ABOUT US



With the purpose of first protecting the building and ultimately promoting or managing a sustaining use of the structure, a group of concerned graduates and other residents of Bath organized and incorporated under what is now Bath High School Preservation.  The Preservation Group asked the Board to reconsider and the Board dropped  their demolition plans.  Instead, it took legal action to return clear title to the property explicitly to the Town of Bath.  In 2008, Bath High School was added to the National Register of Historic  Places.  In 2010, Bath High School Preservation purchased the property from the Town of Bath.    T

The maintenance and repair issues have been addressed and the condition of the structure is now stable and safe.  There have been engineering inspections,architectural studies and actual aesthetic improvements, all geared toward promotion of  the structure for various uses beneficial to the community.  The kitchen wing was removed in 2009 which marked the beginning of the effort to restore the building as closely as possible to its original character.  Many of the windows have been restored and this project continues.  A new shingle roof was installed in 2011 and is similar to its original 1920's roof.  Most recently, a charitable gift from an anonymous donor, along with the Havens Grant and various fundraising activities, enabled the Portico to be rebuilt, consistent in its original structure of 1918-1921.   

To join  Bath High School Preservation or to learn more about the project, visit our website , email us at  or write to us at BHS Preservation, PO Box 149, Bath, NC  27808.

Donations are greatly appreciated.  To donate to Bath High School Preservation, please click here.  

Bath High School Preservation was incorporated and obtained IRS status as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization in 2005. The corporation is guided and governed by a board of directors serving  staggered, three-year terms.  The organization is supported  by dues-paying members, by tax deductible donations, foundation grants and by community fund-raising events, like this one.  A notable number of these hardworking members serve on the standing and ad-hoc committees that organize the annual  membership drives, raffles, golf tournaments, Annual Oyster Roasts/Chili  Shindigs and presence at various community functions and reunions.  We also credit much of our progress to the generous support of the Historic Bath Foundation (HBF).  

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Our Mission

To protect and preserve the structure that was formerly the Bath High School, to ensure that the building regains and maintains a place of dignity within the community, and to promote the structure for various sustaining community uses and functions. 

A Look Back

From 1921 until 1989,  students from grades 1  to 11 or K to 12  -- depending on the levels available at the time --  attended classes in Bath and ultimately graduated from Bath High School.  Bath High School closed its doors in 1989 after the last class graduated.   Despite a number of proposals, offers,  options, and contracts over the years, no use  was ever made of the structure.  During that time the responsibility for  repairs and maintenance was unclear.  The windows and the roof  became unsightly, hazardous and no longer protected the building from the elements.  The former Bath High School building escaped demolition in 2005 as news of the school board's demolition plan came to light. 

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