See artifacts of Morgantown High School’s past in new historical displays.
Two summers ago, Morgantown High School English teacher Jennifer Secreto discovered artifacts of the school’s past dating as far back as 1898: photographs, yearbooks, and more from notable alumni. “I’ve been in that conference room a million times, but I never paid attention to this stuff that was in the cupboards and drawers,” Secreto says.
Mementos from the 1927 school’s earliest years are displayed at the school’s entrance, including a class ring from 1929, a photographic negative of the building, and the book that National Honor Society inductees have signed every year from the beginning.
Next to that display case is a tribute to Anthony Zack, a World War II veteran and, later, an MHS football coach. A poster for The Steel Helmet dominates the arrangement—it’s a 1951 movie about Zack’s life. “He was literally shot in the helmet,” Secreto says. “The bullet ricocheted off his helmet. He lived, but his whole unit was killed.” Samuel Fuller, the movie director, was in a foxhole with Zack during service, according to Secreto, and promised to make a movie about him if they made it out alive. Photographs of other famous alumni can be found across the room.
You’ll find nearby a gallery of some of Morgantown’s historical public school buildings, from the separate 1830s boys’ and girls’ academies to the building in South Park that MHS occupies now. Next to the gym, there’s a collection of sport memorabilia, like state-winning teams and pictures of legendary coaches and athletes, including Arthur Clyde and Clarence “Pony” Lewis.
Secreto isn’t a history teacher, but she values any opportunity to teach. “It took a lot of time, but it was well worth every second of it,” she says. Arrange a tour by contacting the school at 304.291.9260.
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