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Alderson West Virginia - A History

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Schools - Page Six

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The contents contained in this series is copyrighted and the sole property of The Greenbrier Historical Society - Lewisburg, WV Used by permission - November 18, 2008

Schools 5

The   present   principal   is   Charles   D.   Horn,   a   personable   young   man   who   was   a   minister   in   Russell,   Iowa.   He   came   to   the   school   in   1963.   He   has   a Bachelor   of Arts   degree   from   Cedarville   College,   Cedarville,   Ohio.   The   school   has   at   present   27   students,   two   full   time,   and   three   part-time   teachers. The students come from six states and one foreign country. There is a 2350-volume library. The   greatest   obstacle   this   school   has   had,   has   been   lack   of   accreditation. This   has   been   accomplished   this   year.   Principal   Horn   expects   enrollment   to double   in   1964   /   1965   school   year.   He   says   that   the   communication   between   Mountain   State   Christian   High   School   and   the   Alderson   Community   is improving,   and   well   it   should.   One   gets   the   feeling   that   this   small   Baptist   school   with   its   high   ideals   would   find   favor   in   the   minds   of   such   good Baptists as Elder John Alderson and Miss Emma Alderson, were they here now. During   the   time   the   private   schools   were   flourishing,   the   public   schools   were   also   growing.   After   the   Civil   War,   tax   supported   schools   for   both   white and negro children rapidly increased, lengthen their terms, and improved subject matter. Records   are   not   available   for   the   earliest   public   schools.   Probably Alderson's   first   public   school   was   one   on   the   south   side,   taught   by   a   Mr.   Johnson, on   the   location   of   what   is   known   as   the   Witt   Bare   property.   A   new   school   was   then   built   nearby,   and   one   teacher   was   George   Bare.   A   two—story school   was   later   built   on   lower   Railroad   Avenue   opposite   the   lower   railroad   crossing.   One   of   the   first   teachers   was   D.   C.   Elmore,   and   others   were Anne   Correll,   and   Winifred   Foster,   of   the   famed   Foster   family   of   Wolf   Creek.   (She   married   a   Skaggs   and   still   lives   in   Wichita,   Kansas,   aged   93   years) Sadie Lynn, Louella Harvey, and Miss Neal also taught there. By   1894   Blue   Sulphur   District   had   twenty   white   and   two   colored   schools   operating,   nearly   all   one-room.   There   was   a   small   log   school   near   the   pond on   Mr.   and   Mrs. A.   W.   McThenia’s   present   property,   and   at   some   unknown   date   there   was   a   public   school   on   Muddy   Creek   near   Palestine.   In   1894, according   to   the   minutes   of   the   Blue   Sulphur   District   School   Board,   there   were   twenty   teachers,   some   of   whom   were:   L.   E.   Shires,   E.   S.   Baker,   Belle Alderson,   Sallie   Littlepage,   J.   C.   George,   Sue   D. Anderson,   and   Bettie   M. Alderson. At   least   three   taught   in Alderson.   The   pay   for   a   five—month   term was: No. 1 certificate - $30.00 per month No. 2 certificate — $25.00 per month No. 3 certificate — $18.00 per month Teacher   institutes   were   regularly   held   to   improve   the   instruction. According   to   the   Greenbrier   Independent,   June   30,   1881,   there   were   4657   students in   the   free   schools   in   Greenbrier   County   and   3625   in   Monroe.   The   teachers   had   associations,   and   the   West   Greenbrier   Teachers   Association   was active.   The   Blue   Sulphur   District   Board   sometimes   met   at   the   schoolhouse   in   Alderson.   