School Name: Pisgah School School District Number: #053
Location:
Township: Twn40N Range: Rng13W Section: Sec29
Latitude: 38.194800 °N Longitude: -92.394600 °W
School Photo:
Pisgah School 1954-54
Click on Photo for larger version
School Information:
Date Started: 1874 Date Closed: 1952
School Registers:
Teacher's Register: 1948-1951
In Osage Township. church services were often held in this school in early days, which may account for the Biblical name. Cf. Pisgah Christian Church. (R.A. Helton)
Teachers: Judge Jenkins lists the following teachers for the early years of the school:
| 1874-75 | Simeon Gard | 1889-90 | J. P. Wright | |
| 1875-76 | John F. Hammond | 1890-91 | H. T. Alexander | |
| 1876-77 | Martha Cummings | 1891-92 | G. G. Sullivan | |
| 1877-78 | Isaiah Latchem | 1892-95 | Mattie Bacon | |
| 1878-79 | John Brockman | 1895-96 | C. T. Burks | |
| 1879-80 | Perry T. Nixdorf | 1896-97 | Ada Nixdorf | |
| 1880-81 | Lucy C. Hawkins | 1897-98 | John Mathias | |
| 1881-82 | J. W. Brockman | 1898-99 | Lillie Stephens | |
| 1882-84 | Perry T. Nixdorf | 1899-00 | E. C. Bilyeu | |
| 1884-85 | Sadie E. Heltzell | 1900-01 | C. T. Burks | |
| 1885-87 | Alonzo Reed | |||
| 1887-88 | D. P. Farnham | |||
| 1888-89 | Robert L. Reed |
Later Teachers Included:
| 1947-48 | Sue Helton Jarrett | |||
| 1948-51 | Margie Clark | |||
| 1951-52 | Ruth Shearrer |
Resident Taxpayers in 1871:
James Abbett, Joseph Bigby, Isaac Bilyeu, W.Z. Burton, W.C. Giffin, C.A. Martin, Daniel Pirce, Woolsy Pirce, A.P. Nixdorf, Geo. W. Ramsey, John Roark, John Shockly, Daniel Starke, Henry Thomas, Ganum Wyrick, Michael Wyrick Sr., John Wyrick, and John Workman.
Just One View
by Nellie Groves
A discussion with Bennett and Arlene Helton, November 2018, reminds one of the “Box Dinners” that were prepared “as a fund raiser” by the girls, then fellows would bid on the box. The idea was to decorate a box that would appeal to the boys/men with good food that smelled and looked delicious. More often than not the guys would ramble around prior to the auction attempting to find out what kind of food was in the box and who made it. An auctioneer would then choose a box to hold up for auction and attempt to describe the contents and let the bidder know who prepared the box. The highest bidder would then have the privilege to eat from the box with the girl that prepared it.
As of November 2018, the old Pisgah School building still stands. It has changed in appearance over the years but still gives one pause to reflect on special friendships and acquaintances made during their school time at Pisgah. One Hundred Forty-Four years since the beginning of Pisgah and it’s still providing a service today as a home.
Memories of walking to school introduced me to my first grape vine to smoke, the wood stove, chalkboard hanging on the wall in the front of the “One Room School”, the outhouse used by both sexes, running around playing stink-base and claiming my first boyfriend. Having the sweetest teacher, Margie Clark.
School Resources:
