Doddridge County Schools –
Then & Now
One hundred and twenty-three years ago this Friday, Feb. 23, 1900, the land was purchased and deeded to create a new school on Camp Run. Thus, we have the name Camp Run School. It was in West Union District, off Grove/Summers Road, off Rt. 18 South, and at the GPS Coordinates Latitude 39.1606412 – Longitude 80.8101045 with an elevation of 862.861 feet above sea level. (Unfortunately, we do not have a photograph of Camp Run School.)
It got me to think about how much our school system has changed since the days when many of us walked for up to 2 miles and more to get the education we knew was so important to our future.
Earl Snider, who married Rella Osborne of Summers, was a student at Camp Run School back then. Rella was born and raised on the farm that became the home of Wilson and Cletha Spurgeon Osborne. Earl said that one of the teachers he remembered was Dolly Nutter, sister of Marshall Nutter.
Harlen Spurgeon, who lived at the bottom of Jaco Hill with his wife, Laura Harris Spurgeon, grew up near there and attended Camp Run School with his siblings, Paul and Eldridge, and sister, Cletha Spurgeon Osborne. He said that he remembered several of the teachers there, including Marie Gaston, Leeman Reed, Custer Chapman, Holton Hickman, and Ancil Gray. (My husband’s uncle and aunt, Harlen and Laura Spurgeon, were two of the most wonderful people I have ever known.)
Camp Run School operated until it consolidated with Lower Run School and Harmony School in 1933. At that same time, the Doddridge County Board of Education consolidated several of the county’s small elementary schools, including West Union District: Doe Run consolidated with West Union Grade School at West Union; Jockey Camp consolidated with Smithburg School at Smithburg; Piggin Run consolidated with Upper Nutters Fork at Nutters Fork; Gain School consolidated with Fork School of Arnolds Creek.
Central District: Pigott School consolidated with Montgomery School at Montgomery School.
Leeson Run School consolidated with Greenwood Grade School at Greenwood Grade School.
Cove District: Bode School consolidated with Smith School at Smith School.
Grant District: Harlan School consolidated with Sherwood School at Sherwood; Snow School consolidated with Sherwood school at Sherwood; Carr Grade School consolidated into a one-room school; Israel Fork consolidated with Alpha School at Alpha School; Roberts School consolidated with Raggins Run School at Raggins Run School.
New Milton District: Maxwell School consolidated with Smith School at Smith School in Cove District; Snider School consolidated with Snake Run School at Snake Run School; Roberts Fork School consolidated with Coldwater and Sugar Grove Schools; Brushy Fork and Avon Schools officially closed.
Greenbrier District: Johnson Fork School consolidated with Double Camp School at Double Camp School; Birch Run School consolidated with Sparrow School at Sparrow School.
McClellan District: Elk Horn School, Skeleton School, and Bartlett School consolidated with Sedalia School at Sedalia School; Pike Fork School consolidated with Lower Sycamore School at Lower Sycamore School; Lower Battle School consolidated with Upper Battle and Center Point Schools.
Southwest District: Oxford School consolidated with Point Pleasant and Leggett Schools; as mentioned above, Camp Run School consolidated with Lower Run School and Harmony School.
Pine Run School in West Union District and Rush Fork School in Cove District were pending further investigation at that time at that time (1933). The Doddridge County Board of Education, at its meeting, began planning to add six additional rooms to the local West Union Grade School to accommodate the consolidation of schools in the West Union District.
The three-room Carr High School in Grant District was continued for the following term. However, its future was not looking good. Most feared the writing on the wall that Carr High School would consolidate with West Union High School, and as we know, it did.
It would be safe to say that 1933 was the beginning of the end of the one and two-room schools that once dotted the landscape throughout Doddridge County. Consolidation continued, resulting in the closing of all other schools until there was only one for each group of children remaining:
Doddridge County Early Learning Academy at 55 C Stansberry Field Road, West Union; Doddridge County Elementary School at 182 Doddridge County School Road, West Union; Doddridge County Middle School at 65 Doddridge County School Road, West Union; and Doddridge County High School at 79 Bulldog Drive, West Union.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the 2021-2022 school year, there were 72 Doddridge County Preschool students (pre-kindergarten); 355 elementary students (KG-4); 334 middle school students (5-8); and 321 high school students (9-12). According to the National Center for Education, the cost for the education of these students for 2021-2022 was thirty-four million, 44 thousand dollars ($34,044,000.00). This equaled twenty-five thousand, seven hundred, sixty-three dollars ($25,763.00) per student. Our children have available to them some of the finest education in the state and possibly the nation, with some of the best teachers. Mr. Cheeseman has brought our schools up to a level that rivals any other in the nation, even the much larger schools, and I opine, in many cases, exceeds them. If our students fail to take advantage of it… well, let’s hope they all do take advantage of it.
I wish there was enough space to add more of the photos we have of our 162+ former country schoolhouses. I do plan to include them in our Photographic History of Doddridge County, and I know that there are still several that we don’t have. I plan to list the names of the schoolhouses we have listed and those for which we have photographs. Should you have a photo of one of the little schoolhouses and want to ensure that we have it included, please email a copy of the schoolhouse photograph to [email protected] or regular mail to Doddridge County Historical Society, P.O. Box 444, West Union, WV 26456. You may also text it to me at 304 266-1291. If you prefer, I would be happy to come to your home and photograph your photo so that it never leaves your house. Feel free to call me at 304 873-1540 or 304 266-1291.
God Bless
Patricia Richards Harris
Doddridge County Historical Society