WHITE RIVER VALLEY — Lying within nine square miles of the southern edge of Washington County and about six miles west of Cold Spring, now known as Devil’s Den State Park, Shady Grove was small and isolated.

For this reason, and possibly others unknown, this small district continued to struggle along for more than 83 years as an independent district.

It would be 1949 before Shady Grove was consolidated. At that time a newly enacted state law required school districts with less than 350 enumerates to consolidate.

A long time before that, though, about 90 percent of the district was within walking distance of the small settlement of Odell.

Walking distance was considered anything under two miles. I can’t imagine asking children to walk two miles to school today.

In those days children had only to fear rattlesnakes, copperheads, black bears, an occasional panther, falling off a cliff or drowning in one of the creeks they had to ford. In all probability no one would be hiding behind a tree to grab them up and sweep them away.

The first teacher in thissmall school, no doubt built of logs with no window glass and possibly only quilts to cover the openings in cold weather, was Stella Lewis. She was paid $15.50 for teaching the 1891 term. With the limited tax base and a seven mill levy, not much in the way of pay or school supplies could be provided. Other early teachers were Finis Hardy, R. Ferguson, Will Cowan, J.R. Banks, O.L. Glover and J.J. Dipbay.

Shady Grove became a part of Washington County District Number 20 when it was consolidated. That was the Winslow District. Some of these small schools continued to function as first through eighth grade, using Winslow as a high school. I don’t know if Shady Grove was one of those. The district was annexed to Lincoln in 1967, and that ended this tiny school’s existence.

Another district with that same name was District #31, and it was located on what is now Highway 265 north of the West Fork Road Intersection, now known as Highway 170. It was a school for the settlement by the name of Moffitt. As far back as 1862 itwas known as Hog Eye. There are many reasons for the name, no one is sure which, if any of them, are true.

The village was laid out in city lots and Main street was the route for the Butterfield stage line, or Old Wire Road. The next street east intersected with West Fork Road just west of Shady Grove School House. It had been there since 1853 when George B. and Susan G. Anderson donated a half acre of land for a church and school. The district was not formed until around 1871. A nearby school, known as Liberty, had the same school directors.

The school day was six hours long and ran from August 19 through November 9. In 1900 a teacher contract for the monthly wage of $30 was awarded to Eva Sharp. For that princely sum she must teach as well as keep the premises cleanand encourage parents to send their children to school. It’s my guess she also had to see to firewood for the stove, though inall probability she could get some of the older boys to take care of this chore.

Students would probably also carry in a bucket of water when needed.

Terms were extended to five months by the early 1900s. Around 1915-16 the schoolhouse burned, destroying the big dictionary the teacher had purchased with the proceeds from a pie supper a month previously.

The new school burned in the 1950s and was never rebuilt. Nothing is there now but a few shade trees.

If you have stories to share, call me at 634-3151 or write my email address.

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Velda Brotherton is an award winning fiction and nonfiction author. She has had 10 books published.

She lives in Winslow.

Opinion, Pages 9 on 10/15/2009

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