AN IREDELL NEIGHBORHOOD A HALF CENTURY AGO 1845-53
By Captain H.A. Chambers of Chattanooga, Tennessee
The Landmark
Statesville, N.C.
April 13, 1900
The little school house, when I first remember it, was
on the edge of the old field, one quarter of a mile north of the
Salisbury Road, four miles east of Statesville and on the west side of
the neighborhood road leading from the Salisbury Road to John Steele's
and John Murdoch's.
In those days, a session lasted only a very short time. The first
teacher that I can remember at that location was the late Miles F.
Freeland, a noted school teacher in his day, who afterwards was for so
many years a clerk of the county court of Iredell County and a prominent
citizen of Statesville. At this time, it must have been about the winter
of 1846-47, some of my aunts and uncles were still young enough to
attend school. I had heard them talking at home about the school and
about Mr. Freeland as a teacher and somehow had got it in my mind that
he was a very rigid and severe disciplinarian and would punish his
pupils for the smallest infringement of the rules where as I afterwards
found out, he was the kindest of men.
The first day that I was in attendance at school and while I was
satisfying my curiosity by looking around the school room (I had been
taught to believe that I must not take my eyes off my book during study
hours), Mr. Freeland had occasion to speak sharply to some pupil in the
school room. Supposing his exclamation was intended for me, I became
greatly alarmed and immediately raised my voice in lamentation, much to
the entertainment of the other pupils.
I remember seeing the larger pupils in this school playing the then
popular games of "town bar" and "base" in the playground just east of
the road. Cowan Steele was one of the swiftest runners in either game
and my recollection is that his younger brother Harvey was one of the
best "strikers" in "town ball" who ever went to school in the
neighborhood.
As Mr. Freeland was the most popular teacher of that time, in that part
of the country, I have no doubt that all the young people of that
neighborhood who could do so, attended school at that place. I know the
school house was well filled. I can now, however, recall, in addition to
those above named, only Martin Murdoch, Martin Steele and some of the
Freelands.
A year or two after this, the old school house was abandoned and a new
one for the same district was erected on the south side of the Salisbury
Road about a half mile from it and about a mile south of the old
location. This brought it within a half mile of my grandfather's home.
The nearest house to it was about 300 yards to the northeast and was the
one which had been erected by Mr. Kluttz and occupied by Daniel Bailey,
heretofore mentioned.
After the school house had been moved to this location, some called it
the "Hickory Grove" school house because there were a number of hickory
trees in the woods immediately around it. It was situated on the west
side of the neighborhood road which ran north and south from Dawalt
Harkey's by way of my grandfather's to the Salisbury Road nearly
opposite the Summers' place. Water for the use of the school was
obtained from a spring in the head of a hollow, a little north of the
school house, being the same spring used by Daniel Bailey and family.
The play ground was cleared up out of the woods and was located at the
south end of the school house on the west side of the road. Here, before
school began in the morning, at recess and at noon, the pupils amused
themselves in playing "Chicky-mi-chicky-mi-cranny-crow", "Town Ball",
"Base" (running base not baseball), "Ant'ny Over", "Mumble the Peg" and
other school games of that time.
The schools were usually taught in the winter when the children could be
spared from the home work. Here the schools were taught in succession
and probably in successive years by John Louis Smithdeal, George Houston
White, a Mr. Milligan, Calvin Plyler and again by Miles F. Freeland.
Smithdeal taught the first school at the new location. This must have
been about the winter of 1848-49. I would say, from memory, that White
taught in the winter of 1849-50, Milligan in the winter of 1850-51,
Plyler in the winter of 1851-52, and Feeland again in 1852-53. I am of
the impression that no school was taught in the winter following the
change form the old location. If this was not the case, then either
Smithdeal of Milligan must have taught the schools for two years instead
of one. Possibly Cowan Steele taught one session.
