In 1934 13-year old Thomas Varnadoe and his 15-year old brother Hubert were accused of stealing a typewriter. They were buried in the Boot Hill cemetery located north of the campus. In 1914, a fire broke out in one of the dormitories killing 6 boys and two employees. In 1903, an inspect found that students were commonly kept in leg irons. Dozier School for Boys gained a reputation for beatings, abuse, torture, rapes, and even murder of its students by the staff. The name of the school was changed several times before returning to the original name. This school served as the Florida State Reform School and it reported to the Florida state legislature. Dozier School for Boys and organized and it opened in 1900. BRAG sold the building to Zimmerman Development and in 2015 the building was demolished. Over the years there have been many plans for restoration but those plans have fallen through. The Melbourne High School building still sat unoccupied. In 1991, Henegar Centers for the arts opened. The group raised $2.5 million in cash and deeded the properties to the school system. In 1983, residents formed a non-profit, Brevard Regional Arts Group (BRAG)Īnd worked to restore the tow remaining school buildings. The west building was demolished in 1980 to make room for Trinity towers, an apartment complex. It was then used by the school and the county as office space. After it’s closure the building was used for some time by Brevard Junior College. The Henegar building was later closed in 1975. Student enrollment was at an all-time low with just 331 students enrolled.
Eventually, the two outer buildings were closed in the late 60s. This building was called the Melbourne School Complex. The new building was still insufficient to hold all of the students and a third building was constructed soon after. Cristen was the architect of many of Melbourne’s important historical buildings. In 1926 Melbourne High School was constructed for $200,000 by the W.T. Suddenly Henegar High School was overflowing with students. By the mid-twenties, a land boom brought in many new residents. In the early twenties, Melbourne was a two stoplight small town. In May of 1921, 13 students made up the first graduating class of Henegar High School. In 1919 the Henegar HighSchool building was constructed. and The Best Urban Exploration Locations In The US: Top 7 Cities. Looking for more exploration guides? Check out Exploring 10 Amazing Abandoned Amusement Parks in The U.S. If creepy abandoned schools pique your interest keep reading to learn about Florida’s abandoned schools. Lost and forgotten in the pages of history some of these schools have a dark past many would rather forget. On your next Urbex trip take a step back in time and visit ten abandoned schools in Florida that you have to see to believe.