Carter School

The growing town of Carter Oklahoma, had outgrown its school by 1929, and a new, modern building was a necessity. Bids were received, and contractors Neece, Joseph, and Solomon won with the lowest bid. Work ensued on the large and elegant Carter School building with a unique frontage.

But 1930 brought problems between the contractors and the school board. This resulted in the contractors suing the board, alleging that delays and changes of plans had resulted in the Carter School being damaged. The lawsuit detailed that contractors Neece, Joseph, and Solomon were seeking $5,495 in interest. NJS Builders said they fulfilled the contract to the best of their ability under the circumstances and that they had received all of the contract price except $1,400 that the board refused to pay.

Continuing on in the suit was that the school board failed to deliver possession of the ground within the specified time of the contract, resulting in the plaintiffs being damaged $2,500. The third item was $50 in interest on the delayed payment of $10,000. The last item in the suit was for $1,500 in damages incurred by the delaying and changing of plans and materials. I couldn’t find exactly what ever came of the lawsuit, but by 1931, the school board had seemingly moved on and hired C. Eldon Jones to create landscaping plans for the Carter School.

A poem written by Anna Fern Locke about the Carter School gives you an inside look at how much the students valued this institution.

“There is no school like Carter School,
No Country, town or place.
There are no children going there,
Without a happy face.
They have some very good teachers there;
Especially Mr. Page.
And if you ever make fun of him
His sixth grade room will rage.
And he teachers a very good room,
The sixth grade room you know.
The people who are in his room,
Are not so very slow.
The high school grades are coming fine,
And so are the low ones too.
And after Carter catches your eye,
No other school will do.
When you leave Carter and go away,
I know you will not stay.
For Carter is the best place in the world to live;
You couldnt stay away.
And when the Seniors are out of school,
Theyll be teaching then;
I hope theyll remember our Carter School.
The school that always wins.”

A native stone home economics building was constructed in 1939, much like the one at the Tribbey School. These were made to resemble a home and were separate from the actual school building. Also constructed separately was the gymnasium.

Closure of Carter School

Controversy started filling the halls of Carter at the end of the 2001-02 school year. The school board held a surprise vote and unanimously voted to close the school, leaving the district shocked. But unbeknownst to them, their vote meant nothing. “They can’t close the school without a vote of the people in the district,” said State Superintendent Sandy Garrett. S

But at the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, seniors sat helplessly as a special election was held to decide the fate of the Carter School. Many who were not old enough to vote couldn’t influence a decision on whether or not all they’ve ever known should be shuttered or not. In a 160-116 vote, citizens decided to close the school just two weeks after the school year had started.

The students and teachers alike were disapproving. Debra Kilhoffer had been a teacher there for 20 years. “This is like they have taken the heart out of this town. It’s like a death in the family,” she said. All of the equipment and assets throughout the school would be divided among the surrounding school districts. The remaining 32 students would also transfer to the other districts.

Carter School Abandoned and Burned

After its closure, the building was left abandoned and closed. For the next two decades, vandals subjected the building to their chaos. All of this would come to a head on the night of November 5, 2021. Residents of the sleepy town were awakened to a ball of fire coming from the vacant Carter School. Fire crews arrived on the scene around 11 pm and determined that, due to the deteriorated condition of the building and the size of the fire already, it would be best to let it run its course.

Vicki Dobbins, who grew up in Carter, said this of the fire, “If a kid set this fire at Carter school, I hope you are caught. I think you should have to sit and listen to each of our stories of the memories we have. This is the place where our lives began, and lifelong true friendships and bonds were made. People grew up, fell in love, learned who they were, and learned to respect and still love who others were, even if they were different than you. We lost people, young and old, and had their funerals there. We all joined in mourning because we were all family by heart. You really have no idea if you didn’t attend school here. It truly was our own little Mayberry.”

With the building deemed a total loss from the blaze the remaining shell was demolished and there is now a physical scar on the land from where the heart of Carter once stood.

Gallery Below of Carter School

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