A Rural High School In Upstate New York

November is New York State History Month so thought I would write about some of our local history of Mexico, New York.


This is the Mexico High School Academy at Mexico, New York. The formal name of the school district is Mexico Academy and Central School District otherwise known as MACS.

Front Entrance

Moving to this area in 1974 was interesting for us. One consideration of our move was the school district. Our children were preschoolers at the time so we wanted to move to an area where the school district would support our educational values, and at the same time offer sufficient activities that would nurture their overall growth. We found that the school district of Mexico, New York would meet those needs.

Entrance

The Mexico Academy and Central School District consists of five school buildings: Mexico High School, Mexico Middle School, Mexico Elementary, New Haven Elementary, and Palermo Elementary. The school district has an enrollment of 2,000+ students Pre-K - 12.

Marble staircase at entrance (Mascot- Mexico Tigers)

One of the most outstanding buildings of our Town of Mexico is the Mexico High School. The Mexico Academy was originally established in 1826, as the "Rensselaer Oswego Academy."The name was changed May 19, 1845. It's one of the oldest schools in its class in the state. It was originally a military academy and in 1893 it became a public school.

As per Wikipedia: "Mexico Academy and Central School is a historic school building located at Mexico in Oswego County, New York. It was built originally in 1927, damaged by fire in 1937 and reconstructed in 1938. It is a two story, Georgian Revival style brick building in a "U" shaped plan. It features a distinctive tower that contains an 1828 bell from an earlier building. The entry is distinguished by a two story, five bay portico supported by six Ionic columns and crowned by a Chippendale patterned balustrade.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991."

Looking down from staircase at the front entrance.

LaGuerre D'Independance. Another historic aspect of the Mexico High School was the installation of a 32 strip multicolored hand carved woodblock scene that was first printed in 1852-53. The mural consists of five scenes of the Revolutionary War. What's so unique about this mural is that there are only two sets of the entire mural and the Mexico High School has the complete set on display to the public in one room. The only other set is in the White House, Washington, D.C., but there it is on display in two rooms on separate floors. The artwork originated in France. To restore the panels for display in the school building, $25,000 was needed for this endeavor. The community, alumni, friends, and others raised all the money needed and it was all done without the need of any public school funds.

This door is the entrance to the Irene Hungerford Library. 

The Community of Mexico has a lot of pride in their school community and physical buildings. They have a lot to be proud of!

For Additional Information:
Article from CNYCentral.com: Uniquely Central NY: Mexico High School's Murals
History of the Town of Mexico, Rootsweb, ancestry (and school district)
Mexico Village Historic District: Oswego County- Mexico Village
Mexico High School: U.S. News
Wikipedia: Mexico Academy and Central School
Mexico Academy and Central School District Webpage: MACS

Mexico Academy High School (Photo taken January 2014)

Thanks for visiting the 

Mexico Academy High School! 

Hope you enjoyed your visit. 

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