Mr. Smithdeal was from the neighborhood of St. Paul's Church not far
from Statesville. He was a pleasant man and very popular with the
pupils, possible the most popular of any man who taught at the new
location prior to 1853. He was a man of genial, pleasant and hearty
manner. He afterwards became a Lutheran minister.
White was a son---the oldest, I think---of John White, who lived on the
south side of Third Creek in the eastern part of the Bethesda
congregation. He afterwards became a merchant's clerk and later went to
Chicago where he still lived as of a few years ago when I last heard of
him.
Mr. Milligan was from the western part of Iredell County and I know
nothing of his history subsequent to 1853.
Calvin Plyler was from the south side of Third Creek. He was a son, I
think, of Daniel Plyler who lived in the neighborhood of Shiloh
Methodist Church and he afterwards became a Methodist minister. Mr.
Freeland's subsequent history has already been given.
In those days, school books were scarce and costly. Webster's blue back
speller was then the great favorite and a pupil's progress was marked
and his or her own importance correspondingly enhanced, in
comprehensibility, the simple reading of lessons, and finally, the
fables with their wood cut picture towards the end of the book, were
successively reached and mastered. Arithmetic books were at first so
scarce that the teacher had to prepare copies of the multiplication
table with the pen and give to the pupils to memorize. Pike's
Arithmetic, with many examples, in the old English money, was, in the
earliest of the schools at this place, the principle one used. From the
habit then acquired I still calculate interest and solve such other math
problems as I encounter by the rules laid down in that arithmetic.
A few of the scholars who studied geography were able to obtain
Mitchell's Geography and Atlas. I do not now remember the names of such
readers as were used but I think that in Mr. Freeland's first school,
the New Testament or any other book the family of the pupil happed to
own was used as a reader. There were no printed copy books in these
first schools The teacher was expected to be a good penman and set
copies for the pupils on paper furnished for the purpose. He was also
expected to make good pens out of goose quills and his skill in this
regard was often much discussed. Much of the ink used was of domestic
manufacture and in this the teacher was also expected to be proficient.
It was then the custom for the pupils to study aloud and their united
voices could be hard many yards away, punctuated and measured by the
stronger and coarser voice of the teacher as he regularly guided some
reciting pupil through the mazes of his lesson. The spelling classes
would also range themselves upon one bench, swinging their bodies back
and forth in unison, spelling the word by syllables. The larger scholars
were on pleasant days, permitted, on good behavior, to go outside of the
school house to study their lessons.
At the time of the opening of the school in the morning and at the close
of recess during the day, the teacher would go to the door and shout
"books!". This was the signal for the pupils to at once ceased their
play, repair to their seats in the school house and begin their studies.
In this way the time for study got to be called "books" and when one
spoke of anything occurring "during books", it meant that the occurrence
took place during study hours.
A few days ago, in looking over some old copies of the Landmark, I came
across an article entitled "The Old School Days", taken from the
Scotland Neck Commonwealth, which, in part, so fits the school in this
old neighborhood fifty years ago, that I have been trying to describe,
and contains suggestions so worthy of consideration that it is
reproduced. It is:
"No one who in childhood knows no educational facilities but the ‘old
field house', taught in the old log school house by the teacher who
‘boarded around', the modern methods seem a little hothouse like. It is
a memory to be cherished---the sight of a score of children trooping
away from school just before sunset, each one armed with a ‘blue back'
speller and one for every five carrying a tin bucket or oak split casket
from which ever and anon some scampering ‘brat' would snatch the broken
biscuit, the cold potato or bit of cold potato pudding left over from
the dinner which a half dozen jabbering children enjoyed together on a
back log. At ‘play time', so simple were the school child's equipment in
those days. Now everyone carries a book back or book strap with
something under a dozen books. Some carry a slate with a sponge but for
the most part the slate, left at home and all work is done on store
tablets, composition books, or the like. Indeed, it does seem that the
old time way of doing school work is almost forgotten. The acquisition
of an education no longer seems a task but with the many conveniences
and extra advantages it is more like a picnic holiday all through the
school year. We may be a little foggish but we candidly believe that
things are made too easy in these days. We believe that we need to
return to the ways and means of more simplicity. If the ordinary school
children forty years ago could have seen the school child of today, it
would have looked like a ‘visitor from fairyland'."
