Montpelier Schools, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana File submitted by Mrs. Inez Bridges Tate and prepared by D.N. Pardue ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ From publication "Old Montpelier, 1804, New Montpelier, 1904" compiled by Inez B. Tate and published by St. Helena Historical Association, 1993. Reprinted with permission. In 1924 the first class to graduate from high school at Montpelier completed their credits and received their diplomas. Prior to that time, there were no accredited high schools in St. Helena Parish except at Greensburg. School age children attended 2 - 3 months during the year, attending one-room schools where the teacher taught all seven grades. A few students attended six months of the year according to the U.S. Census of St. Helena for 1900. Private academies had been the means of education un- til the beginning of the Twentieth Century when public education came into being when School Boards were established under Legi- slative Act 60 of 1906. This laid the groundwork for public edu- cation as we know it today. School buildings in Montpelier were a one-room school located south of the location of the "Old" Montpelier. Among the teachers were Willie D. Watson Hoover. The next building was west of the cemetery and south of the Methodist Church. This building was also used as a meeting place for the Woodmen of the World organization who had total use of one room upstairs which members kept locked. Zula Tate Braud recalls that Usher and Vera Coburn (brother and sister) lived with their parents at Marvin Fletcher's place. They travelled to school in a buggy. At noon they would water and feed their horse near the school building. Approximately 1920 a new building was completed and occupied. It was located between the present home of Mrs. Cornelia Bond and the Telephone Exchange Building and a little distance from the highway. Two-story white frame, it contained a number of class rooms. Glenn Tate had the job of driving his sisters to school in a buggy. Years later, when he spoke of this, one could sense he was unhappy with the watering and feeding of the horse at noon recess while everyone else was playing. Edward Tate walked to school. Edward Tate recalls a covered wagon that provided trans- portation from Jack, Louisiana to Montpelier. This wagon was dri- ven by Ernest Stone. Several families came to school riding in the wagon including the children of Mr. & Mrs. Bud Morgan, Mr. & Mrs. Hayden Singleton, the Stone Family and Raborn Family. They came through the "piney woods", a distance of about seven miles. On cold mornings, bricks were heated and placed on the floor to enable the children to keep their feet warm. Edward Tate recalls going for water to a dug well behind Mary Esther O'Malley's home. This was down a hill and water was brought to the school in open buckets. Later water was piped to the school from Mr. Hez Quin's. This was a great step forward. All graduations from Montpelier High School were held in this building. The last year of high school at Montpelier was 1939-40. When school opened in July 1940, students gathered at Montpelier and some high school students were sent to Woodland High and some to Pine Grove. Elementary school was continued in the old high school building for the school year 1940-41. In the fall of 1941, school started with classes at the same building, but the pupils were moved to different locations in Montpelier while the building was torn down and moved. A class met in the Nonie Blount house, another where Peggy and Perry Pevey live and others in the Baptist Church. The lunch room was in the old "canning kitchen" located behind where Mervin Carter now lives. All the children would con- gregate there for lunch. By school eyar 1943, the building was taken down and the lum- ber used to erect the two white frame buildings located near the bank and fertilizer plant. This was an elementary school only and continued to serve the community as such until 1960. Children then were bussed to Pine Grove. The last two teachers here were Mrs. Mabel Watson and Mrs. Nannie Bond. These buildings have been used for