History of Pendleton County Schools

 

  

History of Pendleton County Schools

 

 

The following information is from
 The First 200 Years of Pendleton County
by Mildred (Bowen) Belew
 (pages 19-22).
A special thank you to Millie Belew for allowing me to provide you with information from her excellent book!
Generously Transcribed and Submitted by Sherida Dougherty, thanks Sherida!

 

              The Pendleton Academy was built in 1814, a one story building, size 20x30 feet.  The brick being fired on the grounds.  It was built on a site purchased from Reuben Turner for $30.00, located at the corner of Broad and Fourth Streets.  It was a private school called “The Seminary”.

             In 1848 a new building, one story high, size 20x56 feet was erected where the present Falmouth Middle School now stands.  It was opened for school purposes by Professor R. C. Robinson of Moscoe, Ohio.  The following gentlemen succeeded him:  Professors Afriend, Hopewood, McKenzie, Marvin, Deplo, Holt, Thompson, Potter, Norris, Arnold, Pulliam, Grossow and perhaps others.  It was later known as the “Pendleton Academy”.

              In 1876 there were sixty-eight schools in the county for whites and three for blacks (of which some were very inferior houses) for the accommodations of the schools were taught reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic.

              The first Butler School house was built about 1856.  It was a one room structure and was used as a community church, there being no churches in the town at the time.  School term was short and one teacher taught all grades.  The older generation recalled the two day vacation enjoyed during the Civil War, when Morgan’s men camped in the school hall.  Among the first teachers at the school were:  T.M. Barton, J.O. Norris, Eben Adams and George Lilly.

              The first settlers had great difficulty in giving their children even a common education.  The first school taught in the county was at Bunker Hill.  Scholars attended this school form several miles around.  The following school trustees were elected at the regular election throughout Pendleton County in 1908.  

                         

School Trustee
   
Antioch George Harry

Aspen Grove   

G.F. Barnard

Bonar   

Edward Dillon

Boston   

Arthur Taylor

Brann   

Charles Robinson

Bunker Hill   

J.B. Applegate

Caldwell   

J.B. Elliott

Carntown   

John Shanks

Catawba   

B.M. Mullins

Cliff   

R.P. McKinney

Concord   

Charles Rush

Cram   

Marion Arnold

DeMossville   

Matthew Mullins

Doel   

F.A. Houchen

Double Beach   

Patrick Lanter

Elizabethville   

Samuel Rosenstiel

Fisher   

Thomas J. Moore

Fossett   

H.M. Mason

Fredericksburg   

Joseph Schuetz

Galloway   

W.R. Aulick

German   

C.D. Wagner

Greenwood   

T.J. Kelley

Hightower   

Willis Jones

Hog Ridge   

Charles Hanson

Irving   

G.W. Downing

Knoxville   

Mr. Thomas

Lightfoot Fork   

Homer Ashcraft

Locus Grove   

G.P. Wells

Lovelace   

E.A. Arnold

McKinneysburg   

Mr. Thomas

McMahon   

Frank Scott

McMillian   

J.H. Bowen

Morgan   

J.M. Ewing

Mt. Auburn   

George Sharron

Mt. Hope   

Edward F. Yelton

Mt. Moriah   

T. Simpson

Mt. Olive   

D.H. Leslie

Mt. Pleasant   

W.F. McCandlass

Oak Grove   

John Swetman

Oak Hill   

John McClanahan

Oakland   

W.H. Ramsey

Orange Grove   

Thomas Kells

Pleasant Hill   

Jerry Pribble

Pleasant Ridge   

A.J. Stevens

Portland   

Dr. Joseph F. Dougherty

Red Brush   

A.C. Knight

Richland   

George King

Roanoke   

O.E. Jones

Short Creek   

J.M. Ballinger

Simpson   

Milo S. Miles

Vernon   

G.W. Wright  

 

            In 1909 the board of education established high schools at Falmouth, Butler, and Morgan.

              The Butler school was later moved to Matilda Street, where a two story frame structure was erected and served for many years, when in 1927 a new brick building took the place of it.  In 1940 it had become inadequate to hold the large number of students enrolled and a twelve room addition was added.  Both grade and high school were held there until all high schools were consolidated at Northern and Southern Schools, and Falmouth High School became the Falmouth Middle School.

              Today the Butler and Mt. Auburn school buildings have been converted into apartment buildings.  Morgan and Goforth converted into Community Centers and the Portland School building burned June 1, 1963.

 

 

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