SHREWSBURY – Thousands of Shrewsbury residents attended classes over the years at the “old” Beal School, a towering brick building located at 1-7 Maple Avenue in the center of the town. In the coming months, the building will cease to exist; demolition is underway as a mixed-use development is slated for construction.
With a chapter of Shrewsbury history closing, here’s the background on Beal.
The land for the school was purchased in 1920, with the building itself being constructed in 1922. The school was named after Major (Dr.) Howard W. Beal, who was the highest-ranking service member from Shrewsbury killed in action in World War I. Beal, who served in Europe, was personally thanked by Queen Mary for his work attending to the medical needs of British soldiers that had been wounded in the war. Beal was killed in France when a German airplane dropped a bomb close to where he was standing outside his bunker.
In 1930, it was discovered that the outside walls of the school were bulging outward, creating concern that the building might collapse. Classes had to be suspended while repairs were made. The walls were pushed back into position – held in place by huge 12-foot beams – until changes could be made to ensure the building was safe for students to return to classes…