Cameron Public School, Marshall County, West Virginia

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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. 156 - 157

Cameron Public School

BY GEO. E. HUBBS, PRINCIPAL

So far as can be ascertained from the records, the Cameron Public
School is now in its thirty-eighth year. The oldest record of a meeting of
the Board of Education is that of September 2, 1865; the meeting being
held at Glen Easton, for the "purpose of reporting on the enumeration of
youth in Cameron Township."

In the early days of the free school system in this township, the
regulations seem to have been very rigorous, as there is an order entered
upon the minutes which reads: "D. M. Burley and Wm. J. Conkle, teachers,
took the oath as prescribed by law."

On April 20, 1866, a meeting of the Board of Education was called by
T. Wilson, at Glen Easton, at which meeting it was decided "to purchase
a site from John Parkinson, on the Waynesburg Road, near Rock Lick;

also one from Dr. Stidger, in Cameron; and also one from George Hubbs,
in Glen Easton." The records do not seem to have been very carefully
kept, as no order can be found which relates to the building of school-
houses until some years later. However, we find, when the record is clear,
that the school-house in Cameron was located near where the Christian

WEST VIBOINIA                          157

Church now stands. This building contained two rooms and served Its
purpose until 1878, when the number of pupils having increased to such an
extent that more room was necessary, W. R. McDonald was authorized by
the Board of Education, to purchase the old Disciple Church to be used
as a school building. This amount of room served very well until 1891,
when the present building was erected. Again in 1900, the school having
grown rapidly in numbers, a two-roomed annex was built, making six
rooms in all. At this writing, two rooms in another part of the city have
been rented and fitted up for school purposes, and arrangements are being
made to build a ten or twelve-room school-house for next year.

In 1887, the Board of Education passed an order making; the Cameron
school a graded school, but the requirements for graduation seem to have
been limited to the twelve "common school" branches until 1900, when the
Board of Education added to the course of study. Elementary Algebra,
Physical Geography, and American Literature. Again, in 1903, Rhetoric,
Geometry, Higher English, and Drawing were added to the course. The
aim is to establish a District High school the coming year, and make the
course of study on a level with other high schools of the State.

The school has, now, a library of over five hundred volumes of
choice biography, history, travel, fiction, works of reference, etc. The
funds for the maintenance of the library are raised by the pupils of
the school. Contributions are made and an entertainment of some kind
is given each year.

The watch-word is Onward and Upward.