Archer in Alachua County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Archer School Gymnasium
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 25, 2018
1. Archer School Gymnasium Marker
Inscription.
Archer School Gymnasium. . The Alachua County Board of Public Instruction contracted with the firm of Winston and Perry to build a 3-story brick building for the Archer School, west of an old wood frame building, in 1917. The building housed grades 1-10 until 1925 when the 11th and 12th grades were added. Archer High School gained its accreditation in 1926, and graduated its first senior class that same year. Construction began in 1936 on a new gymnasium building as part of the New Deal Works Progress Administration Project 1189, and was completed the following year. The gymnasium was used as an auditorium for school activities and sporting events such as basketball. The school continued to offer high school classes until 1951, and in 1954 the school was reduced to grades 1-6 with kindergarten added in 1963. In 1969, the school consolidated with the local African-American school, and moved to a new location. The old brick school was demolished in 1972. This gymnasium building remained. The City of Archer and volunteers rehabilitated the building and reopened it as the Archer Community Center in July 2011.
The Alachua County Board of Public Instruction contracted with the firm of Winston and Perry to build a 3-story brick building for the Archer School, west of an old wood frame building, in 1917. The building housed grades 1-10 until 1925 when the 11th and 12th grades were added. Archer High School gained its accreditation in 1926, and graduated its first senior class that same year. Construction began in 1936 on a new gymnasium building as part of the New Deal Works Progress Administration Project 1189, and was completed the following year. The gymnasium was used as an auditorium for school activities and sporting events such as basketball. The school continued to offer high school classes until 1951, and in 1954 the school was reduced to grades 1-6 with kindergarten added in 1963. In 1969, the school consolidated with the local African-American school, and moved to a new location. The old brick school was demolished in 1972. This gymnasium building remained. The City of Archer and volunteers rehabilitated the building and reopened it as the Archer Community Center in July 2011.
Erected 2016 by The City of Archer,
Click or scan to see this page online
The Alachua County Historical Commission and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-972.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.
Location. 29° 31.671′ N, 82° 31.192′ W. Marker is in Archer, Florida, in Alachua County. It is on Southwest 137th Avenue just west of U.S. 27/41, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16671 Southwest 137th Avenue, Archer FL 32618, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Florida. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Archer Veterans (here, next to this marker); Thomas Gilbert Pearson (about
Also see . . . Archer Community Center. (Submitted on July 20, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed by Diane Murphy, December 2024
3. Archer School Gymnasium Marker
The Archer Community Center
"Where the community comes together"
This project has been financed in part with Historical Preservation Grant assistance provided by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources,
Florida Department of State, assisted by the Florida Historical Commission
Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 669 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 20, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 3. submitted on January 6, 2025, by Diane Murphy of Saint Cloud, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
