The pioneers of Harrison County early took an interest in education and schools were established as soon as the settlements were made, though in the early development there were many obstacles in the way.  Harrison County schools now will compare favorably with those in any part of the state.

Jonas R. Gray taught the first school in Bethany in 1846.  The building was erected for school and church purposes and stood until some times in the '50's.  William Fleming also taught in the same building.  William G. Lewis was identified with the educational interests of the towns as a teacher, also F.M. Goodpasture, Mr. Clendening, L.T. Morris, Doctor Skinner and others.  In 1871 W.H. Hilllman took the contract for the building of a $6,500.00 building.  Mrs. S.C. German, who now resides in Bethany, was one of the teachers in the school at that time.  John R. Kirk, President of the Kirksville Normal School and past state superintendent of schools, was principal of the Bethany school in 1876-1877.  In 1885 he was employed as superintendent, going from Bethany to Kansas City about twenty-four years ago.

The building erected in 1871 was improved and enlarged many times but became inadequate and in 1912 was torn down and a $40,000.00 building erected.  The new building has three stories.  On the main floor are eight class rooms; on the second floor are the assembly hall, with large stage, five recitation rooms, two laboratories, library and superintendent's office.  The basement consists of gymnasium, manual training room, domestic science room, girls' playroom, boiler room, etc.  The building is equipped with modern ventilating system, plumbing, and sanitary drinking fountains.  The extreme size of the building is 140x82 feet.  Outside walls of the basement are of dark red vitrified brick with stone trimmings; of the first and second story walls, medium red vitrified brick, with stone caps and sills, all laid in red mortar.  Bethany also has one ward school building, the Webster, in the west part of town, a splendid new tow story brick building.

Miss Nellie Sutton is at present the efficient county superintendent of schools.

There are now in Harrison County 144 school districts, 135 rural schools and 9 independent districts.  In the nine independent districts of the county there are eight high schools.  Three are first class...Bethany, Cainsville and Ridgeway; one second class, Gilman City; four third class...Blythedale, Eagleville, Mount Moriah, and New Hampton.  This is a splendid record and means that every school in Harrison County is doing work approved by the State Department of Education and the State University.  In all probability Gilman City school will be put on the first class list this year and no doubt New Hampton will be raised to second class.

Bethany has sixteen teachers, ten grade and six high school, and has a teachers training course doing approved work.  Cainsville has twelve teachers, nine grade and five high school; Ridgeway, nine teachers, five grade and four high school; Gilman City, seven teachers, four grade and three high school; New Hampton, five teachers, three grade, and two high school; Blythedale, four teachers, three grade and one high school; Mount Moriah, four teachers, three grade and one high school; Eagleville, three teachers, two grade and one high school.

Of the 195 teachers in the county, 6 are university graduates; 36 are normal school graduates; 5 have life state certificates; 6 have five-year state certificates; 142 are teaching on county certificates.  Fifty are graduates of four year high schools; 30 are graduates of two year high schools and 40 have done from one to one and a half years' high school work, leaving only 22 who have done no high school work.

Submitted by:  Melody Beery
mbeery@grm.net

RIDGEWAY SCHOOLS	EAGLEVILLE SCHOOLS	MT. MORIAH SCHOOLS	HATFIELD SCHOOLS
COUNTRY SCHOOLS	BETHANY SCHOOLS	CAINSVILLE SCHOOLS	GILMAN CITY SCHOOLS
MARTINSVILLE SCHOOLS	NEW HAMPTON SCHOOLS

 

BACK to Harrison County, Missouri Genealogy Trails
©2008 Genealogy Trails