Fond Memories of Post Oak School

 

Front row: Bob Summers, Jim Summers, Joe Truitt, Johnson King, Clifford Truitt, Charles Duvall, Joe Howerton, J. T. Nation, Chester Truitt and Evans Truitt.  

Second row: Iva Conger, Rudell Truitt, Daisy Slaton, Robbie Scott, Sibyl McDowell, Cora Wilborn, Thelma Wilborn, Erma Manley, Nellie Scott, Lorane Truitt, Maude Wilborn.

Third row: Charley Roe Howerton, Carson Truitt, J. W. Duvall, Tom Scott, Joyce Manley, Ada Smith, Vena Manley, Bill Scott, Dallas Nation.  Standing in the back is teacher Henry Gass. 

Post Oak School was located about four and one-half miles north of Marion on Hwy. 60 towards Mattoon, just past Winlow Park. Several kinds of giant oak trees provided shade and this is how the school got it's name. 

 

The school was first start in the late 1870's. The first building was built of logs. In the late 1880s a new frame building was constructed with two front doors, one back door and several windows on each side. There was also a cupola for the bell. The old school bell didn't last long for pranksters was always removing it and finally it was not returned. 

 

Sunday school and church services were also held in the school until some time later when the Union Grove Presbyterian Church, building was erected at the junction of the Repton Road with U. S. 60 on the west side of the hill. 

 

School support was strong, school fairs, Christmas programs and last day exhibitions were well attended and enjoyed. Pie or box suppers brought in small amounts of money to be used for additional books, etc. 

 

History, reading, geography and arithmetic were subjects very well taught in the upper grades. Square root was taught in the seventh and eight grades. 

 

The Post Oak school closed in 1929 and was one of several small schools in this area that was consolidated with the Mattoon school.

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October 11, 1917 - Post Oak has Box Supper

Quite a number of people attended the box supper at Post Oak Friday night, and it proved to be one of the most enjoyable and entertaining affairs which have ever been held at that place.

 

In addition to the folks of the immediate neighborhood, a number of people gathered from other communities, including several prominent young ladies and gentlemen from Marion.

 

The program was short but interesting and the crowd showed their approval of the recitations by the enthusiastic manner in which they cheered the reciters.

 

There were fourteen boxes of nice food which were sold to the highest bidders and a tidy little sum of money was realized which will all go for the improvement of the school.

 

As a fitting climax to the entertainment, a beautiful and delicious cake was brought forth and a beauty contest was held in order to see which girl should be awarded the winner of the cake. The young ladies who participated in the contest were as follows: Miss Nancy Wynn of Union county, Miss Annice Boston of Marion, and Miss Anna Howerton, a well known young lady of the Post Oak neighborhood.

 

When time was finally called and the contest brought to a close it was announced that Miss Annice Boston was victorious, having won the contest by a narrow margin over her nearest competitor, Miss Anna Howerton. It is certainly a fact that a good liking girl is not always victorious in a beauty contest, but such was not the case on Friday night for Miss Boston is nice looking and attractive lady.

 

Church Inventory in 1958

 A listing of all the city and county churches in 1958.  There are considerably less today.

**** General Baptist

City: Marion General Baptist

County: Barnett Chapel, Cave Springs, Freedom, New Union, Pleasant Grove

****  Baptist

City: First Baptist, Second Baptist, Marion Baptist, Walnut Street Baptist

County: Caldwell Springs, Crooked Creek, Deer Creek, Dunn Springs, Dycusburg, Emmaus, Enon, Mexico, Pleasant Hill, Repton , Seven Springs, Shady Grove, Sulphur Springs, Union 

**** Church of Christ - Town

**** Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) -City

**** Pentecostal -City

**** Cumberland Presbyterian

City: First Cumberland Presbyterian 

County:  Bells Mines, Crayne, New Salem, Piney  Fork, Sugar Grove, Union Grove

**** Presbyterian USA

City:  First Presbyterian USA, Main Street Presbyterian USA

County:  Crayne Presbyterian USA, Frances Presbyterian USA

**** Methodist

City:  Marion Methodist

County:  Dycusburg, Hebron, Hurricane, Rosebud, Siloam, Tolu, Tyner's Chapel

Marion High School Agriculture Laboratory - 1920

School year 1920.  Marion High School is one of the few High Schools in the state that offers a full four year course in agriculture. 

