Monongalia County Schools, 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 History of Education in West Virginia Prepared under the direction of the State Superintendent of Free Schools 1904, Charleston: The Tribune Printing Company, 1904 pgs. 222 - 226 Monongalia County BY JESSE HENRY, SUPERINTENDENT The school master was in Monongalia county before the year 1780, and schools were taught tor eleven years before the Indians departed from the county; but now not even the names of those old masters can be ob- tained, and the description of their school houses only has come down to us. The frontier school house was beneath the trees, or in the cabin of a settler close to the fort. Its successor was the backwoods school house. This early school house was a single story, round log cabin. The furniture of these houses was as rude as the building itself. The master, as the teacher was then called, was usually a grim and stern personage, presiding with absolute authority, and ruling by fear and not by love. The schools were not regulated by law, a subscription paper, stating the price of tuition per scholar for the term, was circulated, and each person affixed to his name the number of scholars he would send. If a sufficient number was obtained, the school would commence. The boarding of the teacher was exclusive of the price of tuition, and he was supposed to stay at the house of each parent such number of days as the number of scholars assigned by him bore to the whole number of scholars. The course of instruction was limited to the few primary branches of spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic, and the qualifications of the masters to teach even these properly were generally wanting, though, there were a few good teachers in these first schools. The school history of Monongalia county may be divided into three periods: the Pioneer schools, the Subscription schools and the Free schools. I will speak no more of the first period. As tor the second, it may be said: As the county settled up improvements were made in the houses and in the methods of teaching. On February 10, 1810 an act was passed by the General Assembly creating the Literary Fund. It was provided that all confiscations, penalties, forfeitures and fines, and all rights in personal property, accruing to the commonwealth shall be appropriated to the en- couragement of learning. The Auditor was directed to open an account to be designated the Literary Fund. In 1818 an act was passed for the annual appointment by the court of a board of school commissioners. Each county was to receive such proportion as its free white population of the State, for the education of poor children. This money was appropriated from the Literary Fund. This was the first provision made for the education of poor children, and was known as the poor primary school system, attached to the subscription system, and which existed until 1864, when it was succeeded by the present free school system. In 1842 the county court appointed the second board of commissioners, part from the east side and part from the west side of the Monongahela river, and this division of the east and west side was kept up as long as the system continued. Under the act of March 5, 1846 amending the Primary School system, the county court of Monongalia county October 25, 1846, divided the county into twenty-seven districts, and appointed a school commissioner for each. The rate of tuition, in 1859, was by the day; three and one-fourth to three and one-halt cents per day was the general average. THE FREE SCHOOL SYSTEM The patriotic men who, refusing to follow the State in secession, stood fast by the Union, and who were driven to advocate the formation of a new State, and who were chosen to frame a constitution for it, had seen the beneficial workings of a uniform system of free schools in the adjoin- 224 HISTORY OF EDUCATION, ing states, as well as in other states of the Union. They foresaw the trouble such a system would encounter, and knowing the difficulties that would attend such a system, they placed it beyond the reach of the passions and prejudices of the hour. They put into the first constitution of West Virginia the clause which the first Legislature of West Virginia, on Decem- ber 20, 1863, obeyed, and passed a long act establishing the free school sys- tem. The voters of each township were to elect a Board of Education, consisting of three commissioners, and the voters of the county, at the same time, were to elect a county superintendent of free schools. The duties of the Board of Education combined those which are now performed by the Board and the trustees. They had the control of the school prop- erty; were to take the annual enumeration of youth between the ages of 6 and 21 years; divide the township into sub-districts; cause a sufficient number of schools to be taught; direct what books should be used; buy lots erect school houses, appoint teachers and fix their wages; visit the schools, etc. The county superintendent, among other things, was to examine all candidates