Rabun County Historical Society

from the Rabun County Historical Society  6UL9VVT:JOVVSOV\ZLZHUKH)HW[PZ[4PZZPVU0UZ[P[\[L! ,K\JH[PVUPU9HI\U*V\U[`@LHYZ(NV

By Richard Cinquina

Only seven teachers had a tenth grade education. Schools lacked desks, books, charts and maps. Many children were unable to comprehend what they read. School buildings were in varying states of disrepair. ;OPZ ZUHWZOV[ VM 9HI\U *V\U[`»Z   JVTT\UP[` ZJOVVSZ LTLYNLKPU ^OLU.LVYNPH\UKLY[VVRHZ\Y]L`[VHZZLZZ the quality of education in every rural school in the state. The ÄYZ[JV\U[`Z\Y]L`^HZJVUK\J[LKPU9HI\U 9HI\U*V\U[`OHKZ[\KLU[ZLUYVSSLKPU^OP[LW\ISPJ ZJOVVSZ HUK[^V OPNO ZJOVVSZPU   VULPU *SH`[VU[OL other in Rabun Gap. Although they were called high schools, both taught students in lower grades as well as grades nine [OYV\NO  7\ISPJ OPNO ZJOVVSZ ^LYL UV[ YLX\PYLK [V HKK NYHKL  \U[PS   ,PNO[` (MYPJHU(TLYPJHU JOPSKYLU H[[LUKLK [^V ZLNYLNH[LK ZJOVVSZ 6ULYVVT ZJOVVSOV\ZLZ were the norm.

;OLYL HSZV ^LYL [OYLL WYP]H[L ZJOVVSZ PU  ! 9HI\U .HW Industrial School, which later became Rabun Gap Nacoochee School; Clayton Academy, both a day and boarding school; and Bleckley Memorial Institute, a Baptist mission school. short school year. School terms were structured so as not to JVUÅPJ[^P[OMHYTPUNZJOLK\SLZ)LNPUUPUNPU1\S`[OLZJOVVS [LYTYHUMVYÄ]LTVU[OZ;OLYL^HZH[^V[V[OYLL^LLRIYLHR for “Foddering Time” when crops were harvested. No school was scheduled in the spring during planting season. School was not held during the winter months due to harsh weather. 0[^HZUV[\U[PS [OH[ZJOVVSZ^LU[[VHUPULTVU[O`LHY

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Located four miles south of Tiger, the Old Tiger School, a school for white children, was representative of the county’s community schools.

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:[\KLU[ZH[[OL^OP[LZJOVVSZ^LYL[H\NO[I`[LHJOLYZ Only seven of these teachers had a tenth grade education. One Rabun County teacher attended college. A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, she taught in one of the black schools. Teacher salaries were extremely low. The county school board spent on average about $5 a year on each pupil. Most of the schools limited education to grades one through seven or eight. Some schools had four or six grade levels. Only part of the classroom curriculum involved reading, writing and arithmetic. More time was devoted to practical skills. School activities included the Boys Corn Club and the Girls Canning Club. Education much beyond this was not considered useful.

As part of the state survey, tests were administered to determine the quality of instruction. The test results revealed that many students were unable to read with any degree of comprehension. Few knew basic math and writing skills were WVVY[VUVUL_PZ[LU[>YP[PUN^HZUV[NP]LUT\JOLTWOHZPZPU [OLJ\YYPJ\S\T;OPZYLÅLJ[LK[OLHIZLUJLVMKLZRZVU^OPJO to work and the poor education of the teachers. Also contributing to limited education attainment was the

0U  [OL ZJOVVS»Z LUYVSSTLU[[V[HSLK  JOPSKYLUPUMV\Y NYHKLZ ^P[O [^V [LHJOLYZ ;OL VULYVVT ZJOVVSOV\ZL ^HZ furnished only with long benches. There were no desks, “very little” blackboard, and no maps, charts, pictures or books. Like many of Rabun’s schools, Old Tiger also doubled as a Baptist Church. Even so, it received $400 a year from the county school board and charged an annual tuition of $5 per pupil.

