Seminary Springs School

     The old Seminary Springs School.

Not much history has been recorded on this school.  This is the only photo I have ever seen of it.  The date on it says November 29, 19_6. I'm not sure if it would be 1906 or 1916.  None of the people have been identified.  The photo also tells us it was Thanksgiving.  Since the community schools were also the local place for gatherings and good times shared, I would say this group had shared a Thanksgiving together at the old school.  How interesting it would be to know some history of this day.

To reach the site of the former Seminary School you would leave U.S. 60 East at Mattoon on S.R. 654 N.  After a short distance you will see a road turning left onto S.R. 1901.  Before the days of the 911 addresses this road was always known as the Siminary Loop Road.  The loop continued on around and came back out of U.S. 60 E.  Not far on this road on the right was the ever-flowing spring, which provided drinking water for the school children, and also provided the name for the school  During the summer the farmers of the community hauled water for their livestock from this spring when "dry spells" would cause their ponds to get low.

Some of the families that attended this school were Cook, Hughes, Duvall, Lucas, Vanhooser, Nunn, Vaughn, Brown, Crisp, Summerville, Manley and Farley.  Teachers recalled were: W. K. Powell, Clyde Newcom, Minnie Herrin, A. A. Fritts, Bertha and Flora Moore, Ina Vaughn, Ruby Summerville, just to name a few that were remembered.

Seminary, Post Oak and Oakland Schools often held "field days" in the fall of the year.  Competitive sports included races, ball games, broad and high jumping, and pole vaulting.  Inside the school building declamation contests, spelling bees, and arithmetic speed tests were being held.  Proud indeed was the school that won the triangular blue banner at the day's end for accumulating the greatest number of points for their participation in the activities.

In 1929 the Seminary School was closed and consolidated with other nearby one-room schools to organize the new Mattoon Grade and High School.   In later years the building was torn down.