Wednesday, June 20, 2018

A Visit To Old Colon School



 Picture made in the 1970's by Braxton McDonald, as he gathered pictures of as many of the old school houses that were still standing, and also information to preserve the early school days of Crittenden County.  What a wonderful thing for him to do.

The school of Colon was located off the Crittenden Springs Road on the left, just before you get to the intersection of S. R. 135 that goes to Tolu.

In Nov. 1887 a deed from Job Truit and his wife Annie, for ten dollars was made to Trustees of school district of Colon, #18.  Trustees were W. S. Lucas, S. G. Lee, and B. M. George, for one acre of land for a school house.  After the school is no longer in use it goes back to Truitt. (Deed Book W, page 41, Crittenden County Clerk's office.

The school district took in a large area with some children walking across fields for three or four miles.

As with many of the little one room schools scattered across the county, there was a well located close to the school house.   the well usually went dry in the late summer and fall, and the older boys would take turns walking to Colon Spring a half-mile away to get a bucket of water.  Usually by the time they arrived back to school the water was hot and after each child took a drink from the dipper, the bucket would be empty.  

Some of the names of children who attended Colon were, Bateman, Bebout, Belt, Brazell, Croft, Easley, Dalton, Fritts, Kirk, Lucas, Maynard, Phillips, Winders, Weldon, Stallion, Wofford, Lynch, McDaniel, Moore, McKinney and Workman.

The school closed in 1948 and students were sent to Tolu.  The old building has long since been torn down in the 70's, there is nothing left to show the Colon school was ever there but the foundation of the old well that would run dry in the summer months.

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