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In researching this story I was shocked to find out that West Orange first played football in 1903. I really thought it was a mistake. Although the tradition dates to 1903 they haven’t played each other in consecutive years since. Livingston’s High School opened in 1898 the same year as West Orange. But Livingston was forced to close it’s high school in 1920 and send it’s students to West Orange until the 1950’s. Read the article for all the details. Also read about a complete history of West Orange High School at the bottom of the page.
West Orange High School HistoryPictured above is the first building for a high school in West Orange opened on Gaston Street in 1898. The first graduating class in 1898 from this first high school building consisted of only four students: Janet Alford, Olive Jordan, Arthur Baldwin, and Robert Todd. This building was destroyed by fire on the evening of February 27, 1913 with no loss of life. The Fairmount School which was located behind the burned down school was temporarily used for high school students. The Gaston Street high school was rebuilt but only continued as the high school until 1922 and then became a junior high known as Gaston Street School. In 1972 both buildings were razed and senior citizen housing was constructed on the site next to the West Orange Public Library.In 1922 the new West Orange High School opened on Northfield Avenue. The school colors were maroon and white and they were known as the West Orange Cowboys. It remained as the only high school in town until 1960. In the 1950s a referendum to build a central high school for West Orange was presented to residents but voted down. The E.J. Korvettes shopping center was eventually built at the proposed site and is the Kmart Plaza today. But with the expanding population of West Orange a second high school became increasingly necessary. West Orange Mountain High School was built and opened it's doors in 1960 and the Mountain Rams were born. The new school colors were black and gold. At first Mountain was just a neighborhood high school and students could be selective aboutwhich high school they attended. In 1963 school district lines were redrawn to ease overcrowding at West Orange High School. The town was divided into two parts which dictated what high school students would attend. Enrollment at both schools steadily increased and was able to support and maintain both high schools in West Orange for nearly two decades. However, declining enrollment led to consolidation of the two West Orange high schools in 1984. The former Mountain High School complex combined with Lincoln Jr. High School and became the new and current West Orange High School. They are of course known as the West Orange Mountaineers and their school colors are blue and white.The high school building on Northfield Avenue was sold and became Seton Hall Preparatory as it remains today. |
