The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-15
BIRMINGHAM'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
 FIRST PERMANENT BUILDING PUBLIC LIBRARY

As the Powell is the oldest of Bir- minghams schools a second reference to it may not be Inappropriate in re- counting the history of the city's school system. In the late eighties and early idly that the school buildings were in-
 adequate and more room was a press
 ing necessity. The old Powell school
 building was examined and it was
 found that additions to it were im-
 practicable, so a new building was de-
 eided upon. A committee was chosen
 to visit several large cities, examine
 their schools and decide upon plans
 for Birminghams new school. This
 committee left on May IA, 1887. and vis-
 ited Columbus O., Toledo. Detroit, Mil
 waukee, Chicago, Kansas City ond St
 Louis. cities whose schools were among
 the best in the United States.
 The committee returned early in June,
 Rving chosen the style of a school in
 Columbus in which were combined the essentials of heat, light, comfort and convenience. The old Powell, a land . mark of early Birmingham, was razed and the new Powell was erected. While it was under construction the school was kept together in an old frame ex-
  in January, 1889, it was moved back to Sixth avenue and Twenty-fourth street in the Powell school that Is still used. This gives the Powell the distinction of being the first school in Birming- | hams school system, the first school building to continue in use, and the first modern school building fin Ala bama. It became g. model for school architecture in this and other southern states, and visitors came from far and near to see the building and to inspect the work done there for it was a model in school methods as we'll as in the building itself. The trees in the park opposite the Powell were planted about that time, and where the children have the freedom of the park now, they were not encouraged to play there In earlier days on account of the slender little trees
 The Powell was the first school at l tended by certain little girl who con tinued there through the successive grammar grades and went from there l to the high school, where she studied I for four years She returned to take I the commercial course and became sec l retary to the superintendent of schools. 1 Miss Neppie Nell Camp Is truly a Bir
 mingham school girl for she has been | associated with the schools since she entered the first grade. She grew up | with the schools and is familiar with l the whole big system and with the de- 1 tails of the office from which the work | is directed.
 A vital part of the Powell was Miss Mary Cahalan, who was it's principal from 1885 until her death in 1905. The | monument erected to her memory and placed in Capitol park is the only one | in the world to a woman whose life work was teaching. and beside that is | the place she holds in the memories of scores of former Powell school children. When the new Powell school was built the Henley and the Paul Hayre were being crowded to overflowintg, and they were replaced by the present buildings, giving Birmingham at an early date three of the handsomest. and
 most modern school buildings in the south.
 The Public Library
 Another significant chapter in the history of the school is the public H.
 brary. In the early eighties a library association existed in Birmingham, but
 this was dissolved in 1886 and the