One Room School - Glendale

 Remembering Our One Room Schools

From the archives of The Crittenden Press, let's travel back to the year 1879 and visit once again some of our one room schools.

We find our County School Commissioner, Rev. James F. Price bundling up against the cold, climbing on his horse and heading out to visit his first school on this trip, Glendale. He shares with us his findings.

November 17^th 1879, - I visited Glendale school, E. M. Rousseau teacher.

It rained me out this day so that I did not get there until late, and as the very unfavorable day prevented many pupils from attending, I did not have a good opportunity to see the character of the school, but from my own observation and from what I could gather from the teacher and trustees, I think they have a splendid school.

The average attendance is forty-four; the school seems to be progressing well; the teacher is manifesting a great interest for the school and his instruction is very thorough.

You need not say whispering cannot be prohibited in school for we have a test of it here; the teacher does it by means of the merit roll. Whenever any one whispers, he or she is deprived of recess the next day.

You may say that the pupils act perfect, when they are not, the teacher watches them very closely and if he ever finds one practicing deception upon him in that way, he deprives that one of recesses two or three days or until he thinks that the pupil will tell the truth; this, I am informed for the last six weeks the school has been without whispering.

Some students are pursuing studies beyond the common school course.

The patrons seem to be very much interested in the school, they have a very good schoolhouse, but not sufficiently supplied with blackboard to accommodate the school.

Some extra history about Glendale School.

Glendale school was located about one and one-half miles off S. R. 297 on Hwy 2123 between Sheridan and the Crittenden Springs Road.

In Sept 1865, B. B. Terry deeded to the trustees of the school district land on which to build a schoolhouse.  It was a one-room building with one door.  Later a new school house was built not more than a few feet away from the old building.  The new school had a vestibule and the heating system was in this vestibule.

Sunday school and church services were held in the school building for many years.  School was discontinued in the spring of 1953 and students were sent to enroll in Tolu School that fall. 

When the board of Education sold the building, the people of the community bought it and organized a General Baptist Church.