Schools - 1900EARLY EDUCATION IN DAVIE COUNTY
circa 1900
photographs by:
Mrs. Lucille Cornatzer
Collection of material by:
Mrs. Lucille Cornatzer
and
David Joyner
March 20, 1974
Advance, North Carolina
retyped and digitized
by Marie Benge Craig Roth
April 2010
1
THE MOVEMENT FOR BETTER SCHOOLS
There were many reasons why North Carolina made slow progress in education after the war. (Civil
War). The low income and poverty of the people, the bad roads and scattered population, and the large
number of children made it very difficult to have a good school in reach of every child. The schools
that were set up were poor because the teachers were not well trained, buildings and equipment were
poor, and classes were too large.
Slowly, though, the friends of public education gained in strength. By 1890 there was a strong
movement for better schools. Manufacturing and trade had caused a great increase in the towns of
wealth, crops were larger, and the state was now wealthy enough to spend more money for education.
The farmers had begun to organize. They demanded that the businessmen be forced to pay their fair
share of taxes. Then the state would have more money for public schools.
Then, too, a group of young leaders was urging, that public education was the only sure road to
progress. In 1899 Charles D. McIver and Edwin A. Alderman were sent by the state into every county
to train teachers and to speak to the people about the need for public education. For three years these
men preached education and made many thousands of people willing to pay taxes for schools.
Ignorance is more costly than good schools, they said. In Raleigh, Walter Hines Page, a young editor,
had been trying to wake the state. L.L. Polk and Marion Butler were urging the farmers to support
schools and colleges. In Goldsboro Charles B. Aycock was a friend of public education.
The legislature provided more money for schools and required the people of every school district to pay
or vote on the question of local school tax. Now the Democratic party was restored to state power with
younger leaders who were in favor of progress.
The Democrats voted more money for public schools and elected Charles B. Aycock governor in 1900
on the promise to set up better public school for all white and Negro students. With Aycock a new age
of public education opened in North Carolina.
Hugh T. Lefler
1969 Edition of
North Carolina – History Geography and Government
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Fork Academy, Fork Community Building 4
Cokesbury Methodist School 5
South Advance Academy, Shutt 6
Elbaville Community School 7
Fulton or Smithfield School 8
North Advance Academy, Community Building 9
Piney Grove School 10
Cornatzer School 11
Jarvis School 12
R. L. Ellis School 13
Dulins School 14
Hartmans School 15
Baltimore School 16
Redland School 17
Mt. Zion School 18
Greenwood School 19
Beauchamp School 20
Howard School 21
Hairstons School 22
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1.Report prepared by Mrs. H. C. Cornatzer on the Davie County Schools. (1965)
2.James Wall, History of Davie County, 1969; pages 222-223.
3.The Flossie Martin Collection contains several accounts of various schools in Davie County.
3
FORK ACADEMY, FORK COMMUNITY BUILDING
(Fulton Township, Fork Church Community)
1.In 1879, the congregation of the Fork Baptist Church decided to sponsor an academy with the
“...object of providing a more excellent training of its young people for service.”
2.The trustees bought a lot from Dr. Milton Hobbs next to the church to erect a two story frame
building which was completed in October of 1879.
3.The first principal was C.A. Rominger, a Wake Forest graduate. He taught three years and was
followed by J.T. Alderman, another Wake Forest graduate who taught from 1882 to 1892.
Wilson Merrell became principal in 1901 and taught until 1915. He left much history on the
Fork Baptist Church.
4.The Davie County Board of Education sold the Academy in July of 1919 for $700.00.
5.The school was blown off its foundation in 1961 during a storm.
4
COKESBURY METHODIST SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Advance Community)
1.Organized in 1793.
2.Named for Thomas Coke and Francis S. Asbury.
3.Located in the Samuel Bryan area, high above the Yadkin River on the present (1974) land of
Taylor Bailey.
4.Built on six large cornerstones.
5.Bishop Asbury preached there in 1799.
6.Built near Phelps Ferry (Aquila Phelps Horse Ford) near the present (1974) Idols Dam.
7.The first Methodist sponsored school in North Carolina
8.Asbury wrote in 1793 (or April 1794), the school stood:
“...on a beautiful eminence and overlooked the low-lands and river Yadkin.”
“...twenty feet square, two stories and well set out with doors and windows.”
described how the school looked. On October 12, 1799 he wrote the following in his
journal: “...said but at the academical school house, now a house for God.”
9.James Parks, an able minister and teacher was the principal of the school.