for the profession of teaching, and to those compe- tent, to grant certificates; to visit schools, to encourage the formation of county associations of teachers, and teachers' institutes, etc. He was to receive an annual salary of from one hundred to five hundred dollars, to be fixed by the board of supervisors of the county. The first election of school officers occurred on the fourth Thursday in April, 1864. The Legislature of 1866 amended and re-enacted the entire school law, in that year for the first time were trustees provided for. Up to the year 1867 the law provided that schools should be kept open six months in each year. In the said year it was enacted that the schools should be kept open at least four months, and that no township which failed to lay a school levy in any year should receive any part of the State fund in such year. The Free School system was retained in the constitution of 1872, which enjoined upon the Legislature to provide by general law for a thorough and efficient system of free schools. The Acts of 1872-3 provided that the county superintendent should be assisted by two examiners, appointed by the presidents of the Boards of Education in the county, in the issuing of teachers' certificates. COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS The county superintendents of free schools of Monongalia county, up to the present time, are as follows: 1864-1866, H. W. Biggs, who removed from the county and George C. Sturgiss was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1867-1869, Henry L. Cox. 1869-1871, Henry L. Cox. 1871-1873, Henry L. Cox. 1873-1875, Rev. J. L. Simpson, who did not serve; Henry L. Cox was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1875-1877, Alexander L. Wade. 1877-1879, Alexander L. Wade. 1879-1881, Bruce L. Keenan. 1881-1883, Benjamin S. Morgan. 1883-1885, Benjamin S. Morgan. 1885-1887, Virgil Vandervort. 1887-1889, W. E. Glasscock. 1889-1891, W. E. Glasscock, who was in a short time elected to clerk of the circuit court of Monongalia county; M. L. C. Brown was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1891-1893, M. L. C. Brown. 1893-1895, D. B. Waters. 1895-1899, D. B. Waters. 1899-1903, Stephen Mason. 1903———, Jesse Henry. ORGANIZATION To A. L. Wade belongs the honor of being the author of a graduating system for country schools, which has had a marked influence for good on the schools of Monongalia county. The first class was formed in 1875, , and was called the Class of 1876. Two hundred and sixty-one pupils entered the class and 196 completed the course and received diplomas. To B. S. Morgan belongs the honor of being the author of an outline course of study, which has proven to be a great help to teachers in their work, and has met with great success throughout the State. This outline course of study was introduced in the common schools of Monongalia county in 1880. The Teachers' Association of Monongalia county was organized by Superintendent Sturgiss on December 27, 1865, and con- tinued to meet twice a year at Morgantown until 1869. On December 27 1870, a county institute was held at Morgantown by appointment of the State Superintendent. Since 1879 county institutes have been held for one week in each year at Morgantown. The Free School system did not go into effect in Monongalia county until 1865. It is said that Grant District was the first to open free schools, and that Cass and Clinton were the next to follow. Monongalia county is divided into eight school districts, viz: Battelle, Clay, Cass, Clinton, Grant, Morgan, Union, and the Independent District of Morgantown. With but one school house forty years ago, worthy to be called a school house, and that one Fort Martin, located in Cass District, we now have 118, the most of which are very good buildings. This is a revolution that can not go backwards. The length of school term in Monongalia county is five months. The salary of teachers holding No. 1 certificates ranges from $33 to $40 per month; for No. 2 certificates, $26 to $33 per month. The enumeration shows a school population of 5,972. The schools of Monongalia county are advancing, people are becoming more interested in the cause of education. The board of education are supplying the schools with better apparatus, slate blackboards, maps, etc. Libraries are being started. District institutes for the betterment of teachers and those interested in education are held each month in the several disricts of the county. The acts of 1903, establishing the uniform system of examinations, in West Virginia, while it has caused a scarcity of teachers for the present, I sincerely believe will revolutionize the Free School system. We will have better teachers, better schools and a general advancement of the Free School system. And to raise the standard of education in Monongalia county we must have better attendance, more enthusiasm among the pupils, and more solid progress by them; a growing appreciation of the people, and more general co-operation by them, and the improved qualifications and better work of teachers.