HISTORY of LYNN GROVE SCHOOL, CALLOWAY COUNTY, KY LYNN GROVE, KENTUCKY. (Author Unknown, submitted by Swann Parks on 3/11/00) Calloway County, the 72nd. in order of formation in Kentucky, was established in 1822 out of a portion of Hickman County. The county was named in honor of Colonel Richard Calloway; it then included all of the present counties of Calloway and Marshall. David Jones and James Stewart from Caldwell County, Kentucky made the first settlement on land about a mile east of where Wadesboro stands, in the North portion of the county. The early settlers came from Virginia and the Carolinas. Colonel Calloway probably came to Calloway County as early as 1776. Murray, the county seat of Calloway County, was named for the Honorable John L. Murray. Murray was incorporated in 1844. Mr. Murray served as a member of Congress for 11 years. Wiliiam Jones came to Calloway County in about 1822 and was the first school teacher in the county. Lynn Grove was first called Leonville for Leon Blythe. Mr. Blythe operated a general store in Lynn Grove. Later the store was owned by Lilburn Linn and the village was named Linn Grove. The spelling was changed to Lynn Grove about 1874. The nearest school to Lynn Grove was Young. This school was in session as early as 1874 but the exact date in unknown. The first school in Lynn Grove was in 1896, a tuition school, held in an old store building owned by Dr. C. N. Crawford, M.D. The length of the school term was three or four months. One month was an Arithmetic School. Arithmetic was the only subject taught during this one month, four arithmetic classes were taught. The text books used. were Rays High Arithmetic and Rays Practical Arithmetic. Mr. L. A. L. Langston was the teacher, and he later served as County, Judge and schoo1 Superintendent of Calloway County. The first school building was erected in Lynn Grove in 1898 on the site of the present campus. The cost of this building was over $700.00, the entire expense of the building was paid by Dr. C. N. Crawford. This building was a small, 25 by 50 ft., one-room frame structure. In 1899 a school district was laid out. The district ran out about one mile in each direction from Lynn Grove. The school district bought the building from Doctor Crawford the same year with seven $90.00 bonds taken over by a bank in Murray. These bonds were paid out in 1914. Dr. Crawford deeded the two acres of land to the district and this is still used as the local school campus. Some of the early teachers were W.L. (Will) Hughes, Lu1a Holland, T. G. Neal, Joe Lancaster, Mrs. T. H. Stokes, T. H. Stokes, Sarah Ellis and Hunter Furchess. Will Hughes taught the first school in the new building, Lula Holland taught two terms at Lynn Grove in 1902 and 1903. Robert E. Broach, Business Manager, Murray State College, began teaching in 1908. Mr. Broach served the school as teacher for many years. The school grew so rapidly that it was necessary to build an additional room in 1911. Some of the principals of the two room school were Galon Windsor, now state senator in Tennessee, Miss Ada Nance, and Earnest Cannon, Registrar of Western State Teachers College, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and E.E. (Ermon) Wright now teaching in Tennessee. Other Teachers --- 1911-1912 Gaylon Windsor Mrs. Arburnia Washer Mason 1912-1913 Ida B. Nance Ethel Crawford (Mrs. Humphreys Key) 1913-1914 Robert E. Broach Arburnla Washer Meson 1914-1915 Robert E. Broach Mattie Myers Furchess Lochie James (Mrs. Nix Harris) 1915-1916 R. E.Broach Mattie Myers Furchess Lochie James 1916-1917 Robt. E. Broach Mary Howard Paschall Willie Ray Jones 1917-1918 Earnest H. Cannon Mary Howard Paschall-fr- Willie Ray Jones 1918- 1919 E.E.(Ermon) Wright Pearl Outland Opha Chambers January 1920 Pert Wilson Mary Luter Zennle. Haley 1920- 1921 L .A .L. Langston Fred Paschall Annie Jones Lochie James The influenza epidemic in the winter of 1918-1919 disrupted the school term as school was in session only a short time during the winter months. Each year since the school was established at Lynn Grove, It was maintained by the local school district. The district assessing the people of the community. In 1918 or 1919 the County Board of Education agreed to take over the school provided the local district pay the county $2400.00. This contract was fulfilled by the district. The school continued to grow and in 1919 a six (6) room brick building was erected, this was the first time any community in the county outside Murray had attempted