1st Webb City School

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="007c8863.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#999966" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >1st Webb City School<B>   </B></FONT><A HREF="http://www.jaspercountyschools.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.jaspercountyschools.org/"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>  </B><A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Webb City"><U><B>Webb City School</B></U></A></div> <div> The first Webb City schoolhouse was built in 1877. It was a four-room building </div> <div> located near the corner of Webb & Joplin (Broadway) Streets and was known as </div> <div> Central School.  Prior to the construction of the new school, classes were held </div> <div> above the Hall Drug Store, which stood where the Webb City Bank is now located. </div> <bR> <div> The frame structure faced east on Webb Street and cost the city $2500</div> <div> to build.  It was built only a few months after Webb City was incorporated</div> <div> as a town. The school opened in April, 1877.  S. M. Dickey was the first principal.</div> <div> Miss Story, of Granby, Missouri, was the first assistant principal.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="0aebc020.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="514" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Photo circa 1877</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="16abcd00.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="464" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 1885, Grades 7 & 8</div> <div> <I>Front row: </I>Charles Lewis, Fred Varner, Claude Fishburn, Frank McPherson, Julia </div> <div> White, ? Lewis, Leona Hatcher, Ida Weatherford, Emma Baker, Myrtle Lingle, unk.</div> <div> <I>Second row: </I>L. L. McCormick-principal, George R. Sutherland, Clarence Lingle, </div> <div> Harry Hulett.</div> <div> <I>Third row (behind principal): </I>Ben C. Aylor and John Greenwade.</div> <div> <I>Back row:</I> Herman Baker, Hattie Carey, Beulah Robinson, Pet Johnson, unk, Clara</div> <div> Caldwell, Mamie Marvin, Rosa White, Myrtle Snodgrass, Lucy Wolfe, Maude Reed,</div> <div> Cora Tholborn, Minnie Hancock, Pearl Smith</div> <div> <I>Photo courtesy of The Webb City Historical Society.</I></div> <bR> <div> In 1889 the Central School building was expanded to include eight rooms and a high </div> <div> school was established.   Enrollment at that time was between four and five hundred </div> <div> students.  The high school course consisted of only two years' work, but as the population </div> <div> grew, the course was extended to four years in 1892.  Theodore Axline was the first </div> <div> principal of the high school.  The faculty members were V. Letta Speaks, Ella Helm, </div> <div> Ella Walker, M. J. Weatherford, Willie E. Franklin, Ruby Robinson and Rose Fishburn.  </div> <div> The school had no modern conveniences such as a library or laboratory and was the </div> <div> only structure of the kind in town.  In 1912, Ella Helm stated, “Owing to the floating </div> <div> population and overcrowded condition of the schools, they were not well graded.   </div> <div> The first morning of the session, the High School pupils were permitted to select their </div> <div> own course of study, for it would have been difficult to have done otherwise with this </div> <div> motley crowd-representatives from so many different schools and so many different states.  </div> <div> By careful study of the advancement of the pupils, Professor Axline made the following </div> <div> High School course of study, suited to the needs of the times:  Physical geography, </div> <div> higher arithmetic, algebra, plane geometry, botany, zoology, physics, rhetoric, general </div> <div> history and English literature.”  </div> <bR> <div> There were no graduates the first year, instead of having the regular graduating exercises, </div> <div> a “strawberry festival” was held in which the entire community took part.    In 1890, the first </div> <div> class of students graduated from the Central High School.  It consisted of six students:</div> <div> Plum Edwards, C. W. Fishburn, Minnie Hancock, W. H. McAboy, Ada Stockton and Lucy Wolfe. </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0e1bc110.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="529" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A festival at Central School, photo contributed by Jeanne Newby.</div> <div>  </div> <div> The following school year, Professor Stevens was employed as superintendent, with a force </div> <div> of twelve teachers.  The highest room was No. 7, at the Central and included seventh and </div> <div> eighth grades and the High School.  The superintendent heard recitations in the little cloak </div> <div> room at the foot of the east stairway.  There was no departmental work in the High School.  </div> <div> Each teacher taught all the subjects in the grade assigned to them.  The schools were </div> <div> overcrowded.  In 1892, the West Side school building was completed and the High School </div> <div> was moved to that building, occupying one room.</div> <bR> <div> The original Central School was replaced by a new building in 1894.  The frame structure was</div> <div>  later moved to a new location on Broadway Street where it is used as a private residence.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0afbcd20.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="466" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Photo taken in 2004.</div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="180bc830.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="387" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> Possibly the early Central school building and students.</div> <div> <I>Photo from the Dan Crutcher collection.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="1f4bcd00.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="464" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> This photo shows the location of the Central schoolhouse to the north of the Hemenway</div> <div> residence.  They Hemenway home still stands today.  Photo is circa 1895.</div> <bR> <div> "The richest lead mines are being developed; and already one of the finest school</div> <div> houses ever seen in the south west of Missouri is now almost completed in said city."</div> <div> <I>The New Century, Friday, January 5, 1877</I></div> <bR> <div> "A school house, one of the chief ornaments as well as the most useful building in the</div> <div> city is almost completed and will when finished accommodate from four to five</div> <div> hundred pupils."</div> <div> <I>The New Century, Friday, January 5, 1877</I></div> <bR> <div> "Professor Dickey, of Carthage, who takes the position as principal of our school,</div> <div> called on us this week.  Our school will open in April, and we think the Prof. will conduct</div> <div> the school in such a mannor as will suit the citizens as well as pupils under his instruction.</div> <div> Miss Story, of Granby, will be first assistant."</div> <div> <I>The New Century, February 23, 1877</I></div> <bR> <div> In 1926 Webb City held a celebration of its 50th birthday.  A few of the original settlers</div> <div> were left to testify at a celebratory dinner.  Lon Ashcraft stated that he attended school</div> <div> above the old Hall Drug Store, which stood where the Webb City Bank is now located.</div> <bR> <div>  <script language="JavaScript1.2"> /* Disable right click script II (on images)- By Dynamicdrive.com For full source, Terms of service, and 100s DTHML scripts Visit http://www.dynamicdrive.com */ var clickmessage="Please send an email if you would like a copy of this photo." function disableclick(e) { if (document.all) { if (event.button==2||event.button==3) { if (event.srcElement.tagName=="IMG"){ alert(clickmessage); return false; } } } else if (document.layers) { if (e.which == 3) { alert(clickmessage); return false; } } else if (document.getElementById){ if (e.which==3&&e.target.tagName=="IMG"){ alert(clickmessage) return false } } } function associateimages(){ for(i=0;i<document.images.length;i++) document.images[i].onmousedown=disableclick; } if (document.all) document.onmousedown=disableclick else if (document.getElementById) document.onmouseup=disableclick else if (document.layers) associateimages() </script>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>