The Fort Hunt High School Collection, 1968-1984

Access and use

Location of collection:
Fairfax County Public Library
Fairfax County Public Library
City of Fairfax Regional Library
Virginia Room
10360 North Street
Fairfax, VA 22030-2514
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Chris Barbuschak
Phone: (703) 293-2142
Phone: (703) 293-6227 ext. 6 (Virginia Room)
Fax: (703) 293-2155

Summary

Extent:
1.0 linear feet
Creator:
Fort Hunt High School
Abstract:
The Fort Hunt High School Collection contains 2.0 linear feet, spans the years 1968-1984, and consists of issues of the school’s newspaper “Frontline”, the school’s literary magazine “Turret”, and photographs taken for the school yearbook.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Fort Hunt High School Collection contains 2.0 linear feet, spans the years 1968-1984, and consists of issues of the school’s newspaper “Frontline”, the school’s literary magazine “Turret”, and photographs taken for the school yearbook. The newspaper covered school news, sports, special activities, and student opinions, and the literary magazine provided students with an outlet to publish their creative writings. Subjects include student life at Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

Series 1: "Turret" Literary Magazine, 1970, Box 1

This series contains issues of “Turret”, Fort Hunt High School’s literary magazine. Students published poetry, art, photographs, and creative writings in this student-produced periodical.

Series 2: "Frontline" Newspaper, 1968-1984, Box 1

This series contains issues of “Frontline”, Fort Hunt High School’s school newspaper. Students in the journalism class wrote the articles and put together the paper. The format of the paper changed over the years ranging from tabloid to broadsheet. The newspaper covered school news, sports, special activities, and student opinions. Also included in this series is "The Last Gasp", the farewell newspaper for the Senior Class of 1971.

Series 3: Photographs, 1981-1982, Box 2

This series contains original photographs taken mostly in Spring 1981 for the “Fortress” school yearbook. Photographs depict classes, students and sporting events. Some were published in the yearbook.

Biographical / historical:

In 1960, Fairfax County planned for the building of a new high school in Fort Hunt to serve the growing population of the area. Local architect Dwight G. Chase & Associates designed a large high school to accommodate a student population of 1,200 with future expansion for 2,000 additional students. Construction on the $2.5 million school started in the fall of 1961. The school, located at 8428 Fort Hunt Road, opened in September 1963 and operated for 22 years. It closed in 1985 due to declining enrolment. Fort Hunt combined with Groveton High School to form West Potomac High School. The old Fort Hunt High School is now home to Carl Sandburg Middle School.

Acquisition information:
Patricia Hardesty donated the collection of 1968-1971 newspapers and literary magazines in September 2018. Jeff Clark, FCPS donated the 1976-1984 newspapers which were found in a drawer by a journalism teacher at West Springfield High School in April 2019. Kristen Prochko Mercker, Class of 1982, donated original photographs that were taken in Spring 1981 for the Fortress school yearbook in July 2024.