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 Evangeline Armistead Kent
Many of the people still living today in St. Mary “ Holler” and small surrounding communities and farms remember their years of school attendance at the old St. Mary schoolhouse “on the hill.” The building was simply a long, narrow room with one door at the top of wooden steps, desks up and down each side wall, a black pot-bellied stove for winter warmth and across the back the raised stage on which the teacher’s desk was located. Part of the back wall was covered with a blackboard and a few erasers and chalk. The mornings started with 1st Graders and the teacher worked his or her way forward through the various grades until reaching the 8th Grade level. Various days were divided up into the different subjects taught, with Fridays partially being devoted to spelling bees. The only “teaching aids” were pieces of chalk, the blackboard, and little gold stars for perfect attendance. The main stress was placed on “ reading, ’riting and ’rithmatic.” Today’s teachers would perhaps be horrified to think they had to teach eight levels all at the same time and in the same room; however, yesterday’s teachers were very strict disciplinarians, free handed with paddles and switches. Most children in those days knew that if they received a whipping at school they would get another one on arriving home when their parents learned of any misconduct. I have been told the parents let the teacher know if they were dissatisfied with the events at school by laying a bundle of switches in the doorway of the schoolhouse.
St. Mary School in 1927. The teacher in the year 1927 was Elizabeth Young, who did not choose to pose with the students. Front row, left to right: Evelyn Chaffin, Mildred Chaffin, Leonard Bennett, William Whitefield. Second row: Dorothy Chaffin, Virginia Smith, Sterling Pool, Nellie Ballard, Douglas Ballard. Third row: Robbin Pool, Leonard Deadmon, Glenn Chaffin. Fourth row: Edgar Ballard, Mammie Ballard, Allie Ballard, Lucille Smith, Sadie Ballard, Therman Chaffin.
The only physical remains of the old St. Mary schoolhouse are a jagged, broken fence outlining the school ground and a debris- filled water well. The original one-room building has been torn down, and the poplar boards used in other buildings. The school-house was located on the crest of the hill immediately behind the home of Jimmy Donald Armistead. The building was abandoned in 1949 when a new one-room school with a small kitchen was constructed to facilitate the then new idea of a hot lunch for the children. Mrs. Ella Armistead was the first cook in the new building with Mr. and Mrs. Everitt A. Armistead donating the land. This was the first time the school children had flat and level ground to play on, and they immediately organized a baseball team. Many present day citizens of Smith County still remember their attendance at the one- room schoolhouses which were located in each small farm community until the mid 1950’s. Landa was usually donated by a local landowner, and a one or two-room building erected by the men from the surrounding farms.
The old St. Mary schoolhouse was located on a very steep hill with the upper side of the building resting on the ground and the lower side being high enough to give the children a dry place to play during bad weather. It is unknown as to the exact date the schoolhouse was built but “old-timers” can verify that school was being held as early as the late 1800’s. The rock fence surrounding the school ground also included a very old cemetery. The only remaining gravestone indicates “ Silas Taylor — Born June 17,1791 and died Feb. 17, 1854, which would lead you to believe, inasmuch as both school ground and graveyard are enclosed together by the same rock fence, they would date back to the same time period.
Perhaps, if you listened and concentrated very hard on a quiet, sunny spring day, you could still hear the laughter of small pig tailed girls and bibbed overall dressed boys playing hide-and-seek, shooting marbles and enjoying their all too brief recess time. Life passes very swiftly and brings many changes for everything and everyone; however, our admiration goes to the teachers who had the strength and courage to be solely responsible for their small schools and the education of the children attending these one-room schoolhouses. The pay was very low with the average monthly salary being $60 to $70 in the late ’40’s. As is true today, some of the teachers were warm, dedicated people and were excellent teachers, whereas, others were too strict to the point of being cruel to their young charges. Some of the children would be able to go on to other schools and attend high schools and colleges, while for many, the only education received would be that obtained in the one-room schoolhouse.
The one-room school and church buildings have become part of Smith County’s past. Most of the buildings are gone either from the ravages of time and weather, demolished for one reason or another or converted into homes or other buildings. A tribute must be paid to the many poor but hard working people, who were willing to donate land, help erect buildings, employ teachers and attempt the only way they could, to see that the children coming along received as much education as possible for their time.
Some of the teachers at St. Mary were Elizabeth Young, Mrs. Ruth Petty, Miss Ruth Amonette, Mrs. Rubye Vaden Armistead and many, many others unknown to me.