The walls of our laboratory are covered with beautifully framed pictures of farm animals and agriculture charts.  Our collection of all kinds of seeds, samples of fertilizers, feeds, cereals, by-products and other illustrative material has been increased to afford valuable supplements to class instruction.

We have a complete stock of chemicals and chemical apparatus for all standard experiments in chemistry of the farm and home.

We are especially proud of our collection of fossils and soil farming minerals, which we believe to be the most complete of any High School in the state.  This collection is indispensable for the study of geology and soil formation.

We also have a high powered compound microscope and one dozen hand lenses that help make laboratory work worth while.

Last but not least is our library of a hundred standard volumes, supplemented by one thousand catalogued bulletins affording splendid reference work for the students.

We have made a standing offer to the farmers of this county to test free of charge all the soils, milk and seeds they would bring to us.  A visit to our laboratory would prove very interesting to you and highly pleasing to us.

A Visit To County Schools in 1879

For some very early history of our county schools, lets visit around with County School Commissioner Rev. James F. Price.  He shares his reports The Crittenden Press in 1879.

• October 30, I visited Chapel Hill School, A. C. Cruce teacher. I found a very good school and one in which the students are making rapid advancement. The average attendance is about 30, the teacher is alive to his work and instructs his pupils thoroughly in the fundamental principles, he has some obstacles with which to contend, one is that he is hampered up in a schoolhouse which is not sufficient to supply the wants of the district. This is a good district, and we don't believe the citizens will allow another school taught in such a house. The discipline of the school is very good, whispering is prohibited except by permission, the children of this district is somewhat advanced in education, the teacher has classes in Physiology, Higher Arithmetic, Higher Algebra, Latin Reader and Geometry.

• October 21^st, I visited Cookseyville School, G. W. Hall teacher, I found a very good school though not very large in the number of pupils, the school has only averaged about twenty, this is Mr. Hall's first school, but he evidently shows ability as a teacher; he keeps very good order and teaches very thoroughly; this district is not for advanced in education, but the teacher, works faithfully among the little fellows endeavoring to advance them; he gives them many drills besides the lessons they recite from the textbook; the school house is not so good as desired, but it does better than some. I spoke that night to a few of the citizens, after Mr. Hall and Mr. Rushing each gave a talk.

• October 22, visited White Hall school, Emma C. Hayward teacher, I found a small school, only averaging about fifteen; this is a large district and it has a very good school house, but the patrons are very much wanting in the interest among the patrons is manifested by a want of energy among the pupils; the government of the school is tolerably good, there is no whispering except by permission; the instruction is not so thorough as desired in some of the branches. I talked that night to most of the pupils and about four of the patrons of the school.

• October 23^rd, I visited the school in the Owen district, P. B. Walker teacher; I found a very small but interesting school; the average number in attendance is only about ten; the teacher is instructing them as thoroughly as his qualifications will admit; he keeps very good order in the school, and the students seem to take an interest in their studies; they have a very bad house, entirely uncomfortable and insufficient in every respect for the comfort and advancement of the school.

• October 24^th, I visited Sisco school, Willie Adams teacher; I found the school small on account of protracted meetings, but the pupils who were present seemed to be taking an interest in their studies; Willie seems to be giving general satisfaction in the district; the average attendance is about eighteen; there is not very much whispering in the school; this district has a very good school house, built for both a school and church house; the patrons of this district as in many others do not send regularly.

• October 25^th, I visited Union School, Miss Irene Cole teacher, I found one of the best schools I yet had the pleasure to visit; the school has averaged forty pupils; the order and system of the school is very good; but very little whispering or disturbance of any kind is found in the school; the teacher is alive to her duty; she is one of those live, energetic teachers that would infuse spirit and vitality into any school; she has the firmness and indomitable will to govern a school without difficulty; superadded to these qualifications for governing is a spirit of kindness which restrains the students without violence. The instruction is through and practical, the pupils are advancing very rapidly in their studies,and are understanding it as they go. Map drawing is taught in a very systematic manner. About fifty dollars will be raised to assist in paying the teacher. The schoolhouse is not so good as desired but we hope the community will erect a good house before long.

