Grant Center School was located on one-half acre of land in the exact center of Grant Township, three miles south of Ridgeway, Mo.  The land was given for school purposes by Otis Rakestraw.

Grant Center served its purpose well as an educational center.  Forty to Fifty pupils were enrolled around 1890 to 1900.  total enrollment would be in the hundreds.  Many young people completed their total formal education with the four walls of this school.  To accommodate patrons, a winter and spring term was held for several years.  Often there was a change of teachers for these terms.

The school building was a social and recreational center.  Literary events and box suppers were popular and the good times of such occasions were never forgotten by those lucky people who were present.  Grant Center was the voting precinct of South Grant Township. Men signed up for the draft in World War I at this location.

Some of the teachers over the years were: Kate Smith, Bessie Opdyke, George C. Dyer, Daisy Abber, Florence Fransham, Cora Morris, Clara Morris, Dora Wright, Court VanOrsdale, Ernest Hogan, Eva Foster, Deane Ashford, Minnie Brown, Edna Ashford, Lettie K. Powers, Berneice Dale,Ruth Dale, Archie Pugh, Goldie Haun and Zelma Dale. 

excerpt from article submitted by Avis Lair Graham
SOURCE: RIDGEWAY THEN AND NOW 1880-1980
EXCERPTS TRANSCRIBED BY:MELODY BEERY

LORRAINE SCHOOL

The Lorraine School building, the last of the building of the town of Lorraine, sits lonely and abandoned beside Highway 69.  Its original location was about one half mile west of the town of Lorraine.  It was moved to its present site after the district was consolidated with Ridgeway and Bethany.

In its hey day Lorraine was one of the best equipped country schools of Harrison County and many students received their education within its walls.  In the early days, students sometimes attended classes until they were in their twenties or until they were married.  Later when students finished the eighth grade, they went on to a county high school.

Lorraine was one of the last one room country schools in Harrison County to be closed.  Some of the students went to Bethany and some, along with the tearcher, went to Ridgeway.

The last day of school picnic (rain or shine) was an event enjoyed by the entire community.  One morning while "Miss Nina's" first grade students were reciting their reading class, the door opened and Junior McCollum, who was driving by stepped inside and said, "The schoolhouse is on fire!".  He then left to secure help.  The teacher and all students immediately started to work and in a short time they had moved every article of furnishings, except the stove and piano, outside. (They got the piano as far as the door but they couldn't get it through!)

Luckily it was a very windy day and wind blowing from the West kept the flames contained on the east roof until the community gathered and formed a bucket brigade.  The flames were extinguished before the fire truck arrived.  The people of the community helped carry all the equipment back inside the building and two days later when the roof was repaired, "Miss Nina" and the student put everything back in the proper place and school was resumed.

In school the students had been taught that their country's flag must never touch the ground and after the fire was out and people had time to notice, they saw two of the small students struggling to hold the flag upright against the wind.  The children said the flag was lying on a desk and it started to roll off.  They knew it must not touch the ground so they held it up.

excerpts from article written by Nina McIntosh
SOURCE: RIDGEWAY THEN AND NOW 1880-1980
EXCERPTS TRANSCRIBED BY:MELODY BEERY

HISTORY OF TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Probably one of the oldest school houses in this cournty was Hickory Grove, which was built of logs.  It was located just one half mile east of the northeast corner of the Rose Hill Cemetery, on land owned by W.W. Campbell.  My father and his parents moved into this area in 1858 and he and some of the younger children went to this school until Marion School was erected some years later.  As far as I know all of the old records of the Marion Central School have been destroyed or lost, but I will set down some of the facts as I remember them or have gotten them from other sources.

The old schoolhouse, which burned about 1900 was built on the northeast corner of my father's farm and the year I started school, this was the only building on the lot.  The girls, when nature called, used the creek bank, which was about ten feet high and about twenty or thirty feet from the schoolhouse; and the boys used a big patch of hazel brush on the north, which furnished a nice second growth of sprouts in the fall.  Besides a cover these sprouts were used to exert discipline.  Later on the necessary two out buildings were added to the school premises.

