 L to R Victor Allen, Bonnie McDuffie, Anna Pearson, Lillian Green, Edna Cheney, Ethel Corley, Olive Fort, Edith Welch (front), Wilmer Graham
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 The first consolidation of schools in west Mobile Co. was in 1917 when Allentown School, Crawford (Morris Hill School,) and Powelltown school were consolidated into Semmes School. The Stucco building was built and the 1902 one room School was moved across the street to sit by it. Additional buildings moved to be beside the stucco building were the old Semmes Post Office and the Allentown School. We have a photo of students that attended in 1917-1918 on display in the 1902 School.
This was the beginning of Semmes becoming the educational center of western Mobile County. In 1949 students from Wilmer School and Tanner Williams School came to Semmes for High School, and in 1960 students from Forest Hill Elementary came to Semmes for High School. In 1965 a new High School, Mary G. Montgomery (aka as MGM) was built in Semmes on the townships sixteenth section of land close to where the first one room log cabin school was built. In addition a new Semmes Elementary school and Semmes Middle School were constructed on this same land. It was necessary to construct two additional elementary schools, Allentown Elementary and J.E.Turner Elementary that feed into Semmes Middle School and MGM High School, making these schools some of the largest in the state of Alabama. The Semmes population continues to increase as one of the most desirable places to live.
2018 Semmes AL 200 Bicentennial Art Display Semmes Branch Library April 11 – July 10 Art Reception Saturday – April 14 2:00 pm -4:00 pm Semmes Woman’s Club Come and celebrate with us at our annual Semmes Heritage Day!
There will be old fashioned games for the children, carriage rides, demonstrations in basket weaving, loom weaving, shelling & grinding corn, making biddy feed, grits and corn meal, old fashioned hand tool displays and much more. The Mobile County Probate Court will have an historical display of Semmes. The City of Semmes is giving away plants in celebration of Arbor Day! Step back in time, sit in a desk and imagine what it would have been like to go to school in the Semmes 1902 one room school. The school is a living history museum where students on field trips time travel back to experience school of yesteryears, writing on slate boards, doing sums. Boys are sitting on one side and girls on the other from the youngest to the oldest. You may take a peak in the outhouse (replica) and be very thankful we have modern restrooms in the Chapel. Malone Chapel, a replica of the church that was here in 1902 and has historical displays of Semmes History including an 1889 Pump Organ. It looks as it would have in 1902 except that it has electricity and restrooms. It is rented for weddings, reunions, meetings, and church. Meander over to the log cabin replica and imagine homesteading in the piney woods where you would have had to clear the land and build your log cabin home. The log cabin is furnished with a rope bed, donated period furniture, 1900 pump organ, displays of kitchen utensils, tools, and other items reminding us of early life in the pioneer days. We not only celebrate our past, but are looking to the future. MGM High school Electric Car Team and MGM Robotic teams will be at Heritage to showcase their work. Our goal is to remember the past as we look to the future. Schedule 10:00 AM-Opening ceremony begins with the firing of the cannon. Speakers in the Chapel will begin at 11:00 AM. 11:00 AM-Speaker-Mike Bunn, a public historian who has spent the entirety of his career researching, writing and speaking about the Deep South’s history and culture and is the author of several books on Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi history. He is a frequent contributor to publications such as Alabama Heritage magazine and is currently Director of Operations at Historic Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort. Mike is a member of the Bicentennial Scholars Program and is being sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, His bicentennial-focus presentation is “Alabama: from Territory to State. ” 12 noon –Speaker - Dr.Philippe Oszuscik whose college education was in Louisiana and Iowa. He taught at University of South Alabama, Augustana College, Rock Island Ill. Northwestern State University of Louisiana, University of West Florida, Blackhawk Junior College, Rock Island, Ill. He has a number of publications as articles, chapters in books, topics in encyclopedias. His publications primarily deal with research of American architecture. His main interest is in the architectural Influences from the Southern Hearth that is, influences from the West Indies, rather than from the Thirteen English Colonies of America. He has a major publication to appear in print within two years and a small publication about Mobile’s architecture this summer. His presentation is “Mobile County Housing Before and After 1813.” Beside his architectural research, he has a profound interest in watercolors and one of the earliest home industries of the New Stone Age-Basketry, especially the coil techniques as found in reed and pine needle baskets. He and his wife, Cynthia, have examples of this ancient craft at today’s festival. 1:00 pm Allentown Elementary Choir Free Admission. Food- BBQ Plates $5.00 and Bake Sale to benefit Semmes Heritage Park Arts & Craft Vendors |
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