10.Hanes Cemetery is nearby.
11.Cokesbury School eventually became the present Advance United Methodist Church in
Advance.
12.John Dickens prepared the first plan for a Methodist school in America, and the first money
ever given for Methodist education was donated by Gabriel Long and a Mr. Bustion. Asbury
called the school “a Kingswood School in America.” Presumably it was to be in N.C. And a
Cokesbury School was actually established.
13.James Parks, son-in-law of Hardy Jones who lived on the site of the school was taken from the
district and became principal of the school.
5
SOUTH ADVANCE ACADEMY
Shutt School 1906
Shutt School was located on Shutt Road approximately ‚ mile down the road to the left. Photographs
have shown some 50 students (13 named Shutt) and the teacher was Miss Tullah Byerly.
Students named Shutt:
Willie Lee Shutt
Grover Deloss Shutt
Leonard Wesley Shutt
Walter Monroe Shutt
Mattie Viola Shutt, Lydia Holder (mother a Shutt)
Ella Crawford Shutt
Laura Eugenia Shutt
Albert Holder (mother a Shutt)
Arthur Lee Shutt
Mary Eliza Shutt
Alma Viola Shutt
Other students:
Luke Orrell
Rufus Markland
Naylor Foster
Grace Faircloth
Agnes Peebles
Nan Jones
Ethel Tucker
Clara Jones
Emma Markland
Frances McMahon
Mammie Markland
Clara Orrell
Annie Faircloth
Maggie Sidden
Ollie Hege
Walter Peebles
Paul Peebles
William Glenn White
Ruth Jones
Lucille Peebles
Myrtle March
Julia Jones
Ann Foster
Roscoe White
Preacher Scales was at the Methodist Church at this time. Four of his children are in the picture, but
don't know them.
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WILLY PHELPS SCHOOL OR ELBAVILLE SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Elbaville Community)
1.In 1858, Jerimiah Ellis to _____ Holton, Thomas Fry, Alexander Robbins, George Sidden,
James Thorton, Elan. Gaither and Oarand Weisman of Davie, Davie, Davidson, Forsyth, Randolph, and
Iredell counties, 5 acres of land “for building an seminery of learning and house for worship of the
almighty God under the control of the Methodist Protestant Church.
Land lying on the east side of the public road from Fulton to Clemmonsville; 2 mile
north of Fulton. Joining the property of L. Chaffin and Thomas Ellis.
2.The old Willy Phelps farm used to be a school.
3.Located on the site of the present Elbaville United Methodist Church.
4.Teachers: Delia Crouse, Ethel Smithdeal, Foda Lee Sterch, Luther Crouse, Edna Ward, Charlie
Boardway, Lelia Martin and Lily Merony
5.Sold in the 1920's to the Elbaville Methodist Protestant Church by the Board of Education.
6.Partial list of those attending:
Lula Lyons Dragg
Patti Lyons
Genevera Lyons Robertson
Earnest Markland
Lloyld Markland
Joe Markland
Amanda Waller Frye
Rosie Waller Jones
Nat Waller
Kelly Waller
Sadie Waller Jones
Mamie Markland Myers
Ada Mae Tucker
Emma Tucker Cook
Blanche Tucker Foster
Ruth Waller Waller
Sudie Tucker Jones
Annie Tucker
Kate Tucker
Charlie Tucker
J.T. Tucker
Bailey Tucker
D.S. Tucker
Alec Tucker
Frank (Son) Tucker
Luretta Orrell Koontz
Lizet (Liz) Markland
Annie Jarvis Myers
Ollie Myers
Thomas Ellis
Mildred Ellis Hege
Bill Ellis
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FULTON
(Fulton Township, Fulton Community)
1.School was held in the old Hanes home
2.Located near the Yadkin River.
3.Possibly taught by the late Miss Sallie Hanes.
4.Was held in the home of the present owner, Mrs. Lula Mae Lanier.
5.Was a small one room log school heated by a fireplace or a pot belly stove.
6.Under the control of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South to educate their men and young
ladies for service.
7.Went either by the name of Smithfield or Peebles since these two schools have not been located.
8.Located beside the home of Dr. D.W. Sharpe who possibly taught there too.
9.On page 111, the Board of Education asked in 1903 in their minutes, “Do you want to
consolidate spring ….. in the Fulton town?”
10.Site for a school was laid off in the town of Fulton in 1819 by the Hanes family, possibly to
educate their young and quite possibly their slaves.
