Paris Public Schools

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Paris Public Schools, right here in Lamar County. Now settle in, because this story starts with a good idea that just wasn't quite ready yet. As early as 1877, folks in Paris were already trying to get a real public school system off the ground.

Good intentions, noble effort. Didn't take. Seven years passed before the pieces finally came together, and in 1884, the system as it is known today was organized.

What made the difference? Leadership. The kind with names attached to it.

Mayor John C. Gibbons, W. B.

Aikin, E. L. Dohoney, and Travis Henderson pushed the city council to appoint a board of trustees, and that board got to work supervising the first full session of a newly organized school system.

Three schools right out of the gate. Three. The first was the Aikin Institute, sitting right at this very site.

It would later be known as Aikin High School, and later still as Paris High School. The second was the Graham School, which had gone by the name Paris Female Institute before that. And the third was a school for black students, located on North Jefferson Street in 1884.

That school would later be moved to another site, and it was named Gibbons High School, in honor of the former mayor himself. Now, to run this brand new operation, Paris reached all the way to Tennessee and brought in a man named J. C.

Brooks as the first superintendent of Paris Public Schools. Brooks got things started, but one of his successors, a superintendent named J. G.

Wooten, would go on to serve for thirty-seven years. Thirty-seven. That is not a misprint.

And in that span, Wooten was responsible for much improvement and expansion, including the addition of Paris Junior College in 1924. That college remained part of the public school system all the way until 1949. From those three original schools in 1884, through every year of growth and change that followed, the Paris Public Schools have educated and influenced thousands of students throughout this community.

Seven years of false starts, and then a system that just kept on building. That's Paris.

What the marker says

Although attempts to provide a public school system in Paris were made as early as 1877, it was not until 1884 that the system as it is known today was organized. Under the strong leadership of Mayor John C. Gibbons, W. B. Aikin, E. L. Dohoney, and Travis Henderson, the city council appointed a board of trustees to supervise the first full session of the newly organized school system. Three schools comprised the system in 1884. The Aikin Institute, later known as Aikin High School and as Paris High School, was located at this site. The second facility was the Graham School, originally known as the Paris Female Institute. A school for black students was located on North Jefferson Street in 1884. It later was moved to another site and was named Gibbons High School in honor of the former mayor. J. C. Brooks of Tennessee served as first superintendent of Paris Public Schools. A later superintendent, J. G. Wooten, served for 37 years and was responsible for much improvement and expansion, including the 1924 addition of Paris Junior College, which remained part of the public school system until 1949. Through its years of growth and development, the Paris Public Schools have educated and influenced thousands of students throughout the community.