Monday, November 2, 2015

New Salem School


The New Salem School was located nine miles west of Marion on the south side of  Hwy. 60 not far from the community of Midway.  It was part of the farm that was owned by the Lan Waddell family, the home place of th elate Dr. Roy Waddell of Salem.

There were two school buildings.  The first was a wood frame building and was destroyed by fire in 1944.  It was replaced by a concrete block building and so remained as a schoolhouse until the consolidation of  many of the little one and two room rural schools.

In July of 1958, the Crittenden County Board of Education announced that four more small schools would be closed, and New Salem was one of the school that was closed and the students bused to Marion.  

When the New Salem school building and lot were sold the next month, the residents of New Salem school district were sad to realize their school had been closed and the building sold.  They had hoped that the building which the people of their community worked so hard to build would still be used for the community. 

Today there is nothing to show where this school once stood.


New Salem School 1931

1st row bottom, L-R:  Lon Ainsworth, Jim Ainsworth, Helen Wring, Horsmelva Howard, Billie Nell Tyner, Alois Wring, Billie Jean LaRue, Wayne Maxfield, Tincey LaRue, Bennie Lee Maxfield
2nd row: Helen Harpending, Clara May James, Adeline Wring, Louis (Tad) Childers, Teacher Daisey Dean Hill, J. D. Bradford, Edwin Bradford, William Tyner
3rd row: Lois McCune, Fanny May Merdith, Melva LaRue, Edward Wring, Lowery Vaughn, Bradley Noward, Dorothy Tyner, Marion Harpending
4th row: Sherman Kirk, James LaRue, Howard Hayes, Bryce Vaughn

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