Rightnowar School History

Class Pictures
from
Jefferson County, IL

Rightnowar School

Information from the December 1984 Prairie Historian

  


Rightnowar School 
Long Prairie, McClellan Township

In 1852 Henry Rightnowar purchased from the government the land on which Rightnowar School stands,
and on August 23, 1859 he and his wife Jane (Hicks) turned it over to school trustees Samuel Finley Black, Adam Rightnowar, and John Hicks.
It is believed that school was held there before 1859 however, because Mary Frances Howe's fifthe reader bears her name and the date 1857. Doubtless she had attended school for some years before that because you do not enter school in the fifth grade. A mention of the school property was mentioned in a deed dated 1865 written by Eli Gilbert, a Justice of the Peace.
The present building is the third one to be erected on the same site. The first one, built of logs, was at that time on the east side of the Pinkneyville Road and a lane led from the road east to the school house. The road that now passes on the east side of the school was not opened until much later.
The present building was erected in 1915-16 and Charles E. Simmons who is still living, taught the year prior to that in the old school and the first year in the new one. At that time there were seven such stuctures in McClellan Township. Charlie's salary was $45. per month for teaching and for assuming all janitorial duties.
Trustees paid Frank Place $215.00 for constructing the new school which was built from $674.97 worth of materials, $109.01 of which was spent for fifty new desks with folding seats.
One student on that first day, Charlie Elliston, learned the hard way about how treacherous those folding seats could be. He got his toes mashed when the pupil in front of him sat down. His crying alerted the others to the danger but did not keep them from suffering the same fate at other times.
Transportation costs were much lower 70 years ago also. Johnny Earl's father hauled concrete blocks from Mt. Vernon to the school site for $3. per hundred, gravel for the same didtance for $1.75 a yard, and 3,000 shingles for $2.65.
When Johnny Earls, who was born and raised near the school, and his wife LaVera purchased the school at auction in 1955, they paid $350. for it, more than it had cost to build & equip it in 1915. They have preserved and restored it as a landmark and to the best of knowledge it is the only country school left in the county in it's original state and in good condition.
In 1981 Johnny and LaVera, their family and friends, began painting and restoring the building an the first annual reunion was held at the school that year. It has now evolved into a Long Pr. Homecoming where a basket dinner is served and a good time had by all. A speaker usually recalls something of the days gone by and the values that were instilled in pupils back in those days. Such memories and stories are dear to the hearts of all who ever attended there or any other one room country school.

**This list was provided by Nina Dare**
1894 Students Teacher Della Armour		Class Photo
Sam Elliston	Lizzie Lee	Ira (Barney) Bean
Doug Mandrell	Charles Rutherford	Edd Bean
John Vaughn	Houston Rutherford	Louis Wells
Homer Rightnowar	Garner Vaughn	Dave Wells
Nell Rightnowar	Ethel Bean	James Wells
Luna Rightnowar	Stanton Bean	Omer Wells
Sam Rightnowar	Edd Mandrell	Lizzie Lennington
Inez Rightnowar	Adam Wells	Sam Black
Martha Rightnowar	Joe Elliston	Jim Black
Mandy Rightnowar	Frank Bean	Charlie Mandrell
Walter Bean	Tom Elliston
Lottie Lennington	Ceba Quimby
Edith Rutherford	Emma Black
Rosa Elliston	Blanch Dennis
Kate Elliston	Hattie Elliston

**Orley Modert, former student of Rightnowar School, provided this list of students who attended during the years**
**1900 -1906. The teachers at that time were Mr. Lacey and Albert Schmidt**
Alson Modert	Earl Earls
Orley Modert	Dick Earls
King Hester	Fern Bean
Cynthia Hester	Add Wells
Richard Davis	Amega Wells
Tish Davis	Minnie wells
Ralph Masters	Charlie Rutherford
Monroe Masters	Orlie Rutherford
Etta King	George Rutherford
Bill King	Ralph Rutherford
Harvey Gilbert	Adam Rightnowar
Bill Lennington	Homer Rightnowar
Brian Gilbert	Nell Rightnowar
Edna Fairchild	Doug Mandrell
Evert Fairchild	---- Munson
Bessie Lennington	---- Dennis

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