ALBRIGHT — The tall red brick building that was once Albright School now stands abandoned.
Wind and snow have pulled the roof down, and the doors and windows are boarded up.
Glenn Dunn, who owns the school, said he would like to sell it. He said two acres of ground go with it.
Dunn said he considered turning the school into apartments but had another larger building he converted instead.
He said when the Preston County Board of Education sold the building, it provided a report saying the only asbestos in the school was in the cooling system. He said the system and its pipes have long since been removed and there is currently no asbestos in the building.
The years have taken a toll on the school. The classrooms are silent and the halls are empty.
But former teacher, Bonnie K. Cupp, said she treasures the memories of
27 years of teaching at the school.
“It was the ideal place to teach,” she said. “At that time the school was the community hub. We had the support of both parents and grandparents.”
Cupp said students would start the day by saying the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. Grace was said at lunch.
“I was talking to one of my former students, who is now a nurse, Amanda McCleary,” Cupp said. “She told me her high school social studies teacher, Stan Shaver, told the class they had to memorize and recite all of the counties in West Virginia.”
Cupp said McCleary told him she could already recite them.
“She told him I taught her the counties by having her sing them,” Cupp said. “If you sing something you never forget it.”
Dunn said he would like to see the old school serve a purpose again. He said some of the classrooms are original and look the same as they did when the school closed in 1993.
He said if he doesn’t find a buyer, this summer he is going to take down the damaged back half of the school.
Anyone interested in the school building can call 304-276-5634.
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