During the time he taught, Mr. Smithdeal once or twice treated the
pupils with candy and probably also with some fruit. One or two other
teachers as I remember, treated with apples. The oldest men in the
neighborhood, in discussing school matters before us boys often told of
the wonderful things they used to do at school "when they were young".
This, of course, excited our imaginations and ambitions to do likewise.
Among the things of which they bragged was fighting the teacher when he
attempted to whip them for some breach of duty and also to "bar out" the
teacher who refused to "treat" at the time the pupils wanted it done. I
do not remember any fighting or other resistance to any of the teachers
at this school house during the time under consideration. Most of the
teachers were men of sufficient tact and good nature to manage the
school without much attempt at forcible punishment.
However, I remember an effort to "bar out" Mr. Plyler in which Columbus
Freeland and myself took quite an active part and subsequently suffered
accordingly. Mr. Plyler had not "treated" and we felt he was not going
to do so, at any rate, did not give any indication of treating within
the time desired. Possible we had supposed grievances also. A conference
of the larger boys was held at which Willis Jenkins, as I remember, was
the lead spirit. I think probably Thomas Freeland who lived just beyond
the eastern border of the neighborhood, but who occasionally attended
the schools at this school house, also participated in the conference,
together with the others of the larger boys. It was decided to "bar out"
Mr. Plyler. The time was fixed and the plans laid. A part was assigned
to each of the conspirators. All were to be on hand at the school house
before daylight so as to have plenty of time to build a large fire in
the fire place, barricade the door and windows and prepare to defy the
teacher when he came and tried to enter the school house to begin the
duties of the day. It seemed to be acceptable as a rule that all were
bound in honor that if, in any way, the teacher could get inside the
school house on such occasions, the rebellious students would at once
surrender.
We had heard the old neighborhood men tell of teachers who were barred
out, who had torn off a part of the roof and got in that way. I remember
that, in preparation for such an effort on the part of Mr. Plyler, I got
a long lathe of my grandfather's and sharpened one end of it so as to
make a formidable spear with which to fight Mr. Plyler if he attempted
to enter through the roof.
The eventful morning arrived. As I lived nearest I was the first of the
conspirators to reach the school house which I did before daylight. I
made such preparations as I could and waited for the arrival of the
leaders and other associates in the enterprise. About daylight I heard
the foot steps of someone approaching at a rapid rate which proved to be
Columbus Freeland. He explained he was delayed because of the difficulty
in eluding his parents at home. He and I then waited impatiently for the
arrival of Willis Jenkins and the other leaders. Columbus and I thought
it prudent to hide my formidable spear and to say as little as possible
about what brought us to school so early in the morning. The spear was
hidden behind a log in the woods with the intention on the first
favorable occasion, to take it back to my grandfather's house. But,
unfortunately for me, some innocent pupil happed to find it and brought
it to the school house and upon discussion as to its purpose and who put
it there occurred and the whole scheme finally leaked out and became
known to Mr. Plyler.
From that day forth, for most of the remainder of the term, Columbus
Freeland and I and such others as were ascertained to have been in the
scheme felt the heavy hand of authority laid upon us, and our liberties
much restricted. Various excuses were made by our leaders for their
failure to appear but Columbus and I lost much of our admiration for
their alleged bravery, charged them with simply "backing out" from fear
of Mr. Plyler or else entering upon a deliberate scheme to get Columbus
and myself into trouble. Before the session ended, however, Mr. Plyler
seemed to have lost his angry feelings and, so far as I am personally
concerned, became very kind to me.
Transcribed by Christine Spencer, May, 2008
