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THE SUMMER HILL SCHOOL was built in 1954 and was closed in the early
1980's; abandoned and left to decay. On
August 16, 2001, history was made when the Etowah Area Consolidated
Housing Authority took over ownership of the former
Summer Hill School and the adjacent 17 acre
recreational complex located on Aubrey Street. Mayor
Sam Smith and the Cartersville City Council voted
unanimously to transfer ownership of the property to
the Etowah Area Housing Authority.
This property which has laid dormant for many years now
includes a newly renovated baseball field, a nature
walk through a lovely landscaped wooded area, a
fully equipped gymnasium, tennis court, swimming
pools, public picnic areas, and more.
The main attraction of the complex seems to be the new
educational facility (a “foot-print” of the original
Summer Hill High School building) which gives EHA
room to expand an over-crowded After-School Tutorial
Program and offers space for classes to local
colleges. The construction of this 10,000 square
foot educational building includes, other than the
six classrooms, a nostalgia room, a library, a
computer lab, two offices (one to be a security
office for use by the Cartersville Police
Department), and more. The dedication ceremony and
ribbon cutting for this new facility was
August 29, 2003. Attending was Lieutenant Governor, Mark Taylor,
Senator Nathan Dean, Former Governor Joe Frank
Harris, and many Cartersville and Adairsville city
officials. This was also the “kick-off” of the
Summer Hill Reunion, alumni from all across the
country were in attendance.
The gymnasium is being used by the City of Cartersville
Recreation Department for activities during the
basketball season as it has always been. The
swimming pool area contains a large pool for
swimmers, a small wading pool for toddlers and is
being maintained by the City of
Cartersville. Etowah Area Housing Authority
resident children are provided pool passes for free
swimming privileges.
The whole project is a partnership among the City of
Cartersville, Bartow County, the Cartersville
Recreation department, local schools of higher
learning, and more. It has stirred a longing in the
hearts of the graduates of
Summer
Hill
High School to see a part of their heritage renewed,
preserved and made useful. As the project
continues to grow and expand, other groups are also
voicing interest in use of the facilities.
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