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Knoxville, Tennessee, circa 1906. "Girls' High School." Note the spiral-staircase fire escape. Oh, and look at the time! 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
The Girls' High School was designed by the architect Joseph F. Baumann. 1906 would have been the school's 20th anniversary. But for such a young building, it already seems to have an air of neglect. The school closed four years later when the coeducational Knoxville High School was built.
I was unaware they had digital clocks in aught 6.
Indeed, look at the time! The seniors have evidently painted the year on the clock face, somehow, in spite of the kind of clothes they had to wear in that time period. That's even scarier than descending the fire escape. It's a miracle no one fell the 5 stories to her certain death.
Girls can do pranks too. Management had a tough time controlling them even though they could beat an unruly student in those days.
It's hard to imagine a gaggle of panicked people in ankle length skirts and button-up boots making it down that staircase without tripping on each other and going down like dominoes. Gotta assume they were more skilled in descending steps in a long dress and heels than I am.
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