This was the first school constructed with public funds in the city.  Prior to 1838, classes were held in the Methodist Chapel on Ludlow Street.  A site on South Front Street between Ludlow and Sycamore Streets was purchased on March 20, 1830 but the proposed school was not built until 1838.  The school opened on November 5, 1838 with B.F. Raleigh as its first principal.  Mr. Raleigh instructed the boys of the school in the upper floor while Miss Mary Woodmansee taught the girls in the lower floor rooms.

The school was built on the south side of Second Street, opposite Central Avenue as a music hall but became the Second Ward School in 1899.  In 1909, the school was renamed Harrison School.  This building remained in use until 1952 when a new Harrison School was constructed.