That   schoolhouse   was   on   what   is   known   as   the   A.B.A. grounds in North Alderson, a block east of the Baptist Church. It was a two-story building, and in that period it was a good school with good teachers. During   the   nineties, Alderson   was   growing   and   the   school   soon   became   too   small. The   Blue   Sulphur   School   District   Board   regularly   met   and   talked   of building   a   new   school.   But   evidently   the   people   of Alderson   were   not   satisfied,   as   the Alderson   Independent   School   District   was   formed   and   held   its first   meeting   on   October   19,   1905.   G.   E.   Bare   was   its   first   president.   Members   were   Alex   McVeigh   Miller,   L.   E.   Johnson,   R.   C.   Slaughter.   E.   W. Nowlan   was   Secretary.   At   the   second   meeting   on   October   27,   1905,   the   Board   discussed   an   $18,000.00   bond   issue,   and   J.   M.   Alderson   was   also listed as a member attending. The bond issue was to build a new school. An election was held on December 18, 1905, and lost 102 to 82. The   teachers   in   1906   were:   J.   W.   Paxton,   Principal,   Bettie   M.   Alderson,   Frankie   Miller,   Anne   Belle   Hedrick,   Aura   Stevens,   and   Etta   Leftwich.   At   the Colored   School,   Walter   Banks   was   Principal,   and   Mrs.   Joyce(   ?)   A.   Trice,   a   teacher.   Books   were   sold   at   J.   Orr   Nickell’s   Drug   Store   at   15   percent commission. At   a   Board   Meeting   April   4,   1907,   J.   A.   Rigg   proposed   to   sell   the   Board   two   tracts   of   land.   One,   consisting   of   twelve   lots   bounded   by   Maple,   Linden and   Virginia   Streets   was   priced   at   $2,000.00,   and   another   tract   adjoining   the   first,   known   as   the   Wilson   tract,   for   $1260,00.   The   Board   already   had another   small   tract.   On   June   8,   1907   another   school   bond   issue   election   was   held   for   $15,000.00,   and   it   passed   237   to   77.   (It   is   strange   that   a   larger percentage   opposed   it   in   North Alderson   than   in   South Alderson   although   the   school   was   to   be   built   in   North Alderson.) A   new   principal,   H.   L.   Mattics, was   employed   in   1907,   and   among   the   teachers   employed   in   the   white   school   were   Annie   Correll,   Coe   Kissinger,   and   Mate(   ?)   Goheen.   Edward   A. Bowling was the Principal of the colored school, and Mrs. L. B. Dandridge, a teacher. The   Alderson   Independent   School   District   did   not   confine   its   school   area   to   Alderson   alone   but   took   children   for   one   mile   from   the   corporate   limits and,   in   fact,   served   a   wider   area.   A   well   defined   map   of   its   jurisdiction   is   in   the   Greenbrier   County   Clerk’s   office   with   homes   listed   on   its   perimeter which   are   now   hard   to   locate,   as   the   ownership   of   the   houses   has   changed.   The   District   charged   tuition   of   parents   outside   the   District   for   their children’s attendance since they paid no taxes to the District. The Board had frequent difficulties in collecting. In   1908   J.   M.   Alderson   was   President   of   the   Board   and   J.   Albert   Rigg   was   Secretary.   Several   new   teachers   were   working,   among   them   were   Vida Miller   and   Idal   (   ?)   Lynn.   The   Board   was   also   busy   getting   the   new   school   building   started.   J.   B.   Stewart, Architect,   of   Huntington,   drew   the   plans   and the bonds were handled by White and White, Bond Brokers of Wheeling. In   1908/1909,   a   new   Principal,   George   S.   Lewis,   and   some   new   teachers,   Katherine   Hedrick,   Sadie   Lynn,   May   Johnson,   Carrie   Stevens   and   Cornelia B.   Page,   had   been   employed.   W.   W.   (Witt)   Bare   was   in   charge   of   the   new   school’s   construction.   Teachers   by   this   time   were   commanding   higher salaries: No. 1 certificate - $40.00 per month No. 2 certificate - $35.00 per month Principal - $65.00 per month.

The History of Alderson, West Virginia From The Journal Of The Greenbrier Historical Society On  Alderson, West Virginia Written by Kenneth D. Swope - Compiled and Transcribed by Barry Worrell