Overview
The first building was completed in 1911, just in time for classes, burned, before the start of school which was probably scheduled to start in October. My sources seem to say at least two different things:
- Olive Branch School house (the largest) was moved to the Con. 8 site. Curtains divided it into three rooms.
- All three one-room buildings were brought to the site. Both versions are supported by some evidence. Most likely the Olive Branch building was moved right away, and the others may have been added during the year.
By 1913, and probably by spring 1912, a two-story wood frame building was finished. There were three classrooms on the ground floor probably used for grades 1 & 2, grades 3, 4 & 5, and grades 6, 7 & 8. The large Auditorium on the top floor was used for advanced classes (above 8th) beginning in 1915. From the pictures, there was a full or nearly full basement. If anyone can supply more information on the building layout, I will try to make a floor plan. We know from records of W. P. Sims that the school was heated with coal, and we think individual stoves and the lighting was acetylene gas from a carbide generator. The same source shows that concrete walks were added in 1914.
We have two good pictures of the building and three of classes in front of it (est. dates of 1913, 1917 and 1924). Also, three Xerox black and white copies of pictures dated 1922, 1923 and 1924. If anyone has more pictorial evidence, I would like to make arrangements for obtaining copies of the archives and perhaps eventual inclusion in a publication. Elizabeth Heien (Class of 52) provided me an opportunity to copy two of her mother’s pictures showing Ruby Heien’s 1917 8’th grade class, and a class that she was teaching at Con. 8 in 1923-1924. The pictures available relating to the building with additional comments can be viewed in the following link.
On this page we explore that first building or at least the first that was used. A presumably identical building was destroyed by fire in 1911 just before it was outfitted for the first Con. 8 school year. This building rising out of flatland ringed by mountains was a landmark of the countryside. A photograph recently made available complements one that had been well published; and study of the pair illuminates more clearly than either alone, the exceptional functionality of design, achieved in an elegant style.
1914-1915 View of Con. 8 from the NW Corner of the School Grounds This picture reveals details of the rear portion. its large size, and basement windows. It appears that a part, but not all of the walkway has recently been completed. This dates the picture. The basketball goal in the background may be the west goal visible in picture at left.
1917 Front View of Con 8 A copy of this was in an old family album preserved by Rex McClure. This view reveals clearly the basic tee shape, the rear forming the top of the T, the two entrances approached by symmetrical east and west porticos; and the concrete walk some of which was completed in 1914-1915. Both the east and west goals of an outdoor basketball court are visible at lower left.
The Building completed in 1912
Note that the building is facing north. The north and south twin mountains are just visible in the lower left-hand corner. The notch between the two peaks is just to the left of the column at the left entry way. Judging from their appearance the picture was taken from just about the northwest corner of the school yard. The record book kept by W. P. Sims, Clerk of the School Board, shows that the sidewalks were constructed in the 1914-1915 or 1915-1916 school years. The shadow of the column and roof of the portico indicates the sun is well past the zenith hour above and is to the southwest, so the month is probably between about November and February.
It would be nice to find the original of this picture and any supporting data giving date and possibly the occasion. I saw it first at one of the early Con. 8 reunions, and this scan is from a rather good print that Maggie Barns had in her “scrapbook”. The article about Con. 8 by Meridith (Penn) Agnew in Vol. II of Pioneering in Kiowa County contains this picture. I expect that she supplied the print.
Incidental to this we mention that in Vol. 6 of Pioneering in Kiowa County there is picture with Velma McFarland’s article about Con. 8 which is labeled the first Con. 8. However, there was a mix-up in the pictures and it is instead a picture of Mullins School house in about 1927.
Teachers in 1917 – From the print it was not possible to obtain sufficient clarity for most identification. However, there are clearly at least three and possibly all four teachers shown here.
Mr. A. J. Stoops, superintendent 1914 to 1917 is identified by reference to another picture where he is identified unambiguously.
