Morton School (City No. 1) - established in 1834, on the corner of Short and Walnut Streets, as the first public school in Lexington. In 1836, the school was named after William Morton, a prominent Lexington merchant. In 1849, the school board replaced the old log structure, with a new two-story facility, with six classrooms on the same site. The school provided a primary education for students aged eight to fourteen years old (later grades 1 to 8).
In 1904, Superintendent Cassidy converted the curriculum to a high school (grades 9 to 12). In 1909, a new “fireproof” building was built on the same site to meet expanding enrollment. In 1917, with the opening of the new Lexington High School, the Morton School was converted to an intermediate or junior high school (grades 7 to 9).
Morton Middle School, 2010 <Ambrose>
In 1938, the school was relocated to the Chevy Chase subdivision, on Tates Creek Road. This area had recently been annexed into the city limits. The construction of the new school was funded by the Work Progress Administration, a depression era Federal agency. In 1972, the school was renovated, with the students temporary housed in the old Henry Clay High School, on Main Street.
