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In the mid-late 1800's, first was called Bear Paunch, Bear Point School held
classes in the lower section of a 2 story log building owned by James
M.
Brayfield. The school burned down in the late 1800's and was located about
were
Bear Point Church
stands today.
Then in 1907, John
and Ethel Eubanks
donated 1 acre of land for a school,
located 1/4 mile south-west. A new frame building was built there.
During recess the children took turns going to the Brayfield
Post Office(inside
Mr. Brayfields
home) nearby for the mail to be taken back to the teacher to be
sorted and sent home to each childs family. The community were the school and
post office was located was also known as Brayfield.
In 1911, Roy A. Gulley
was paid $50.00 per month to teach and Jennie Farris was
only paid $30.00 per month. This might show the difference between the male and
female pay scale difference, of that time period.
Pie suppers were held yearly by the school to raise funds to purchase new class
materials and/or items needed. One such item purchased was a world globe which
sat upon the teachers desk.
Now looking at the photo above, you will see were the porch, bell tower(above
the porch) and two cloak rooms were torn away. The north and east sides of the
one room building had no windows, but had blackboards inside on these same
walls. Behind the school was a shed used or boarding the kids horses and coal
for the burner. On both sides of this were the bathrooms, one for boys and one
for girls. This shed no longer exist today.
The last year of school there was in 1956. In 1959 the building was sold for
$200.00 to Clyde
and Lola Eubanks,
then passed on to Olen Eubanks.
To this day,
it still remains the property of the Eubanks family.
Bear Point School Class Roster
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Sharlene (Tate) Alexander
attended first grade at Bear Point School
in the
early 1950's.
She recalls: "Bear Point
was a one room school house for grades 1 - 8 in the
early 50's and had one teacher. Gives a whole new meaning to 'open classroom'.
There were about 25 kids total, and I think I was the only one in first grade."
"Yes, I walked 2.5 miles one-way to school' every day with my brother on
those gravel roads."
"I recall a few windows on the west side, the coat closets, the 2 co-ed out-
houses and a pot-bellied stove I thought toward the back in the back corner.
I don't remember blackboards on the west walls ... rather, I remember one at
the front of the room and maybe one on the east wall. I also thought there was
a one-step 'stage' at the front of the room where the teacher had her desk and
where Carolyn Davis and
I sang 'Side-by-Side' as a duet for pie suppers."
[Submitted by: Sharlene (Tate) Alexander]
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