Saint Joseph Central School at 55505 National Road, Bridgeport, OH 43912 US - Our School's History

St. Joseph's became a central grade school for the parishes of St. Joseph and St. Anthony in Bridgeport, Our Lady of Angels in Barton and All Saints in Blaine in 1965. Our very real beginning came back in 1912 when Father Wittman, pastor of St. Anthony Parish, realized the Catholic growth of the communities on the National Road in Belmont County and found it necessary to provide for the Catholic Education of the children who were situated too far from St. Anthony in Bridgeport. He purchased a plot of land in Wolfhurst for a Catholic School and a frame building comprised of four classrooms was built. This school eventually became the impetus for the establishment of St. Joseph Parish in Wolfhurst. After the completion of this first school in Wolfhurst, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky took charge of staffing the school. The sisters remained in the school until the early 1970's. The St Joseph Central School has been staffed completely by lay principals and teachers since that time. In 1918, construction was begun for the new St. Anthony School in Bridgeport, which was completed by 1922. The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth served both St Anthony and St. Joseph Schools as well as Our Lady of Angels school in Barton. In 1963, the new St. Joseph's School building was opened on National Road in Wolfhurst. The School was immediately a Central School comprised of St. Joseph, Wolfhurst, Our Lady of Angels, Barton, and All Saints in Blaine. At the beginning of the school year in 1967, St. Anthony's of Bridgeport also became a part of our consolidated "central" grade school. The transition was a difficult one, but logistics of a lack of Sisters to staff three schools necessitated the consolidation. In 1968, the school was expanded and a new wing was added to accommodate the increase in enrollment brought about by the centralization of the three schools. In 1988, enrollment was at an all time low and many speculated that the school would close. However, as the 1990's dawned, enrollment began a gradual but remarkable increase. The Pre-School was opened at the beginning of the 1991-92 school year and enrollment continued to increase. A modular unit consisting of two new classrooms for auxiliary services were completed in 1995.

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