You've come a long way baby....

Up until the 1880s, Taunton did not have an official high school. The high school was officially established in 1849, but classes were held in the basement of Winslow Church on Spring Street. Later on, they moved to the second floor of City Hall. A total of 71 students enrolled there. The classroom had poor lighting, and it was difficult to heat during the winter months. School personnel continuously asked for a new building, but that did not come until 1885.

The first official Taunton High School building was on the corner of Washington Street and North Pleasant Street. It cost over $81,000 and Taunton's taxpayers paid for it since state school assistance was nonexistent. The building could accommodate 300 students, but less than 200 enrolled that school year.

The following year, students from neighboring towns such as Berkley, Dighton, Freetown, and Rehoboth were allowed to enroll. Within the next few decades, however, the student population increased due to industrialization and immigration. In 1908, the high school’s enrollment was at 398 students. By 1918, it had doubled to about 783 students. This led to a need for expansion to the THS building. The city added an annex to the building's rear along with a complete renovation of the building.

“In the 1960s, they realized Taunton needed a bigger and more modern building,” Mr. Thomas Coute said. Mr. Coute is a U.S History teacher at Taunton High School and a Taunton native.

Taunton faced a new challenge as baby boomers began their high school careers. The birth rate skyrocketed after soldiers returned home from WWII, and the building was not enough for the incoming students. Then Mayor Bernard F. Cleary appointed a committee to study the need for a new high school. By 1969, the city chose architects to design a new building after the purchase of the Baylies Estate on Williams Street.

“Taunton wanted to build a beautiful and magnificent building with a beautiful garden and field, so the Baylies family sold it,” Mr. Coute said.

They completed construction in 1975, and the new building welcomed over 2,000 students. Surprisingly, enrollment at Coyle and Cassidy was low that year as many students wanted to attend the new building with numerous amenities. These included a swimming pool, planetarium, and four LGI classrooms. The entire construction cost $19,000,000.

The city population continued to grow in the 1970s and 1980s as the economy boomed across the country. In 1984, A-House of Taunton High School became a new middle school, named after Massachusetts Senator and former Mayor John F. Parker. The two schools shared a cafeteria, upstairs gym, and library.

“Like everything else nothing stays new forever. Early 2000s city officials realized the school needed to be renovated,” Mr. Coute said.

Eventually, in 2007, Taunton voters approved a property tax increase to renovate the high school and construct a new Parker Middle School. Construction carried on between 2008 and 2011, and they renovated it house by house. The final cost of the construction project was $112,000,000. The Massachusetts School Building Assistance Fund paid 83% of the cost.

Today, the first official Taunton High School is the Thayer building next to Morton Hospital. To learn more about Taunton and its history visit the Old Colony History Museum at 66 Church Green, Taunton, MA.