41° Forecast

History of New Castle High School 1822-2013

This information was obtained from the New Castle Community School Corporation's website at  http://webserver.nccsc.k12.in.us/chshistory/

The History of New Castle Chrysler High School

The first school in New Castle, built in 1822, was little more than a log cabin. In the 1830's the county built a two-story brick building to house the Henry County Seminary. The building was renamed the New Castle Academy and further expanded in 1868. In 1870, the Academy added a department which became New Castle High School. By the early 1890's, school officials began to discuss plans to replace the old Academy building. Construction was completed in 1895, on what became affectionately known as the "Castle." It served the people of New Castle for nearly eighty years, first as a high school and later as a junior high school.

Between 1917 and 1922, enrollment increased an average of 100 students per year. This overcrowding forced the school board to plan and build a new building. The new senior high school opened on Walnut and South 14th Streets in 1924.

By the early 1950's, New Castle High School was again too small for the growing industrial city of over 20,000. A site was purchased on the western edge of Baker Park, and in September of 1958, Walter P. Chrysler Memorial High School opened.

At that time the school board planned to continue using the old Church Street Gym for athletics. However, a group of sports fans, community boosters, and students launched a fundraising drive known as "Gym Now" which raised the money for construction costs of a new $1.1 million facility. With its 9,314 seats, the New Castle Fieldhouse is still the largest high school fieldhouse in the United States.

The same high school building, now called New Castle Chrysler High School, has been completely renovated in a three-year, $25 million project which brings it into the technological age.

 

In its 126 year history, New Castle Chrysler High School students have excelled in many areas. For more than sixty years, there has been an award-winning speech team. Since 1950, there have been 67 district qualifiers for the National Forensic League National Tournaments. Over the past thirty years the Trojan Marching Band has developed a tradition of excellence. They won the Indiana State Fair High School Marching Band Contest two years and have been state finalists in the Field Show Marching competitions seven times. They have appeared in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and Gimbel's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. The Concert and Jazz bands consistently receive first place awards. The Art Department boasts that ten students have advanced to Project XL state finals in the past seven years, and in three of those seven years had the winner in the fine arts category. Sports have always been an important part of NCCHS. The school is a member of the powerful North Central Conference and has NCC championships in wrestling, volleyball, girls and boys" basketball, softball, gymnastics, and girls' golf, cross country and tennis. There have been two basketball players named Mr. Basketball in Indiana and college All-Americans: Kent Benson and Steve Alford; and Jerry Lamberson received the coveted Trester Award. Scholarship winners abound. There have been many National Merit Semifinalists and finalists, and in 1994, Reed Van Matre was a National Merit Scholarship winner. Over the years New Castle Chrysler High School/Walter P. Chrysler Memorial High School/New Castle High School has educated many outstanding students. Because of the contributions from those students, the staff and community, NCCHS has a proud, rich tradition and history.

School Songs

NCCHS Home Page