Hicks School prior to 1910
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School Information:

Date Started:              Date Closed:

School Registers:

Teachers: Judge Jenkins lists the following teachers for the early years of the school from 1874 to 1901:

Resident Taxpayers in 1871:
James Barnett, James Carson, Jas. I. Exendine, James M. Humphrey, John W. Myers, Robert Kellison, G.W. Stone, Hiram Winneham, James K.P. Hicks, and William Blyze.

Hicks School
by Peggy Smith Hake

In 1854, William and Syndey Blize patented 160 acres of land in Section 5, Township 39, Range 12 of Miller County (Richwoods Township), which is a short distance southeast of present-day St. Anthony. In 1874, William sold this land to Jesse B. and Jemima Smith who were residing in the town of Iberia with their 9 children, all natives of Missouri. Jesse was listed as a physician in the 1870 census and was one of the men instrumental in organizing the town for incorporation in 1875. He also served on the first town board.

This piece of property continued to exchange ownership over the next 15 years (some of the families owning it were Reed, Blize, Lueckenhoff, Pendleton, and Sooter.) In 1889, Owen R. and Jennie Pendleton bought the land and on 18 Feb 1890, they sold an acre of land to School District 2/39/12. This was a strange land conveyance because it was conveyed equally to School District No. 2 and also to the Farmers and Laborers Union #555. In the deed was a clause that stated it was "conveyed with the understanding that they build thereon a house for a Farmers and Laborers Union Hall to be used by them and also to be used by School District #2, but if abandoned by both, then this indenture shall become null and void." I have never heard of the Farmers and Laborers Union #555, so I do not know if it ever became an organization or if they ever used the building. But it was indeed used for a school, known for years as the "Hicks School". It was called Hicks school because the countryside surrounding the school was inhabited by several Hicks families who lived there for many years.

John and Martin Hicks had homesteaded large tracts of land there as early as 1856. The school was standing on the original site until the 1980s but had not been used for many years. It was in dire need of repairs but was just another old building, rich in history, but abandoned to the decay with time. The old school was torn down in the 80's and there is no sign of it today on the rich landscape where many cattle now roam.

I have seen a picture of the old school taken circa 1902 but could not identify any of the students. The teacher was my great uncle, Perry Tolbert Wyrick and he was sitting on the front row between the smaller children. This was quite a large group of students (34) for such a small one-room school. I researched the heads of families who lived in the Hicks School area between 1885 and 1905 and the following names were of record: James Hicks, John Hicks, George Hicks, Martin Hicks, John W. Clark, Henry V. Sooter, Charles W. Pendleton, James Crismon, John L. Berry, George A. Hodge, Joseph Pendleton, Isaac Crismon, Nancy Crismon, Henry Dake, H . L. Moneymaker, Charles M. Sooter, Henry Belk, Alfred S. Woody, Davis S. Woody, George W. Shelton, John V. Shelton, and William A. Kellison.