancy Bray, thanks Nancy!
Source:  Kentucky Edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer - Monday morning February 12, 1940.

 

 

 

Kentucky Edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer - Monday morning February 12, 1940.


Small Pole Helps Support Bridge Used By Pupils To Reach School At Morgan In Pendleton County

Court Has No Money To Rebuild Span, It Reports
by Hub Logan



The orchid of the week goes to Chris Wilson, Superintendent of Schools in Pendleton County, and for a very excellent reason.

Up along the Licking River they have a superior school at Morgan in Pendleton County.  It is high school for the southern end of Pendleton County.  It is also consolidated grade school and junior high school.  It has 400 pupils.

There is just one trouble with the school at Morgan--it is built, for the most part, on the wrong side of the river.  That may seem like an odd sort of statement to make until one talks to Chris Wilson.

The trouble, according to Wilson is this:  Many of the roads leading to the Morgan School must cross a bridge over the Licking River.  Ordinarily that wouldn't make much difference.  But--the bridge at Morgan, a covered wooden structure, has been condemned for two years.  School busses are not permitted to cross it.  The Busses must stop at the bridge approach and the school children must walk across the condemned bridge.

As shown in the accompanying photographs, the bridge is supported in one place by only a pole and pupils must ignore a "Travel at Your Own Risk" sign to reach the other side of the river. (Note the sign on the right side of the bridge entrance)

Wilson didn't like the idea of the children risking their lives to go to school, so he asked Pendleton Fiscal Court to do something about it.  The court couldn't help because of finances.  Pendleton County, the Fiscal Court said, couldn't rebuild the bridge because it had reached the limit of its indebtedness.

Wilson refused to be daunted.  He recalled that schools had been built under "holding company" acts.  He decided that bridges, jails, infirmaries, garages, and office buildings could be built under "holding company" acts if the General Assembly would cooperate.

Therefore, look for a bill embodying Wilson's ideas to be introduced in the General Assembly this week, and look for Wilson to be in there pitching for it to be passed.  He has something that most of the legislators will be happy to support when they and their constituents realize the problems confronting them.

 

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