Designed by architect Harry C. Schwebke and built by R.D. Pollard, this Romanesque-style brick building was Boone County’s first free four-year high school. It opened in 1912 and served as a high school until 1952, when it became the junior high. Renovations from 1952 to 1954 changed its style to a Prairie and International mix. Its notable graduates included John Paul Hammerschmidt, Bill Stiritz, past Ralston Purina chairman, James H. Jones, Superdome financer, Don Glass, cartoonist and Betty Boop creator, and Gracie Pfost, first U.S. congresswoman. The building now houses the Boone County Heritage Museum.