Photo of Harding courtesy of the Quota Club; photo of Paris Academy of the Arts courtesy of Paris Yoga (Brittany Kalas)
Ray Harding and his wife, Noragene were guests at the March 27th Quota Club meeting and Mr. Harding was the guest speaker.
Mr. Harding spoke to the group about the history of Lee School, currently named Paris Academy for the Arts. He said that in 1825, a group of citizens donated money and land for the Paris Male Academy (location unknown). That building was later torn down and school was suspended during the Civil War.
The second building was constructed and it burned in 1880.
In 1881, the first public school in Paris was built. The current building had only four rooms – two on the first floor and two on the second floor. These rooms still exist today.
In 1893, the rest of the building was constructed.
In 1906, E.W. Grove School was opened, making Lee School an elementary school.
In 1924, the circular fire escapes were installed and children were taken to the second floor and introduced to them.
Some children were afraid of them but they became a fun thing in their later school days.
Miss Charlie McGehee was the principal. She was a large lady with a stern voice. She had a bell that she rang for students to come in from recess and Mr. Harding had the bell, along with a photo of Miss Charlie.
In 1975, school operations ceased and the PSSD used the building for school administrations offices.
In 2002, the building was deeded to a committee for $10. They had expressed interest in restoring the building but not sure about its purpose. The committee decided to use the building for the arts program and in 2004, classes began with three classrooms restored.
It now houses multiple classes for music, dance, quilting, sewing, painting, pottery and much more. It also is used for weddings, reunions, parties, etc.
Community service groups such as Quota Club use the cafeteria and it is also used for concerts and fundraisers.
