Lurton School - 1937
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School Information:

Date Started:              Date Closed: 1951

School Registers:

Teachers: Judge Jenkins lists the following teachers from 1874 to 1901:

Ray Doerhoff lists the following additional teachers:

Resident Taxpayers in 1871:
William Allen, George Birdsong, John Birdsong, M.G. Curry, Richard Higgins, Mark Jones, A.B. DeCoudres, George Fisher, Joshua Grice, J.G. Lurton, H.G. Lurton, Andrew Matthews, Edmund Riggs, Arthur Riggs, H.P. Wright, Archibald Roark, Thomas Stark, James Whileman, and Samuel Varner.

The following is taken from "HISTORY OF ST. ELIZABETH R-IV SCHOOLS, PART I - THE RURAL SCHOOLS" by Ray Doerhoff

The school was located near the center of section 5 on the north side of present highway 52, which puts it near the center of the district. Nearly all the residents of the district have always been north of the highway and over 80% of them were along the county road that parallels the Osage River. The schoolhouse is not in the present St. Elizabeth R-4 district since the Lurton district was divided with one-half being added to the Tuscumbia R-3 district. Two older school buildings existed in the district. One on the hill behind the present Fred Huhmann home and the “up the holler” from the present William Huhmann home. Foundations for both of these school buildings are still in place. According to residents of the area there is a possibility that some of the earlier German residents may have crossed the river by boat and attended school in Marys Home.

The school was located near the center of section 5 on the north side of present highway 52, which puts it near the center of the district. Nearly all the residents of the district have always been north of the highway and over 80% of them were along the county road that parallels the Osage River. The schoolhouse is not in the present St. Elizabeth R-4 district since the Lurton district was divided with one-half being added to the Tuscumbia R-3 district. Two older school buildings existed in the district. One on the hill behind the present Fred Huhmann home and the “up the holler” from the present William Huhmann home. Foundations for both of these school buildings are still in place. According to residents of the area there is a possibility that some of the earlier German residents may have crossed the river by boat and attended school in Marys Home.

By Doris Edwards Wyrick
July 22, 2002

When I became old enough to go to school, I was sent to Lurton Grade School, District Number 33 in Miller County, Missouri. It was about two miles south of where we lived and we walked the distance morning and evening.

At first Eileen went to first grade and a year later I went along with her. We walked with some of our older cousins that usually took care of us since we were very young when we started school. About four years after I started, Jack and then Mary joined us.

The school was never closed for bad weather. Snow was no problem. We just bundled up and walked through it. I do remember one severe cold spell during which Daddy kept us home for two days because he thought it was too dangerous for small children to be out.

One morning, after a heavy snow, Daddy took us to school on a sled made by putting a wagon bed on runners. This was pulled by our farm horse. We used quilts to cover our legs and feet. Some cousins rode along with us. That was a great ride!

One time, as we were walking to school in the morning, Mary decided she had walked the road so often that she could walk it with her eyes shut. She walked into a big tree and bumped her forehead. She had a large bruise and cried with pain until the first recess. We never tried that again! Sometimes, though, we would walk backwards as it was a long walk and often boring.