Community Center

The Athens Community Center was incorporated on March 6, 1952, and voluntarily dissolved on December 8, 1995. The incorporators were Mrs. David Kirby and Mrs. William Goosman. The officers were: Secretary, Duffy Blankenship, Treasurer, George W. Keatley and Vice-President, James Gore. There was no President named at that time.

According to information furnished by Kathryn Ann Bradley Linkous, her mother, Kitty Bradley and Mary Bowling’s mother, Liz Bowling, were instrumental in coordinating and obtaining funding to build the Athens Community Center. Someone came up with an interesting method to obtain part of the funding. Concrete blocks were used to build the walls of the building. Children of the town were requested to buy a block for 26 cents each. They didn’t actually buy the blocks. They donated 26 cents, the cost of the blocks at that time. One person who was a young man at the time remembers that he was able to come up with enough money, 52 cents, to buy two blocks. After the building was finished and events were being held there, he remembers looking at the concrete blocks and thinking to himself, “two of those are mine.”

The concrete block building was located on Caperton Street behind Lockhart & Oxley’s grocery store. The view on entering the door was one large room. To the left along the wall were two bathrooms. A small kitchenette with a counter and refrigerator were along the same wall. The flooring was made of unfinished wooden boards.

The Community Center was where birthday parties, showers and other social events were held when a larger space was needed.  

An advertisement in the 1952 edition of Concord College Yearbook, The Pine Tree, read: 

Athens & Princeton Dance-Workshops

Classes for beginning and advanced students in

TAP-BALLET-SOCIAL-FOLK DANCING

CHOREOGRAPHY-COSTUME DESIGNING

Cook Hall, Princeton; and Athens Community Center

Write P. O. Box 528, Athens, for more information 

There are many good memories connected to the Athens Community Center. The building may have been demolished. Additional information is welcomed. Contact us here.