| HISTORY OF MIAMI JACKSON |
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Seventy-five years ago Jackson's great and proud tradition had its begining. It was 1898 when a man by the name of L.J. Becker donated a plot of land on which a one room, log cabin structured was to be built and used as a school. Mr. Beker donated material and he and his pioneer neighbors set about building a school that was some day to know as Miami Jackson. There where only 14 pupils in the first term, three of whom were Becker's own children. The little school had one teacher covering all eight grades in the school. In those days the northwest section of Miami was still a " wild and lonely territory "; the teacher" rode her bicycle through a path cut through the under brush, accompanied by one of the older boys for protection." Years later a four-room concrete structure was built with a five-room annex added later on the north side of the building. In 1925 the increased population in the northwest section made another small building necessary, and some rooms were rented in a near by church. These buildings were damaged and destroyed in the severe hurricane of 1926. Later that year a three-story high school was added to aid over-crowded Edison and Miami High. Jackson's first principal was J.A Wheeler, followed shortly by A.C Alleshoues who was to contribute much to school's growth. By 1935 the school population including the first nine grades, totaled 1,800. the school close the year in December because of severe cold. The tenth grade was added in 1936 with plans to drop the elementary grades and make Jackson a junior and senior high. That same year the first issue of the Globe was published and the clubs presented the last assembly of the year. A Student's government. was created with a tenth grader elected as governor. The first minstrel show was presented by Hi-Y Club. In 1937-38 Jackson embarked on its first sports endeavors. Twenty-two football players averaging 150 pounds beat their opponent, Ponce de Leon's(Coral Gables), B-Team, basketball team lost its debut to Ponce, 32-11, but the baseball team won its first game 1-10 from Gable team. 1939 following term Jackson beat the powerful football machine of Edison 7-0. At that time were only three schools in the county: Jackson, Miami High and Edison. In 1945 the first yearbook was publishedi and Mr. Matthews became principal. |
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