| City/Town: • Joy |
| Location Class: • School |
| Built: • 1922 1939 | Abandoned: • 2002 |
| Status: • Abandoned • Gutted • Private Property |
| Photojournalist: • Michael Schwarz • Eric Price |
Joy School came to fruition after three rural schools, Carr Flat, Talley, and Wheeler consolidated. consolidated their districts into one. Students of the new district were asked what the new school should be named and Joy School was the winning name. This in turn led for the pop-up town around the school to be named Joy as well. It was constructed in 1922 by the Board of Education serving grades K through 12th grade.
Due to further consolidations and declining enrollment in 1946 Joy School became a K through the 8th-grade center. “I went to Joy School from the middle of 5th grade (1949) until the middle of 7th grade (1951). There were 4 classrooms and 4 teachers, each teacher taught 2 grades” said former student Gwen Mclaughlin. After 8th grade, the students were bussed to nearby Wynnewood High School.
Allegedly it was used during the 1990s as an occasional haunted house around Halloween and that the gymnasium was open one night a week to anyone a few years after it closed. Due to another round of pushing for more consolidations, the Joy School closed in 2000 and the property was sold into private hands. Since then it has been entirely gutted and used off and on as a hay barn.
This location is private property, do not attempt to enter or those caught will be prosecuted.
Gallery Below of Joy School
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We played a ton of pick-up basketball games there after it closed. So many fun memories.
What a neat beginning for such a sad ending…that sunflower…..sad….
it was early 2000’s when we went to their Halloween costume contest. Isn’t that when B won for the rodeo clown?
I remember going over to Joy to play basketball games and track meets when I was teaching at Walker School. Walker School looks about the same inside. It’s sad to see them like this.
Ruby. It is so heartbreaking to me as well. I went to walker from 4th through 8th. I now live near Byars. To see all the small schools gone and how students learn and lack there of tears me up.
My oldest son went to pre school there. It’s sad to see it like this..
My wife Dad graduated high school at Joy. My wife ,Darla, and all her sisters and brother went to school there. Our oldest two went to school there. Was also where we voted for many years.
Darla was my classmate
My mom taught there many years.
yes! She was my teacher!
mine too! My all time favorite teacher! She was so sweet and you knew she really cared about us!
Mrs. Dotson was my teacher also!
I went there all 8 yrs. It only went to 8th grade. We had two grades in each classroom. You got to know your teachers very well. And they went above and beyond to teach us!
This is what it should look like!
I agree with Rita , it should have never been painted. My dad Bob Watson was the principal and 7th and 8th grade teacher in the 1960s, my mom Geneva Watson taught 3rd and 4th grade during this same time. I had Mrs Hayes for my 1st and 2nd grade years. We lived on the grounds in two different houses. My dad also drove one of the bus routes. Seeing the pictures made me cry because I have so many wonderful memories of this old school.
Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Watson were my teachers as well. Some of my classmates were Denise Ward, Carolyn Henderson, Dolly McBroom, Darla Green, John Wiggins, Don Hussey, Debbie Chronister…..
I also went to School at Joy in the late 80’s 1st or 2nd grade I believe.. We would be in class with the door open, “slam” it would shut. Scare the crap outa us . We had painted barrels on the play ground we crawled in and on. Field days were the best, konda like track now. In the gym if you were quiet, the sound of a basket ball being bounced on the floor could be heard. I drive by jist see look at it, on my way to visity paremts in Wynnewood. So many memories, that place will have a piece of my heart always. (Current age 42)
Went to pre school and kindergarten here back in the early 90’s. Gonna be sad seeing it go.
My Nanoo made sure I had something from there…RIH MARY KNIGHT
I lived just down the road from Joy School and went there the first 8 yrs of my school life. It’s sad it will soon be torn down and turned into ranch land. So many memories from there! I was on the stage in the gym playing with friends when we learned that President Kennedy had been shot. One of those things no one ever forgets!
I remember that day!
Hurts me too in the inside to see anything so old as this school & full of memories- being torn down. Really is sad when it wasn’t kept up
All these yrs in the 1st place.
Agree! Sondy and I went through it one day before it started falling down and it was all open. Everything was so much smaller than I remembered. The auditorium always seemed huge! That day it seemed tiny!
I went to kindergarten here maybe even 1st grade hard to remember. I could remember swinging on the ole swing set and going into the gym. The place is a wreck now wish it was not destroyed as is but old age and vigilantes will do it.
I wish historic places with a fantastic story to tell could somehow be preserved for current and future generations to enjoy.
it’s sad that they just go to decay.
A group tried to do that. They just were not successful. The person that bought the land didn’t care
I went to school there in 1993. So sad to see it run down by cattle. My husband did a paranormal investigation out there with video and pictures and I’d say all the pictures said enough with the orbs and quote the unknown in the photographs. I remember the name Melba, he found out something about her being pushed down the stairs . I wish I knew more about what happened .
My dad Doyle Huffines graduated high school at Joy in 1929. My sister Pam and myself went to Joy 1st thru 8th grade. And our children Chris Greene,Mikael Greene,Kristen Belvin and Jon Belvin all attended Joy. So many wonderful memories.
It doesn’t matter that these books might be dated, still can be recycled to less fortunate…
That is not the entire story. You failed to mention the efforts to try and restore the school.
Thank you, Casey, can you fill in some info for us on this effort? We’d love to add it into the article. We did not know that happened.
Excellent job! Thank you for sharing.