(We kick off a year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of Southington High School with the first in a series of "Did You Know..." posts that relate to the construction and opening of the new high school at 240 Main St. in 1950.)

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Did You Know...

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The opening of the new Southington High School in the fall of 1950 was delayed by nearly a month?

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While all of Southington's other schools started the year off without a hitch on Sept. 6, 1950, students attending the high school had to wait another 19 days before classes started. It was a delay in the arrival of furniture and other essentials that held up the opening of the new SHS, which was replacing the old Lewis High School just down the street. By the time the first day rolled around, the Meriden Daily Journal reported that "much of the classroom equipment [had] yet to arrive." While school officials awaited the delivery, old furniture was temporarily relocated from Lewis.

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The school's dedication took place on Saturday, Sept. 23, 1950, two days before doors opened to students. Among those who participated were school board chairman James F. Stewart; Calvin T. Hughes, building committee chairman; and J. Robert Lacey, committee secretary, who presented the E.F. Construction Co. with a check for the final payment of the new 22-room (plus gymnasium) school. Also on hand was Congressman Abraham Ribicoff, who helped seal the cornerstone.