Stuttgart HS, Ludwigsburg (formerly Ludwigsburg HS) History
Opened: 1953
Closed: 1992
World War II was drawing to an end, and American troops were now occupying a weak, war-ravished part of Germany. But, on October 15, 1946, in the German city of Stuttgart, a small elementary school opened, catering to the educational needs of fifty-four American school children. With only two teachers, the students occupied an old 4-story German school building. In 1948, a junior high school was added to the now flourishing elementary school. Stuttgart American High School began in 1949 on the Burgholz Hill near Robinson Barracks. This building was formerly used as a training center for officers of the Nazi Stormtroopers. At that time only the ninth grade met in what used to be a garage. (Stuttgart Elementary School still uses the premises.) Tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students went to Heidelburg High School as dormitory students. Since the site of this first school was on the Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt grounds and the coat of arms for Bad Cannstatt is a white oil can on a red background; red and white were chosen for the school colors.
In 1952 the community started building Stuttgart American High School at Pattonville. Stuttgart’s senior high school officially opened in 1953 in a brand-new school building overlooking Bad Cannstatt. The two-story building was built at the north end of the playground. The high school consisted of only the ninth-grade class. The tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students, who lived in Stuttgart, still attended high school in Heidelberg and lived in the dorms. The next year the school became too small and some classes had to be held in the old building. There were approximately 500 high school students at this time. This school eventually gave way to the Stuttgart American High School as most students knew it, with its “endless” hallways in the American suburb of Pattonville.
From the fall of 1953 until the spring of 1955, Stuttgart American High School was located at Robinson Barracks, the old SA, Strurmabteilung, barracks. The principal was Mr. Wiksten. The Army post football team was called the Stallions and they gave the school their football uniforms. In 1954, the “Stuttgart Ponies” became the “Stuttgart Stallions” after two straight losses.
In 1955 the entire Pattonville area was built with the new school for all students from Stuttgart, Böblingen, Nellingen, Schwabisch-Gmund, Schwabisch Hall and Ulm. The girls’ wing of the dorm is now the Area Coordinator’s Office and the boys’ wing is now a school annex. The dormitory operated for only one year. Then the Crailsheim students went to the dorm in Nuremberg, and the Schwabisch Hall and Ulm students commuted by train and bus. In the fall of 1955, the school opened at Pattonville with Mr. Johnson as the principal. There were 300 students with thirty-five graduation Seniors.
The next year the enrollment increased to 506 students with fifty-seven graduating seniors. The school name changed from Stuttgart American High School to Ludwigsburg American High School in 1961. In the spring of 1967, Paris High School closed and SHAPE moved to Belgium and the European Army Command moved to Stuttgart and was located at Patch Barracks. In 1968, the school named changed back to Stuttgart American High School. This year there were 1200 students with 280 graduating seniors. In 1972 the 1st Infantry Division moved from Augsburg to Goppingen. The Augsburg student were transferred to Stuttgart American High School. In the fall of 1979, Patch American High School opened at Patch Barracks. There were approximately 950 students enrolled in the school with 140 graduating seniors. June 1992, Stuttgart American High School closed and the students were transferred to Patch American High School. Larry Sessions was the principal. The student body of 300 students had fifty-two graduating seniors. The school was returned to the local nationals and renamed Erich-Bracher Schule.
Based on information from Patricia Hein