A View of the Countryside
Here we see two daring students of about 1917 (and think of the equally daring unknown photographer). They are perched at the intersection of the roof lines of the “T”. This was also in Rex McClure’s old album.
The full story behind this picture is lost in the fog of time. The two students are Herman McClure on the left and Cecil Sims on the right. We can surmise that because of the ties and jackets it is a special occasion, perhaps a recognition day for students who have completed the courses available at Con. 8, probably 11 grades. They are perched at the intersection of the roof ridges of the north wing and that of the east west wings and the photographer is astraddle the east west roof ridge with camera directed a little north of due east. The cupola atop the building is to Herman’s right along the north roof ridge line.
Several features of ordinary life are visible. Just to the left of Herman’s elbow is what magnification indicates is a one-horse light wagon or surrey. The to the right is one of the school privies. Just behind it is the fence at the east boundary of the school grounds. In the distance can be seen two home places.
To the southeast is a house and at least two outbuildings which is the residence of Herman Baden about this time. Also, to the northeast near the skyline is a house probably that of R. W. Howard or a son at this time. These are shown as small black squares on the 1913 plat reproduced to the right. The stream shown on the map is Owl Creek which enters North Fork of Red River about six miles to the south.
Herman McClure is the father of seven Con. 8 high school graduates, Major, Rex, C. H., Truman, Dwight, Marlene, and Carol. Cecil Sims is the father of two, Jack and Zoe.
Classes In About 1913
This picture, from Maggie Barn’s wonderful scrapbook, had a date of about 1913. The location appears to be on the west side near the southwest corner. That part of the building has five windows of which four show here, the south four with the north most window out of the picture. Note the basement window at lower left which reference to the building pictures shows to be under the fourth window from the south.
Front Row: Left to right: (1) Dudley Knox (2) Lee Speights (3) Unknown (4) Rachel Helwer (5) Unknown (6) Ruby Shelton (7) Blanche Shelton (8) Opal Sims (10) Unknown (11) Arthur Singer (12) Hugh Stoops (13) Forest Gilley (14) Gene Kovar (15) Matt Cassiday
Back Row, Left to right: (1) … Harrison (2) Katie West (3) Ola Sims (4) Della Schrader (5) Bird Higdon (6) …… Hill (7) Unknown (8) Marie Helwer (9) Minnie Harrison (10) Zona Stogsdill (11) George Ankney (12) Unknown (13) Fletcher Satterfield (14) Walter Ankney (15) Unknown (16) Floyd Polly.
It is suspected that it is a picture submitted to the Kiowa County Star Review for one of their features on early days. As pointed out in the discussion of the building, the background is the west side of the southwest corner of the old school building. The sources for the picture and for the identifications on the caption included in Maggie’s picture have not been determined. Those are reproduced below with a strip showing just the students.
The caption in the picture suggests about 1913 for the date of this picture. Several facts indicate that it is very likely the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades during the 1914-1915 school year. Several people who I think were in the sixth grade that year, Ruby Burton, Blanche Higdon and Don Burton, are not in this picture. Blanche Shelton who is in it, was about one year younger than Ruby Burton. Also, Ruby (Burton) Heien has recalled that in the early years, grades 3, 4, and 5 were in one room and taught at least one year by Mable (Etheridge) Browning. Another factor arguing somewhat for 1914-1915 is the presence of Hugh Stoops (who taught at Con. 8 in 1945-1946). I am assuming that Hugh is the son of A. J. Stoops who was superintendent from 1914-1917. However, there are indications that A. J. Stoops was also superintendent in 1912-1913 (but not in the following year). Then if this were assumed to be a picture of the third and lower grades in 1912-1913 the absence of some expected names would be explained. However, it looks more like grades 3,4 and 5, and the 1914-1915 date seems to fit all information somewhat better.