to erect a brick schoolbuilding. This new building cost $4,750.00, with the county only bearing $750.00 of the cost and the community having to pay the balance of $4,000.00. This was the beginning of the high school system in Calloway County as two years of high school was offered. A faction existed in the county board, one group wanted the high school to be located at Harris Grove and the other group wanted the school at Lynn Grove. E.E. (Ermon) Wright was principal at the time the project was started but Bert Wilson was the principal with Mary Luter and Zennie Haley the other teachers when the school opened in January 1920. In the next years L. A. L. Langston, A. D. Butterworth, and Marvin Wrather were principals of the new high school. Mr. Wrather and the local end county boards completed plans for a four year high school and the first class was graduated in 1923. Mr. Wrather later served as principal of New Concord and Hazel Schools and Calloway County School Superintendent. Increased attendance made it necessary to enlarge this building in 1924. This was done at the expense of $1,600.00 borne by the county and many dollars of labor and other contributions by the local patrons. Again in 1926, W. A. Warren who had been principal for the past two years, realized the need and the possibility of a new auditorium and gymnasium building. It was found that this project would cost about $4,500.00. The county would pay only $1,000.00 and the district must pay the remainder. The actual cost, not including the work donated by patrons, teachers and students of which there is no definite record was $4,180.00. Again the school rallied to tre standard of education and through entertainments, donations, selling ads, and other means raised the money for the auditorium and gymnasium. The sum of $2,229.37 had been spent by the local board during the years 1920-1930 for the hire of extra teachers for additional time in the grades. Also the school had spent $5,883.00 for supplies and equipment not furnished by the county. A Delco light plant was installed, later electric power was provided to the school, running water and fountains, showers, concrete walks, sewing machines and other home ec. equipment, cabinets and other misc. expenses. Records for the six years from 1924-1930 shows the sum of $3,419.19 has been raised by the school through public entertainment such as plays, school fairs, carnivals, fiddlers contest, ball games and programs in general. On March 11, 1932 fire destroyed the grade and class room building at Lynn Grove High School. The gymnasium which is located only a few yards from the building, was saved only by the diligent work of the students. The fire which started on the roof was a complete loss. The loss was estimated about $15,000.00. Several students and teachers desks were saved from the building. The primary grades were finishing their years schedule on the day of the fire. The high school work was conducted in the gymnasium and log cabin. While the building was burning, the high school basketball team was winning a game over Arlington, Kentucky in the regional tournament at Murray. In the summer of 1932 another building was erected by Hester Andrea, builder from Paducah. The cost of this building was $4,500.00. The new building was paid by insurance from the building that burned. This a two story brick with eight class rooms. It is the only school building in the county system with steam heat and a complete ventilating system. The brick from the burned building were cleaned by the patrons and used In the new building. The new structure was dedicated on August 29, 1932 with Hall Hood, County Attorney, the speaker. Lynn Grove is one of the best equipped rural schools in West Kentucky, with lights, drinking fountains, good heating system, good library, transportation system, and other facilities for good teaching. Lynn Grove has one teacher with a masters degree, Sallie Howard received her A.E. and M.A.Degrees from the George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee. Miss Howard is a teacher in the English Department. Later comments: 1. The last high school class to graduate at Lynn Grove was in 1960, and the last grade school class was in 1974. 2. After the school was closed, the buildings were bought by Kent Miller and turned into apartments. All the buildings were razed and buried around 1998. An open lot now marks the site. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. 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