History of the Mannington Schools, Marion County, West Virginia This file was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm Source: History of Education in West Virginia Prepared under the direction of the State Superintendent of Free Schools 1904, Charleston: The Tribune Printing Company, 1904 pg. 162 - 165 History of the Mannington Schools BY JOHN F. HUGHES Shortly after the adoption of the Free School System in West Vir- ginia, education received earnest attention in Mannington, and no place and no people since that time have been characterized by a greater inter- est in the same. Mannington needs no introduction. Her location on the B. & O. Railroad fifty-eight miles south of Wheeling, in one of the most beautiful valleys in the State, is sufficient warrant for traveler or business man to make a study of her industries. Mannington, in the first place, boasts of having a school building and school Interest second to none in the State. Particularly has this been true from start to finish. Early in the summer of 1865 a school board was appointed, consisting of Alpheus Prichard, William Hawker, and James C. Hamilton, who set about at once to lay a levy sufficient to run the school four months in the year. There was no little interest here mani- fested, and it needs be mentioned that these men, with their untiring energies, did much to lay the foundation of a school spirit that has cul- minated in such a climax at the present time. Mannington, at the beginning of the school era, was a straggling village of only a few hundred inhabitants, and having no means to erect a school house, the first school was held in the old M. E. Church, now being occupied by Pitzer & Hammel, general merchants, on Clarksburg street, near the iron bridge which spans Buffalo creek. The church was converted into two rooms and occupied by about one hundred pupils. The records of the first schools being lost by floods and fire, we rely upon the memory of its first teacher, Mr. B. F. Charlton. Mr. Charlton, who has since held several offices of public trust and honor, was its first principal, assisted by Miss Mary A. Smith, of Fair- view. The schools were continued in this manner for two years, when it was found that a term of four months was only a waste of time and money. The school board then set to work and procured sufficient as- sistance from the Peabody Fund to extend the term to six months. They were favored by such assistance for two years, when they were com- pelled to reduce the term to four months again. The population of the town so increased that two teachers were not sufficient to teach the youth and more aid was secured. They were obliged to rent rooms wherever they could get them until 1869, when the first school house that Man- nington ever had was erected on the corner of School and Clarksburg streets. Mr. Charlton resigned to fill a position in the State Legislature. He was succeeded by Mr. Kendall of Shinstown, who taught one year. In 1870, again, the Board of Education was successful in procuring sufficient aid from the Peabody Fund to restore their former glory. From this time the citizens of Mannington have been enjoying from six to eight months school, not through the aid of the Peabody Fund alone, but by a vote of the citizens of the town, for the additional months not granted by the voters of Mannington District. Mr. Charlton, on his return from the Legislature, was elected princi- pal of the new four-room building, and after two years the building was found to be much too small and two rooms were added in 1874. Mr. Charlton and his five assistants and two hundred pupils clinched the public school sentiment in the minds of the citizens as a positive good. In 1872 Mr. Charlton was succeeded by Professor Wheeler, of Pruntytown, who taught until 1876, when he was followed by B. P. Mar- tin, John A. Bock, of Farmington, John W. Mays, Scott Meredith, J. V. Carpenter and W. M. Haggerty, of Mannington. These gentlemen lost no time in demonstrating to the citizens of the town that they were poorly paid for the work they did. They labored diligently in cultivating the friends of the school in a nobler opinion of its excellence. The ex- cellence of their work was attested by the number of teachers that went out from the public school to teach during their tuition here. For a period of fifteen years the population increased sufficient only to warrant the addition of two rooms. The spirit of education in the mean- time did not lag; good work by able instructors was being done. It might be truthfully said that the spirit which prompted the building of the pres- ent magnificent structure was firmly taking root in the minds ot the business men of Mannington, and I would be a partial historian if I did not here mention the late James H. Furbee and A. F. Conaway, who labored zealously to promote the good work. In 1893 John H. Brock was elected principal. The enrollment then was about three hundred twenty pupils. About this time oil was found in the immediate vicinity and that consequently invited quite a number of people from other states. The population soon increased to such an extent that it was found necessary to "tear down and build greater." A more commodious building was erected. Mr. G. V. Millan was elected President ot the Board ot Education, B. F. Charlton, Secretary, 1893, and when the question was raised concerning the building of a new school house, Mr. J. T. Koen and the late Jas. H. Furbee and John Blackshere were appointed members of the building committee. These men deserve special mention for their untiring labor spent in the interest of education. It was not a pleasant task tor them. Much opposition arose, but they met it all with a courage that deserves commendation. Ofttimes when the building funds were limited, these great-hearted men went down into their own pockets to meet their neighbor's obligations, as well as their own. In 1894 the structure was begun. The old frame building gave way to a splendid brick structure of twelve rooms. Mr. W. H. Daniels was elected the first principal ot the new brick building in 1894. He taught three years. The existence of the building was short. On the 24th day of January, 1902, it caught fire and was burned to the ground. The records of the school, together with much of the furniture and books, were consumed by the flames. The same year saw the beginning of the present magnificent struc- ture, and the following year, 1903, saw its completion, under the shrewd management of C. E. Jolliffe, President, P. C. McBee, Secretary, Theophi- lus Moore and Caleb Moore, members of the Board of Education, and J. T. Koen, W. T. Morris and Jas. T. Criss, members of the building com- mittee. Much has been said concerning the present building, and much more can be said. It needs here to be mentioned only, that we have the most modern, the most complete public school building in the State. It stands a fitting monument to the sentiment of education. Mr. P. C. McBee, the present Superintendent, and his able assistants deserve much praise in bringing and keeping Mannington to its present high standard of school excellence. The enumeration at present is eight hundred eighty. There are now fourteen teachers employed. The school is working its way rapidly to the station of the foremost high schools ot the State. Three teachers of the fourteen already do High School work and it is only a question of time until those seeking a High School education need not go out of Mannington. Then when we look back thirty-eight years we can see that the educational interest has kept pace with all our great material development.