The following is an excerpt from the Smith County History Book. The book was published in 1986 by the Smith County Homecoming ’86 Heritage Committee. To purchase a digital copy of the Smith County History Book, contact the Smith County Chamber of Commerce or the Smith County Heritage Museum.
By David Houston Robinson
In the early days of the county, when a neighborhood became sufficiently settled, a private school was often established. Though the exact date is apparently lost in history, Campbell Institute had such a beginning. The names of five men, each of whom owned a one-sixth share of the school, are known. David H. Campbell, youngest brother of Governor William B. Campbell, James N. Calhoun, James C. Sanders, Robert W. Pope and John P. Carter were original holders.
A deed beginning with these words, “For and in consideration of the love we have for the cause of education and from our earnest desire to promote the interest of said cause in this neighborhood,” was made in June, 1874. David H. Campbell and his wife, Lucy Goodall Campbell, conveyed their original one-sixth interest in the Institute and one acre of their farm, “Beech Hurst,” so named because o f the hundreds o f large beech trees growing there, to the following men who were to act as a board of trustees: George H. Glass, H.B. Wilson, R.A. Mann, John P. Carter, Robert W. Pope, Thomas Arlington, and H.H. Stallings. The land was located in the fourteenth district of Smith County on the left of the Old Lebanon Road in the corporate limits of South Carthage, one and eight- tenths miles from the Cordell Hull Bridge. The beautifully renovated Campbell house is now the home of South Carthage Mayor and Mrs. John Waggoner, Sr.
One of the early teachers at Campbell Institute was Thomas Jefferson Fisher, “ Big Tom” as he was familiarly called — a very appropriate name, as he was big of stature, big o f heart and big o f mind. T.J. Fisher taught for six months between the years 1871-1873. At the end of the term Mr. Fisher had a big stage built for “Exhibitions,” as they were called in those days. Newly acquired skills in speaking, readings, and recitations were shown off by the children before the audience of proud parents and friends.
Perhaps the most colorful teacher at the Institute (1896-1899) was Albert Gallatin (“Cheesie”) McIntosh, a Creek Indian who came to Smith County about 1877. For personal reasons he went by the name of James Gentry Brown. Prof. Brown, with his assistant teachers, Mrs. Eliza Boulton Kenney and Miss Sadie Agnew, taught subjects ranging from the primary level to those equivalent to present day high schools. French, Greek, Latin, higher arithmetics, including plane and solid geometry, trigonometry, and bookkeeping were on the school’s agenda.
Other teachers in the school during the following years were: Ollie McGinness (1899- 1900), Mrs Kenney (between 1900-1904), Murray Flippin (1904), George Massey (year unknown), Andrew Carpenter (1914-1915), Clester Huffines (1915-1916), Florence Smith (1916-1917), Lena Bradford (1921- 1922) , and Mrs. Chester Midgett (1922- 1923).
Campbell Institute ca 1903-1904
The accompanying picture, courtesy of Mr. Winfred Denton, was posed in the front of the Campbell Institute building about 1903- 1904. The weather must have been warm because none of the children are wearing shoes! Those in attendance on that long ago day were: 1st Row, L to R, Maggie Stallings, Martha Medlin, Lucy Carter, Lorena Enoch, Martha Leach, Mabel Moore, Flossie Fisher, Eliza ?, Mai Hodges, Lucy and Avo Wooten and Ella Tyree. 2nd Row, L to R, Lura Mai Smith, Ollie Mai and Mamie Baker, Mai Siddens, Gertie Mai Stallings, Carrie Mai Williams, Amy Moore, Gussie Lou Wilkerson, Lizzie Green Ballenger. 3rd Row, L to R, Elmer Hudson, Charlie Wooten, Sallie and Amy Hodges, Mamie Ballenger, Leona Wooten, Dock Meddin, Lizzie Hudson, Mose Boulton, Dave Rigsby, and Willie Smith. 4th Row, L to R, Guy Hudson, David Moore, D.P. Hodges, Bessie Ballenger, Daisy Dolan, Murray Flippen (teacher), Mamie Hudson, Carrie Ballenger, Dora Wooten, Hayden Dicks, George Hodges, Tom Moore, William Hodges.
The school building, approximately 125 feet by 30 feet, was a one-story white frame structure which sat above ground on stone pillars. It had two doors and two windows on the front, and a broad flight of wooden steps. The stage was located on the wall opposite the front door. In later years, it was used as a residence, and was finally destroyed by fire on February 2, 1931.
Children attending the school were from families still well-known and active in the county. Some of those represented were Hodges, Moore, Squires, Ward, Gardenhire, Meddin, Pope, Waggoner, Denton, McGin ness, Stallings, Boulton, Enoch, Ballenger, Tyree, Henry, Hooten, Flippen and Sanders. Since most of these families lived within two or three miles of each other, friendships were warm and enduring.
Interesting stories have been handed down. A favorite noon-time event was a boxing match between “ Corbett” (Jere Gardenhire) and “Fitzsimmons” (Alvin Carter). “ Fitzsimmons” always won. The students regularly greeted the mail carrier from Rome to Carthage, Jim Boulton, who passed during the noon recess.
Van Allen Brown was once soundly whipped by Miss Agnew. He did not flinch or cry until he returned to his seat where he cried from shame. During a question and answer period, a student (prompted by an older one) asked Miss Agnew an embarrassing question. When another student laughed, Prof. Brown became so angry that his son, Freeland, had to hold him until he became calm.
By 1912, Campbell Institute was one of sixty-three public schools in the county. It had also served as a church and a Sunday school which was organized by David Camp bell as soon as the school was built. He served as superintendent and his wife was a teacher in the Sunday school as long as they lived there. The social activities of the community centered around the school, and box suppers were held for the benefit of both the church and school with repairs and equipment being paid for out of the proceeds. Teachers and students helped care for the building and grounds. During county school clean-up days they cleaned the yard, walls, windows, scrubbed the floors and polished the stove.
As families moved away and transportation improved, the number of students gradually dropped. At the beginning of the 1922-1923 term there were twenty children on the roll, with an average daily attendance of fifteen. By November the enrollment was fifteen and the daily attendance was ten.
Mr. G.W. Allen, chairman of the Board of Education, advertised the buildings and grounds of Campbell Institute for sale in March 1923, and on April 19, Supt. E.L. Huffines signed the deed conveying the property to Mr. R.E. Smith.
Campbell Institute meant much to those who lived nearby and knew its warmth and influence. No longer existing in the physical sense, it lives in the memories and characters of many worthy citizens.
