Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---May 9-15

In honor of Teacher Appreciation week, this week’s blog we will revisit some of the teachers and schools that had an impact on early Calhoun County. While the one-room school house was a staple in early Calhoun County, after the Civil War public school systems and private colleges became more prevalent.

Anniston city schools were established shortly after the town was open to the public in 1883. Some of the earlier educators in Anniston were Heilemon and Kate Wilson who were in charge of the boy’s and girl’s school, respectively. Anniston had a separate school for African-American children which was headed by H. W. Conley, the pastor of the African-American Congregational Church on Noble Street. The first Anniston school superintendent was F. M. Hight. When the state legislature made Anniston a separate school district in the early 1890s, Dr. John Abercrombie became the new superintendent and introduced graduation to the school system.

When the schools were segregated, there were numerous educators who picked up the mantel after Conley passed away in 1891. His successor as principal was S. E. Moses. Nora Zanders was heavily involved in education in Anniston in the early 20th Century. She raised funds for the South Highland School and in the early 1950s named the first principal for Cooper Elementary School.

After the Civil War, many philanthropists from the north invested in education facilities in the South and Calhoun County was no exception. Margaret A. Barber, a Philadelphia philanthropist, funded two schools in Calhoun County: Barber Memorial Seminary in Anniston and the Frances E. Willard School in Piedmont. Barber Seminary was a school for African-American girls that operated from the late 1890s until World War II in South Anniston. The Boom Time Hotel in Piedmont sat vacant in the late 1890s, so Mrs. Barber purchased the building and land then donated it to the city for a school under the condition it be named for Women’s Christian Temperance Union president Frances E. Willard.

Another northern philanthropist who contributed to educating Calhoun County children was Julius Rosenwald, president and CEO of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. He established the Rosenwald Fund which matched local contributions to build schools for primarily rural and African-American children in the early 20th Century. Calhoun County had seven Rosenwald schools including The Bynum School, The Hawkins School, The Jacksonville School, The Progressive School, The Thankful School, and the Calhoun County Training School. Of these seven schools, only the Calhoun County Training School, founded by C. Edgar Hanna in Hobson City, has been identified. Many of these schools closed in the 1960s and 1970s.

Educators have had an impact on the children of Calhoun County through the years. As a teacher, it is always gratifying when you see a student succeed. Throughout my education from elementary to high school and college, I have been lucky to have many teachers who influenced me. Two that have made a lasting impact on my career as a historian were my high school history teacher and my college military history professor. These two men have been mentor, teacher, and friend and I hope I have taken some of their essence into every history class I’ve taught.

To learn more about the history of Calhoun County pick up a copy of Images of America: Calhoun County (ISBN 978-0738589985), Anniston (ISBN 978-0738506012), or Anniston Revisited (ISBN 978-1467114752) by Kimberly O’Dell.