The Corson family, parents of Mrs. McGinnis, moved to the Franklin district five mailes south of Pleasant Plains about 1850 when Maggie was twelve months old. Miss Adeline Stephens first taught a subscription school at the home of her sister, Mrs. Tenney.

When Maggie started to school there were so many pupils that they sat three in a seat and the little boys and girls sat on both sides of the room. Some came almost four miles to school. A school was built later at Yankeetown which cut off part of the Franklin district and later when the Oder School was built more pupils were taken away to allow Franklin's pupils to each have a desk of their own.

Writing paper was scarce and slates and pencils were used to learn to write. The teacher wrote letters and words on the blackboard and these were to be copied. At seven years of age a student could have paper, pen and ink.

Games played were Wolf and Sheep and Dare Base running from the steps to the east stile.

During the Civil War brothers and friends volunteered for service. The pupils sang The Red, White and Blue; Rally Round the Flag, Boys; and The Union Forever.

Some early teachers were: Miss Mary Rucker, Miss Julia Boynton, Miss Lizzie Demerry, E.L. Clark, Mr. Lawton, Mr. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton, Mr. Bennett, John Van Patten, and Mr. Stevenson.

During Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton's teaching some high school subjects were taught. Physiology was introduced and some people were shocked to have girls studying their stomachs. Some girls were Mary Carson, Anna Wilson, and Lizzie Nottingham. Signed: Maggie Corson McGinnis.

There was little change in the school from the Civil War until 1922. The building was brought up to date to meet the fire code and a door in the rear was added. Children sat in single seats. The stove in 1922 was a big furnace-type with a jacket. The teacher was still the janitor. On rainy days one swept a coal bucket of dirt off the floor. Sometimes on a frigid day someone's father felt sorry for the little teacher over at the school and rode in on horseback to build the fire. One could always depend that at such times it would be noon before the room was warm. The old stove would not take a whole bucket of coal at once. It just had to be coaxed along.

Pupils still played the old games. Some walked two and a half miles to school. An old reed organ was the only musical instrument. The stiles were gone but there was no fence and no modern plumbing either. The boys chased the girls to the little outhouse. A law on fighting had been enforced.

Rural schools now had partially closed the windows on the right and opened more on the left so that light fell over the left shoulder. Coal oil lights had been added and were quite helpful in giving evening programs. Supplies were still scarce. One year it took considerable persuasion to be allowed $30 for a year's supply of paper.