The old school house was a one room house, with three windows on the north and three windows on the south, and the only door was on the east.  The blackboard extended the full length of the west side of the building.  The seats and desks were all home made and almost every desk was carved with the initials of some idle student.  A big old stove stood in the middle of the room, and a big patch of blue was on the ceiling.  This was caused by someone trying to thaw a bottle of ink that had frozen.  The girls sat on the north side and the boys on the south side and the greatest punishment that I ever had was being made to sit between two of the big girls.  The girls outside clothing hung at the east end of the building, north of the door and boys hung on the south side of the door.

I moved to the Marion District in 1914 and was appointed Secretary of the School Board,  In doing so I took possession of the all of the school records,, which I still have, except the last daily record of the school.  Record of the first annual meeting was on April 12, 1873 and was signed by the following: W.H. Richardson, John Heldman, William Johnson and William Taylor.  A motion was made and carried to levy a tax to pay for a three month school.

The first daily register shows the following students in attendance:  James. W. Wright, Cornelius Wright, Monroe Wilkerson, Marion Wilkerson, Alvin Hughs,John Rake, W.H. White, C.W. Henry, James Taylor, Samuel Henry, S. Rake, Mary E. Hughes, Susan Rake, Martha Rake, Serrilda Taylor and Milda Taylor.  Ages varied from age 4 to13.

The records I have of Marion (Dog Holler) District are from 1871 to 1894.  It is interesting to note the difference in the signatures of persons who have signed their names on teachers' contracts, annual and special school meetings, etc.  Some are almost impossible to read, others have the curves and shades of the old Spencerian style..to the point that it looks impossible to put on paper with a free hand in pen and ink.

At the Annual Meeting of the Board of School Directors on April 16, 1874, a site for the new schoolhouse was discussed but nothing decided.  Wm. H. Henry was elected President, Thomas T. Tharp, Secretary and they hired Ella Burwell to teach a three months' term for $23.00.  They rented a room of Edwin Opdyke for $9.00 and hired W.H. Henry to furnish a stove and wood for $1.00.

At an Annual Meeting on April 6,1875 the site for the new schoolhouse was decided upon; south of the Hickory Grove school, at or near the center of the East Half of the Southwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter of Section 28, Township 65, Range 27, land owned by W.H. Richardson. 

 At an Annual Meeting on April 2, 1878 the Board voted an order to be drawn in favor of W.H. Richardson in the amount of $20.00 for a house to be used for school purposes, for a term of two years.

At an Annual Meeting on May 14, 1878, the Board hired W.H. Richardson and H.C. Busler to build the foundation for the schoolhouse for $18.75 and Jesse Opdyke to build it for $333.00.  Peter Wyant was hired to furnish lime and dob under the sills for $1.00 and Peter Rinehart was to furnish four cords of wood at $2.00 per cord.

When the Ridgeway School was orgainized in 1880, it took in 80 acres of the area included in this school district so after this time only part of the children in the north part of town attended the Marion (Dog Holler) School.

Teachers at Marion (Dog Holler) School were: Bertha Combs, Grace Murray, Ruth Lamb, Stella Ballew and Charley Kern. From 1907 to 1921 the teachers were: Esther Lollars, Maun (Wiley) Polson, Leona Maple and Rae Redinger.

Teachers at the Marion School were: Ella Burwell, W.R. Hill, J.M. West, Lydia Opdyke, John Dunnagan, J.T. Kirk, W.A. Reeves, Melville, Hardin, C.W. Robertson, Hannah M. Sinderson, J.V. Mills, H.L. Yeater, W.S. Grant, Maude Daugherty, Cora Grant, Minnie Baldwin, S.G. Wright, Carrie Morris, Mary Kinkaid, George Crabb and May Taylor, these were the teachers up to 1894.

excerpts of article written by Elmer C.Rinehart, February 1971
transcribed by Melody Beery
source: Ridgeway: Then and Now 1880-1890

Marion School (Dog Holler)

The Marion School was located one mile North of Ridgeway on the West side of the road.The attendance in this school in the early 1900's  was usually small, between  ten and twenty pupils.

A new schoolhouse was built about 1917 or 1918. This building was moved to the school ground at Ridgeway and used as an extra classroom  and later for Vocational Agriculture work.  During  the 1924-1925 school  year, the second grade was in this building and was taught by the Senior Teachers Training  Students,  under the supervision of Miss Cassie Banks,teacher's training instructor.

submitted by: Mae Bender
transcribed by: Melody Beery
Source: Ridgeway Centennial Book 1880-1980


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