The following historical account of the Eldon Public Schools was written by Henry Phillips and his daughter, Julia about 1933:

A one-room log building located on what is now Mrs. Roxie Brown's property on South Grand Avenue became with the plotting of the town Eldon's first school house. In 1883 the Eldon School District bought the east half of block nine located on Ninth and Chestnut Streets and built a two-story frame building. A Mr. Gier taught the first term in this building. This building served the district until 1893, when it was deemed too small to house the school of the growing town. The district then bought the Eldon Academy Building which was located on block sixty on First and Pine Streets the present location of the grade school building. This was a two-story, four-room building and served the district until 1904 when eight rooms of the present grade building were erected.

In the fall of 1907 T. E. Vaughan was employed as superintendent of Eldon schools. In that year he completed plans for a graded system that had been begun by a predecessor, and he also laid the foundation for the Eldon High School. At the beginning of the school year 1907-8 the more advanced students were given credit for one year of high school work on the basis of subjects previously pursued. The enrollment of this class was twenty. Superintendent Vaughan was the only instructor in the high school that year. The total school enrollment for 1907-8 was approximately 400. In the following year 1908-9, the enrollment in the high school had reached forty, and Miss Grace Scott became Mr. Vaughan's assistant. The total enrollment in the public schools was 486. The growth of the town made it necessary by 1908 to add four rooms and the basement auditorium to the school building. This building is now used for grades one to six. By 1909-10 the high school enrollment which had grown to fifty-seven made it necessary to add a third teacher to the high school faculty. H. E. Keltner became assistant in history in the high school and teacher of the eighth grade. There were also eight other teachers in the grades and an average daily attendance in the entire school of 372. In the spring of 1910 Eldon High School graduated its first class, which consisted of Earl Collins, Griffith Carpenter, and Prue Helfrich. In the same year the high school was classified as a high school of the first-class. A letter written to H. D. Vowiel, Secretary of the Board of Education, on October 17, 1910, by Howard D. Gass, State Superintendent of Schools, reads in part as follows: "Dear Sir: Eldon High School has been inspected and classified as a high school of the first-class with the following units approved: English, 4; Algebra, 1%; Geometry, 1%; Ancient History, 1; Mediaeval and Modern History, 1; English History, 1; American History, 1; Latin, 4; Agriculture, 1; Physical Geography, 1; Reviews, 1; Total, 18. My inspector reports that your high school is in excellent condition and that it shows evidence of substantial growth. I trust that you will be able to maintain the high standard which has been reached in your high school."

From that time until the close of Mr. Vaughan's superintendency in 1924, Eldon Schools maintained the same high standard of scholarship. The next fourteen years saw a steady growth in enrollment of students and in number of teachers added to the staff. They were also to witness changes in the physical equipment of the schools and additions to the curriculum in both high school and grade school. In 1914 the district bought adjoining lots and enlarged the campus to 400 feet by 832 feet. The present high school building was begun in the same year and completed in the spring of 1915. It will always remain a monument to Mr. Vaughan's excellent and faithful service to Eldon schools and community. By that year the total enrollment in Eldon schools had reached 675. Of this number 144 students were in the high school. The first class to be graduated from the new building in May, 1915, numbered 17. The number of teachers in the high school had increased to six and in the grades to eleven.

In 1919-20 a change in the organization of the grades was effected. Departmental work was introduced into grades seven and eight, and the foundation for Eldon Junior High School was laid. Three teachers were employed for those grades.

Additions to and changes in the curriculum of Eldon High School are noteworthy and indicate the progressive policy of the administration. A half-year's course in civil government was offered in 1911-12, and two-years' work in German and a year's work in domestic science were added the following year. The year 1913-14 saw the addition to the course of study of three teacher-training courses. A year's course in biology and a year's course in bookkeeping were added in 1916-17, and in that same year the courses in domestic Science were enlarged. A course in civics and social problems replaced the old course in English history in 1918-19. The next two years brought new offerings in the department of science when courses in physics and general science were added to the curriculum. Within the next few years further additions were made to the department of social science. In 1922-23 a semester's work in sociology was offered to upperclassmen, and in the following year a course in citizenship and vocations and a half-year's work in American problems were added to the course of study.

During Mr. Vaughan's years of service from 1907-24 the total enrollment of Eldon schools had increased from approximately 400 to 810 and the high school enrollment from 20 to 228. The number of high school graduates had increased from three to thirty-eight. The number of high school teachers had grown from who was Mr. Vaughn himself to eight; the number of grade teachers from nine to fourteen, four of whom were teachers in the Eldon Junior High School.

P. M. Marshall succeeded Mr. Vaughan as superintendent of Eldon schools in the fall of 1924 and served until the spring of 1929. During his administration, further additions to the course of study offered in the high school were made. An organized chorus for girls and an organized orchestra for high school students were made parts of the regular high school course of study in 1924-25. Courses in gymnastics and playground ·work were offered for the first time in the same year, and in the following year these courses were enlarged and a course in hygiene and sanitation was added. A year's course in typewriting was added to the curriculum in 1926-27. In 1928-29 a two-year course in vocational home economics replaced the old course in foods and clothing. A course in high school geography also was organized during Mr. Marshall's administration. By the spring of 1929 the total enrollment in Eldon schools showed a favorable increase. The number of high school teachers was eight, of junior high schoolteachers three, and of grade school teachers ten.

Mr. Marshall was succeeded by D. C. Rucker who served as superintendent until December 30, 1930. J. A. Campbell began his administration January I, 1931, and is the present superintendent of Eldon schools. The Auditorium was built in 1931 and was ready for use January 1, 1932. This building made it possible to expand the curriculum of the junior high school and of the high school. Courses in vocational agriculture offering five units of work were added to the curriculum in 1931-32. Work in physical education was expanded in the fall of 1931, and since that time all high school students have been required to take four years' work in physical education. The Auditorium houses the junior high school, vocational agriculture classes, all junior and senior high school music classes, and all physical education for junior and senior high school students.

The total school enrollment for the year 1932-33 was 663. Of this number, 224 were in the high school. The number of teachers for that year was ten in the high school, five in the junior high school, and eight in the grade school. Forty-two students were graduates from the Eldon High School in 1933. This number brings the total number of graduates to 610.

At the present time in the summer of 1933, the Eldon School District has a campus 400 feet by 832 feet, and three modern and well-equipped buildings in excellent condition. Eldon schools continue to maintain a high standard of activity and scholarship and are fully accredited by the University of Missouri and ranked as a first-class system by the State Department of Education. The Eldon High School also belongs to the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.

From the Eldon Advertiser, Eldon, Missouri, Thursday, August 24, 1922