History of Harrison Morton!
Erected: 1925
Renovations/Additions: 1930, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1986
Sq. Footage: 151,398
Harrison-Morton Middle School (HMMS) dates back to the time when two separate schools, Harrison and Morton, were founded in the 1st Ward of the city.
Harrison, a grammar school for boys, was built in 1874 and later named for President Benjamin Harrison, who served as the 23rd U.S. president 1889-1893. The girls’ grammar school, founded in 1891, was named for Dr. J.R. Morton, who served on the school board from 1889 to 1910.
In 1927, the schools merged and became a junior high school. At the time, the building had 48 rooms, including two gymnasiums and a library. In 1953, an annex was built to house home economics laboratories, a reading center and a cafeteria. It has remained for the most part in this same format today and serves students who live on the east side of the City of Allentown.
