Community History - Covington - Seventh District Elementary School
Seventh District Schools has its roots in the old City of Central Covington. In the late winter of 1876, the residents of Peaselburg (later Central Covington) held a meeting at Hueninghake’s Grocery to discuss the education of the children living in the area. At this time, Mr. John Wolf and Mr. William Eifert donated a piece of property on Franklin Street for the construction of a schoolhouse. The other residents of the town pledged to donate $200 to the building fund. By late April 1876, a new schoolhouse was under construction. During the summer of 1876, the residents began to collect additional funds to pay a teacher to conduct the school. On September 17, 1876, the Franklin School was dedicated. Prior to this time, the children of Peaselburg attended the Kenton County Schools.
When Central Covington was annexed by the City of Covington in 1906, the Franklin School became a part of the Covington School System. In 1907, the school had an enrollment of 188 pupils in grades one through seven and employed four teachers. The Covington Board of Education immediately began plans to replace the school with a modern building. A site was selected on 23rd Street and the board commissioned architect Lyman Walker to produce plans for a new structure. The plans called for a $20,000 two-story brick structure housing eight classrooms. The new school, re-named Seventh District, was ready for occupancy in 1910.
The Seventh District School had a very active Mother’s Club during its early years. In 1919, the club planted four trees on the grounds of the school in memory of the four alumni who died in World War I. These alumni were: John McAmos, Gerhauser, Stanley Mullins and Clyde Dempsy.
Because of its small size, Seventh District School never housed a large student population. For many years, teachers at Seventh District taught double grades. By the mid 1950s, however, enrollment began to increase. In 1953, 1054 students were enrolled in the school. By 1957, enrollment had reached 314. To handle this increase, a small school annex was acquired. Urban flight in the 1960s, brought this growth in enrollment to an end. In 1964 enrollment dropped to 220.
During the late 1960s, the Covington School Board began discussions to replace both the Seventh District and Fifth District Schools. Seventh District School closed in 1970. In that same year, Glen O. Swing Elementary School was built to house the student bodies of Seventh District and Fifth District Schools. In 1971, Glen O. Swing Elementary enrolled 619 students.
Ticket, March 7, 1876, p. 3, April 27, 1876, p. 3, September 16, 1876, p. 2; Kentucky Post, August 22, 1910, p. 3, November 25, 1922, p. 1; Kentucky Times-Star, April 21, 1919, p. 20; Betty Lee Nordheim, Echoes of the Past (2002); Northern Kentucky’s Future: A Comprehensive Plan for Development 1972, Vol. II.; Comprehensive Plan of the City of Covington, 1967, Vol. II.