This is a good community, one that is taking an interest in education and it is to be hoped that they will raise the standard of education still higher.

Motorcycle Races of Yesteryear

 From Crittenden Press archives comes this little interesting tidbit about Motorcycle Races being held here.

 

August 1948 - The people of Marion and surrounding territory will have the opportunity to attend one of the best motorcycle races meets in this section of the country next Sunday, August 8th, (1948).

Entries from a large number of the best competition riders insure a thrilling performance for top honors in the nine big events to be held at Crayne Field.  

The riders will be circling the track at top speed and all the machines will be without brakes.

Rotary Dialing Replaces Bell Operators

Some fun information from The Crittenden Press recalls the big change in phone usage in 1958.

Feb. 7, 1958 -Marion's Dial Numbers to Have Famous 'Yorktown' (YO) as Prefix

Telephone numbers in the Marion exchange will contain a prefix name from proud pages in American history when it converts to dial operation, W. L. McGowan, local Southern Bell manager, said this week.

The name will be Yorktown, abbreviated for dialing to YO. The conversion to dial is expected to take place in midsummer, when the building now under construction is finished and new equipment has been installed.

 

After dial conversion all telephone numbers in the local exchange will begin with the name Yorktown and the number 5, followed by four more numbers. This plan is in keeping with the nationwide system which eventually will enable telephone users to dial their own long distance calls.

 

Marion subscribers will not be able to dial other cities yet, , but introducing the numbering system at dial conversion will eliminate having to change all the number again later on.

 

In dialing the YO prefix, the letter O, in the same dial opening as the number 6, and not the number zero, must be used. Otherwise calls will be either misdirected or incomplete. 

 

September 7, 1958 – Telephone Company Plans Switch to Dial Operation

Southern Bell Telephone has set Sept. 7, 1958, as the date when the Marion exchange will cut over from manual to dial operation. The change will take place at 1:01 a.m. After that telephone users will hear a humming dial tone instead of a female voice saying "Number please" when they pick up their receivers.

 

All users will have to dial seven figures and numbers to place a local call. Although not strictly necessary for an exchange this size, the system will make possible Marion's eventual inclusion in Bell's plans for nationwide long distance dialing.

 

The name of the Marion exchange will be "Yorktown." Dialers will select the letters "YO" and the five numbers of their party when placing a call.

Pilot Knob Cemetery

 Pilot's Knob Cemetery is a peaceful, normal rural family cemetery, but somewhere over the years an untrue and terrible grave myth somehow got started about a little witch girl being buried there and would haunt the cemetery at night. 

 

The tale went like wild fire and is even on the internet featuring this false information. It has caused many curiosity seekers, and out of town ghost hunters, which over the years have vandalized the cemetery grounds and been disrespectful to the dead buried there. 

 

Several times this harmful and erroneous information has tried to be removed from the internet but with no results, it's like the old saying, Once the words are out of your mouth there is no taking them back, so it is with this tale of the little witch girl.

 

The real story is that they were just a normal farm family that lived on the Fords Ferry Road. The little girl was Evelyn Ford, who did die a sad death at a young age, she was born May 9, 1911 and died May 31, 1916.  The cause of death, according to her death certificate, was a ruptured appendix. 

 

 Her father was James Andy Ford, who was a farmer, he died Sept. 17, 1927 and her mother was Mary Rebecca (Davis) Ford who died in the Crittenden County Hospital on March 13, 1955. The family is buried side by side at the cemetery.

Little Evelyn is buried in the grave with the fence around it and her parents, James "Andy" and Mary Rebecca are buried right next to her.  Her mother Mary Rebecca dying in 1955 and in our local hospital, I think proves that there was no witch burning going on then.

 This is Mary Rebecca Ford standing by Mary Evelyn's Grave.

If anyone wants to tell you this story I hope you will set them straight and let them know there is no truth to this terrible tale.  It is upsetting to family members that live here.
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On another note, no relationship has been found to connect this Ford family (descendants of Burton Ford) with the James Ford family that founded the town and ferry of Ford's Ferry.

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