Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Established to educate children of west Putnam County and surrounding communities, Melrose High School began in 1882 as a wooden building on Wynwood Street. In 1927, the school moved to this location when Putnam County constructed a new wooden building with a stucco exterior finish to service grades one through twelve. Wood from the 1882 school building was used in the construction of the new gymnasium. Fire damaged the school in 1945 and the Board of Public Instruction devised a plan to keep children from missing school days. Classes for the first and second graders were held in Melrose Methodist Church, third and fourth in the Episcopal Boy Scout House, and the fifth and sixth in the Women’s Clubhouse. Classes for grades seven through twelve were held in the Eliam Baptist Church basement. It took one and a half years to rebuild the school using plans from the original 1927 building. During World War II, a few students left to serve in the military. The last senior class graduated in 1968, after which grades six through twelve were moved to Interlachen, Florida. This school has been a significant educational institution in the Melrose community for generations.