Mr. A. J. Stoops and the 8th Grade Class in about 1916-17
This was taken on the southwest corner but shows the area just overlapping with that shown in the picture to the left and thus showing the three north most windows.
The basement window under the fourth window is obscured, but the one to the north of it is in the picture as well as the wall vent.
Note that the slope in the ground begins at the third window from the south.
Blanche (Higdon) Etheridge, Ruby (Burton) Heien, and Don Burton are identified.
The teacher standing at the left is Mr. A. J. Stoops. The only identifications are those made by Ruby (Burton) Heien and shown by names and pointers. In the front row 2nd from left is Ruby’s brother, Don Burton. Ruby is standing at the far right in the second row, and Blanche (Higdon) Etheridge stands in the center of that row.
Ruby remembers this as 1918. That is possible, but what we have available about the school fits the 1916-17 school year better. Mr. Stoop’s tenure as superintendent ended in the spring of 1917. He could of course stayed on in a teaching position. Blanche Higdon was born in November 1903. If she started school in the Fall of 1909, then a 1917 8th grade graduation would be about right. Ruby is just 2 months younger and Don a bit older. But 1917-1918 would work as far as ages are concerned. This was well before close restrictions were placed on starting before the sixth birthday. An upward revision of this date would affect my arguments about the date of the picture taken a few years earlier.
Classes in 1921-22 and 1922-23
These are two more pictures supplied by Charlie Bock’s grandson.
1922 5th and 6th Grades Picture is taken on the east portico.
Mrs. Anna Bowman, the teacher, is standing at the left with hat. We anticipate that some of Charlie Bock’s children are in this, but there are no identifications of students. The picture was probably taken at the southeast corner of the building, and the students are facing east.
1923 5th and 6th Grades East portico but camera aimed higher.
Also, no student identifications are here yet. Mr. Wright, I believe, is standing at the left back. The picture seems to have been taken at the same place as in 1921-1922.
Classes in 1923-24
Pictures or any other information before 1930 are scarce. In early editions of this web page, I had a single picture of a Con. 8 class in the 1920’s courtesy of the family of Carl and Ruby Heien. Ruby had the picture because she was the teacher of the class. On the basis of indirect evidence, I had decided it was from the 1922 – 1923 school year. From the ages of the children (none of whom are identified) and information about the structure of the school in the era, I had judged the class to be the third, fourth, and fifth of that year. Jim and Nina Bauman have supplied three more pictures from that decade. One of these is labeled ” 7&8th Grades, 1924 “, and I assume to be from the end of the 1923 – 1924 school year. It is possible to see that the Heien picture and that Bock picture were both taken on the same day as well as the same place. Both show the windows on the north side of the building and the same windows are opened or closed to exactly the same degree. So the picture with Ruby Heien is no doubt from the 1923-1924 school year, and I think it may be just grades 5 and 6.
1923-1924 4th?, 5th, 6th Grades Ruby (Burton) Heien, Teacher, standing 7th from the left. Back at the favorite southwest corner. Now the ground slope is just left of the center of the picture. Part of the fifth window from the south shows and the basement window under it is only partially obscured by the leftmost student.
1923-1924 7th and 8th Grades Mrs. Bozman, teacher, standing in the center of the back row. Annotations give tentative identifications of Charlie Bock’s daughters Lillian and Daisy. This was taken on the southwest corner, with group now centered on the third window from the south. This shows another wall vent between the first and second windows from the south.
Sunday School and Church at Con. 8
This is thought to be a Con. 8 picture. From the range of ages among the less than 40 persons and from the dress it appears likely to be a Sunday School group. The building was often and probably usually used for Sunday School and church. The background is badly washed out, but there does appear to be a basement window at the lower right. The spacing of the windows and their height above what appears to be the top of the foundation does not fit the parts of the building seen in the other photographs. There are none of the east or south sides so perhaps it is there, but such high windows do not fit my concept of the functionally of the ground floor. It may be that the bottom portion of the windows are covered with shutters.