various purposes - town hall, a meeting place for various organizations and last as a dance studio. On 2 June 1956 Sam Morgan, Jr. donated 2 acres of land to the St. Helena Parish School Board on which a building was to be built for an elementary school for the black children (recorded Book 48, p. 280). This structure served for several years until schools were consolidated in the Parish to comply with integration direc- tives. The school was closed. Mr. Morgan had stipulated that when the building ceased to be used as a school, the land and im- provements would revert to him. This was accomplished and he has since leased the building to the Village of Montpelier for a Town Hall and Fire Department facility. ------------ Teachers Remembered: Bessie Mae James Estelle Woods Geraldine Tillery Needham Bertie O'Neal Violet Strachener Myrtle Dutting Champ Breeden, Jr. Ione Norwood Forshag W.T. Foster Mable Watson Nannie Bond Mercie Tate Ola Hembree Effie Raiford Lucille Morgan Arra Bridges Tilby Durnin Helen Bond Hattie Brown Clinton Sharp Thelma Tate Kemp Shelia Armstrong Miss Dixon Jessie McCabe Sue Record Claudia Clark Willie Nell Stolling Mrs. Howard Bankston Louis Bankston Claudia Singleton Kate Tillery Doris Adams Morgan Miss Hartzler Marie Jacocks Ms. Puleston Frankie Ledbetter PRINCIPALS Charles Price A.F. Korb J.H. Satcher H.A. Long H.S. Brumfield Geo. W. Wingo O.S. Varnado A.E. Hooker J.O. Shamburger GRADUATES OF MONTPELIER HIGH April 18, 1924 Principal: A.F. Korb Graduates: Tenney Viola Martha Hermine Tate Hillery Kemp Tate April 26, 1925 Principal: J.H. Satcher Graduates: Francis R. George Ira D. George March 24, 1926 Principal: J.H. Satcher Graduates: Lovie Thompson Helen Lucille Hodges Vivian Rebecca Williams Mattie Maude Mitchell Percy Ray Brown March 25, 1927 Principal: H.A. Long Graduates: Una Mitchell Lola Davis Inez Hodges Irma George Minnie Davis Maggie Schenk Hazel Johnson March 23, 1928 Principal: H.S. Brumfield Graduates: James E. McDaniel Lena Leota Singleton Charlotte Mathilda Perret Myrtis Ida Raborn March 22, 1929 Principal: Geo. W. Wingo Graduates: Albert Davis Wilmer Davis Robert Hugh Durbin Carlton S. Tillery Sam Morgan, Jr. Glenn M. Tate Lena Ard Hilda Durbin Trilby Durnin Carmen Glynn King Irma Mitchell Elnie Hodges 1930 Principal: O.S. Varnado Graduates: Henry Bond Alton Davis March 20, 1931 Principal: O.S. Varnado Graduates: Thelma Beatrice Bond Ruth Mitchell Lula Mitchell Iris Thompson Lester James Morgan Wilmer Lee Pittman Carl Elbert Davidson April 7, 1932 Principal: A.E. Hooker Graduates: Aline Stevens Argie Loise Webb Mary Helen Bond Lucylle Morgan Lillian Shillings Mildred Goynes Nannie Mae Young Julian Edwin Needham Edward R. Tate Percell Webb Davis E. Lewis Harry D. Mitchel Hugh Yawn Ard March 24, 1933 Principal: A.E. Hooker Graduates: Clara Guthrie Tate Eula Mae Davis Newman Leon Bond Orin Emerson Thompson Fred Pevey Robert Edward Durnin June 22, 1934 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Dora M. Fletcher Nellie E. Davis George M. Thompson Charles W. Grantham March 28, 1935 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Mary Athalea Williams Nancy Claraindia Shilling Dorothea Ard Hayden G. Bond March 13, 1936 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Lillie Davis Alice Tate Sallie Tate Leona Morgan Norrine Morgan Winston Durnin Hilary Breed Tate Carl Durbin Newman Williams March 19, 1937 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Frederick Eichel Wilson Davis April 6, 1938 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Vesta Williams Dorothy M. Quinn Maxine Kemp Catherine Anne Tate Irma Terrell Thompson Eunice W. Morgan Catherine Courtney Mildred Helen Davis Philip Ray Goynes Herman Eichel, Jr. Norwood Durnin Jesse Glenn Dykes Dewey Webb Fieldon Harold Mitchell April 7, 1939 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Lutie Everett Alton Ard Menton Eugene Hoover Glenn Monroe Hoover March 21, 1940 Principal: J.O. Shamburger Graduates: Una Mae Grantham Percy Webb Albert Delotus Dean Woodrow Denson Stevens The above list of graduates was obtained from the State Department of Education, Baton Rouge, La. ********