Elmer Wolfe High School

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HISTORY of ELMER A. WOLFE SCHOOL Elmer A. Wolfe Elementary School is located in the northwest area of Carroll County in the Town of Union Bridge. The school's namesake was born and grew up in the Union Bridge area. He received his B.A. from the University of Maryland, his M.A. from Pennsylvania University and did post graduate work at Yale University. He taught in a private Quaker School in Baltimore, and when the original Union Bridge School was opening in 1913, he returned to be its first principal. The next five years he successfully conducted the Maryland Correspondence School which offered courses for the Army and Navy personnel during the World War I years and for others taking college entrance exams. Returning again to Union Bridge School as principal in 1918, he remained as its respected principal until his death on May 24, 1931. "Prof Wolfe", as he was affectionately known, was to be the principal at the new school which he had worked so tirelessly to realize its completion. The fall of 1931 found the new school open and under the leadership of Professor Robert Unger. In appreciation of Professor Elmer Ambrose Wolfe's untiring efforts to secure a new high school building, his services as a citizen of the community, and as a teacher, the building was named for him and his name would live on for the sake of posterity. See the additional information attached relating to "Prof Wolfe". When Elmer A. Wolfe High School opened in the fall of 1931, it serviced grades 1-11. In 1950 Elmer A. Wolfe High School graduated its first class to complete 12 years and in 1959 the last class graduated as the new Francis Scott Key High School had been built consolidating the Taneytown, New Windsor and Elmer Wolfe High Schools. Elmer A. Wolfe opened as an elementary and junior high school in 1960. In 1966 it became an elementary school servicing grades 1 through 5 and from 1970 to 1994, it accommodated grades K -4. At the beginning of the 1994-1995 school year, Elmer Wolfe Elementary commenced housing students enrolled in pre-school classes through the 5th grade. Attachment 9/29/94 a:baa/wolfe Survey No.: CARR-1436 Date of Construction: 1931 Location: Union Bridge, Maryland ELMER WOLFE HIGH SCHOOL CAPSULE SUMMARY The Elmer Wolfe High School is a two-story brick school building .located in the northwest area of Carroll County in the town of Union Bridge. The school is situated on the north edge of Union Bridge, on the west side of North Main Street. Since its opening in the fall of 1931, the school has served the children of Union Bridge, first as a high school, then as an elementary and junior high school from 1960 to 1967, and finally as an elementary school from 1968 to 1995. The building reflects three distinct periods of construction. The original school building is a two-story brick building with art deco detailing and large sash windows. The county expanded the school in 1951 with a two-story, brick classroom wing that extends diagonally from the north end of the original building. In 1969, a one-story, brick cafeteria was added to the rear of the original building. The three sections of the school each reflect the typical school construction of their eras. Except for the replacement of the interior finishes within the original section with modern materials, the interior retains its original appearance and configuration. The Elmer Wolfe School is historically significant for its association with the development of public education in Union Bridge and Carroll County. The Elmer Wolfe School represents the consolidation and modernization of public schools during the 1930s that transformed the public school program. It was part of a wave of high schools constructed during the 1930s that replaced the small local schools scattered throughout the county. The design of the school embodies the distinctive characteristics of 1930s school design, with its special purpose rooms, numerous well-lighted classrooms, and art deco-influenced front facade. ^[1]

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1. ↑ CARR-1436 Elmer Wolfe High School Architectural Survey File