In 1936, Margaret Mitchell’s Southern epic Gone with the Wind hit the shelves, boxing heavyweight Max Schmeling KO’ed Joe Louis and Franklin D. Roosevelt won a second term in a landslide victory. 

The year also witnessed the opening of Hanceville Elementary School —  a dignified brick building complete with an arched entrance — built to accommodate a growing population. 

Over the past eight decades, thousands of children, faculty and staff have passed through its doors, and while they may have come and gone, the stately brick schoolhouse remains.  

Next week, the Hanceville community will celebrate its shared history of the school with activities to bring alumni out to relive their childhood memories. 

On Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 10 and 11, oral histories of the school will be recorded from 8:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the elementary’s front office across from the Bulldogs’ football stadium. 

Then from 8:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, the school will open its doors for a tour, including a stop in its gym which will be transformed into a museum. Attendees can also enjoy cupcakes, buggy rides and a tutorial on how to make butter. 

Former Bulldogs are also invited to send a birthday card to the school, with favorites memories and photos that will be displayed at the school before going into a time capsule. Cards and photos can be mailed to HES 799 Commercial Street, Hanceville, AL, 35077. 

In the years since the school opened, Hanceville has grown from a town to a city, and as the community has expanded, so has the campus. 

In the 1970s, 15 classrooms and an office were constructed, followed in the 1980s by two gymnasiums and a dual library/media center for the elementary and high schools. 

In 1996, Hanceville’s kindergarten through 12th grade classes were split into three separate schools — an elementary, middle and high school. 

In 2001, 10 more classrooms were added along with a library/media center for the elementary school to use exclusively. Hanceville Elementary was the first Cullman County elementary school to attain accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The original school currently houses five kindergarten and six first-grade classes.