A Shared History:

In the 1930’s, Hitchins High School was constructed by a commission from the WPA (Works Progress Administration), an ambitious part of the New Deal enacted by President Hoover. Made from hand-hewn

stone from local sources, the gymnasium shortly followed in 1941 and served as a meeting

place for the community.

                                          In 1971, the school closed out its year in consolidation with Prichard to 

                                          make East Carter High School. The Hitchins gym served as one of the

                                          only area courts for many years until East Carter High School built the gym that now stands                                                  under the leadership of Supt. Harold Holbrook.

For another 29 years, Hitchins Elementary School continued to reach district students with high expectations and a family environment until its consolidation with Willard in 2000 to become Heritage Elementary.

                                             Three short years earlier, a group of families met together with

                                             a desire to see Christian education become an option for Carter

                                             County. In 1997, Carter Christian Academy was formed and

                                             housed at First Baptist Church of Grayson with Bro. Charles

                                             Davis as chairman. Beginning the year with only 25 students

                                             and 3 teachers, the school quickly began to gain momentum.

                                             In 2006, CCA began to search the surrounding areas to house

its growing program. The school was located on 2 campuses: First Baptist Church of  Grayson and Grayson Freewill Baptist.

                                                     The Hitchins school building sat vacant until 2007, becoming available for sale at a                                                                   public auction. Bought by Edward Isaacs, volunteers began to develop a                                                                                         neighborhood program that focused on performing arts and spotlighting the rich                                                                       history of the Hitchins community. In 2012, the building was donated to CCA and                                                                       over the course of the years that followed, Carter Christian Academy renovated the                                                                   campus with help from major donors (like Isaacs), volunteers, and community partners.

CCA became Nationally accredited in 2015, offering incentives that had never been available to the school previously. High School students now had access to KEES money and dual credit college courses. The Program continued to develop adding a 2, 3, and 4 year-old Preschool classroom certified by the State, rigorous National academic standards with small staff to student ratio, and a competitive sports program that matched area public schools in fervor, though not in size.

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Lying dormant on the campus after its last devastating flood, the gymnasium began its restoration in 2013 with lofty goals of its completion. Boasting new windows, court and a hand crafted floor design, the gym had been restored to its former glory after 4 years of rigorous renovation on October 16th, 2017. With traces of the history in every corner, the Historic Hitchins gymnasium had made its full transformation just 71 years after the first stone had been set in place.

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Ushering in a new era, CCA honors the past while looking forward to the future. The gymnasium holds many memories of past games and events, and will hold new memories for those that now walk the campus.