8
NORTH ADVANCE ACADEMY
(Shady Grove Township, Advance Community)
1.Two room school; one room upstairs and one room downstairs.
2.The principal taught downstairs and was in charge of the complete school.
3.Miss Mary Henry was at one time principal of the school.
4.Pastor Scales, Minister of the Advance Charge also taught there.
5.Miss Nora Bailey was at one time a teacher.
6.A tuition was charged for attending there.
7.The building was in the yard of the Advance Methodist Church, facing the Underpass Road
beside the cemetery.
8.Presently (1974) used as a community building and recreation facility.
9.The upstairs was used by the junior and senior high students.
10.The Methodist Church had no authority over the school.
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PINEY GROVE SCHOOL
(Negro, Shady Grove Township, east of Advance)
1.Built across from the Piney Grove Methodist Church.
2.Was a log building.
3.Built around 1909.
4.Was a one room school.
5.The teacher was Alice Brilverd. She died and was buried at Christmas. (At Piney Grove?)
6.Later the school was built at the well of Piney Grove Church and the only new additions were
the new cloak rooms at the front of the school.
7.Attended school in the parsonage until the new school was completed.
8.At consolidation of the Davie County schools, the students were sent to the Davie Training
School in Mocksville.
9.The first site of this school is an open field.
10.Piney Grove is the only Methodist Negro church in Davie County (in 1974).
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CORNATZER SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Cornatzer Community)
1.Nicknamed Grass Hopper School.
2.George Barney home now stands on the site.
11
JARVIS HOME WAS COLORED SCHOOL IN FORK
Jarvis Colored School at Fork Community was the home of Robie Jarvis who lived on a hillside (at
left) at the intersection of highway 801 and highway 64 east. Schoolhouse was behind the service
station at corner.
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R.L. ELLIS SCHOOL
1.Teacher: Sally Van Eaton, Ethel Foster, Oscar Allen, Myrtle Williams, Lara Woosley, Will
Alexander and John Allem. (Allen?)
2.Used to have night school.
3.Mary Allen taught night school.
4.Taught by Florence Stafford, B.W. Whitemore, Early Atkinson and Safo Merony (?).
13
DULINS SCHOOLHOUSE, HOWARD SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Dulins Community)
1.Craig Howard's home.
2.Built in 1911.
3.Teacher was Mable Chaffin.
14
LEWIS HARTMAN'S HOME
1.Wiley Hartman was the teacher.
2.Built in 1901.
3.Hartman School was on Underpass Road and Vogler Road. The school faced Underpass Road.
15
STEVE ORRELL'S HOME OR BALTIMORE SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Baltimore Community)
1.Two rooms.
2.Teachers:
Sally Van Eaton
Tom Allen
Earl Atkinson
Lydia Holder
Mrs. Leonard
3.A poplar tree, once used as a swing, now (1974) stands bent from the children sitting and
swinging on it beside the Baltimore Road.
4.The school is now a home, after additions were added to the structure. It was located off Jetry
Road and Baltimore Road near Bixby.
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REDLAND SCHOOL
(Farmington Township)
1.Across from the Smith Grove School.
2.Teacher was Will Allen.
3.Now a church in 1964.
4.Used to be at Redland.
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COLORED SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Mt. Zion Community)
1.Near the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church. Mt. Zion School was located at the intersection of
Peoples Creek Road and Burton Road. The school faced Underpass Road and was east of the
now Mt. Zion Church (colored).
2.Present day (1974) community building.
3.Originally it was located across the road before being used as a community building.
4.There was a bench used there that was once used in the Piney Grove School.
5.The school had desks for the students to use.
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GREENWOOD SCHOOL
(Fulton Township)
The Greenwood School on Route 3 will be open November 19 with Professor W.F. Merrell teacher. He
has taught for the past several years.
Hazel Gobble, teacher.
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BEAUCHAMP SCHOOL
(Shady Grove Township, Bixby Community)
1.Located near Bixby.
2.Later moved to Howardtown.
20
HOWARD SCHOOL, ELGIN WILLIAMS HOME
(Shady Grove Township)
1.Beyond Bailey's Chapel Church (?).
2.Teachers were Sally Van Eaton and Will Allen.
3.Partial list of those attending:
Estel Carter Sprately
Lawrance Carter
Viola Carter Howard
Chessie Carter Richardson
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HAIRSTON'S SCHOOL
(Fulton Township)
1.Located on the Cooleemee Plantation.
2.Used by those families that worked or lived there.
3.Was town down and moved.
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