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;OL   Z\Y]L` JVU[HPULK H ZWLJPHS UV[L HIV\[ [OL>LSS»Z Chapel School for black children, located one mile from Rabun Gap. The survey said: “Pupils here read remarkably well and with thorough understanding…Children could write well and answer intelligently all questions that were asked. The methods of teaching were far above the average.” The

Well’s Chapel teacher may have been the Spelman College graduate. ;VPTWYV]LLK\JH[PVUX\HSP[`[OL Z\Y]L`YLJVTTLUKLK that “only trained teachers be employed” at a minimum salary of $40 per month. It also recommended a school year of at SLHZ[ZL]LUTVU[OZJSHZZYVVTZM\YUPZOLK^P[OKLZRZHUK MLL[VMISHJRIVHYKZWLYYVVT(UPULTVU[OZJOVVS`LHY^HZ THUKH[LKI`[OLZ[H[LSLNPZSH[\YLPU 

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;OL*SH`[VU>VTHU»Z*S\I^HZMVYTLKPU ^P[O[OLNVHS of establishing a new high school. The ladies of the Woman’s Club were divided over where to locate a new school. One group wanted the school built on the west side of the Tallulah Falls Railroad tracks in Clayton; another group demanded a school on the east side of the tracks. A compromise was reached: two schools were built. *SH`[VU/PNO:JOVVS^HZJVTWSL[LKPU VU7PJRL[[/PSSH[ the base of Black Rock Mountain on the west side of Clayton. ([^VZ[VY` I\PSKPUN^P[O H ILSS[V^LY[OL ZJOVVS OHKMV\Y [LHJOLYZHUKZ[\KLU[ZHJJVYKPUN[V[OL Z[H[LZ\Y]L` Like the school it replaced, the new Clayton High enrolled students in all grades.

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7SHUZ HSZV ^LYL KL]LSVWLK PU   MVY H WYP]H[L OPNO school on the east side of Clayton. The widow of Logan E. Bleckley, the former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and a Rabun County native, donated property for a school on Pinnacle Knob facing Screamer Mountain. She HSZVJVU[YPI\[LKVM[OLULLKLKMVYI\PSKPUN Bleckley Memorial Institute. The balance of the funding was raised through a public subscription. Owned, operated and maintained by the Georgia Baptist /VTL4PZZPVU)SLJRSL`4LTVYPHS0UZ[P[\[LVWLULKPU  ^P[O  Z[\KLU[Z ,UYVSSTLU[ WLHRLK PU [OL LHYS`  Z H[

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;OL0UZ[P[\[L»ZHUU\HSJH[HSVNMVY WYVJSHPTLK¸;OLNYLH[ aim of the Bleckley Memorial Institute is to make real men HUK YLHS ^VTLU¯>L ILSPL]L PU THUS` TLU HUK SHK`SPRL women. The school stands for Christian training, Christian citizenship and Christian leadership.” As such, attendance was mandatory at daily chapel services. In a burst of soaring prose, the catalog described the administration building, which housed classrooms, an H\KP[VYP\T HUK Z[HNL HZ ¸HU LKPÄJL [V^LYPUN V\[ HZ H TVU\TLU[ VM J\S[\YL HUK YLÄULTLU[ ^P[O P[Z SVM[` ^OP[L JVS\TUZ¹;OL NPYSZ»KVYTP[VY`^HZ H¸SHYNLILH\[PM\S^LSS ÄUPZOLK HUK ^LSSM\YUPZOLK I\PSKPUN ^P[O [LSLWOVUL ^H[LY ^VYRZ LSLJ[YPJ SPNO[Z HUK Z[HPULK ÅVVYZ -L^ OVTLZ L]LU among the wealthy are as convenient and as attractive.” Boys were housed in “a nice little cottage.” ;OL 0UZ[P[\[L»Z MV\Y`LHY OPNO ZJOVVS J\YYPJ\S\T ^HZ comprehensive. Courses of study included English, history, mathematics, science (geography, biology, hygiene, chemistry and physics), foreign languages (Latin and French), vocational courses for those who wanted to teach, and bible studies. The Institute also offered four years of piano instruction.

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“Along with the mental and religious training,” intoned the catalog, “there must be training in social life. And it is imperative that this particular sphere of the student’s training be of the purest and best type.” Accordingly, smoking, drinking, card playing or “other bad habits” were prohibited. 4VU[OS`[\P[PVU^HZ^P[OYVVTHUKIVHYKJVTPUN[VH month. Music education cost $3 a month, and piano practice was set at 50 cents per month. Incidental expenses were listed H[WLY[LYT

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To hold down operating costs, students were required to Z^LLWYVVTZHUKOHSSZJ\[^VVKIYPUNPUJVHSI\PSKÄYLZ milk cows and wash dishes. The catalog assured students and parents that “this will not interfere with school work but will help.” )SLJRSL`4LTVYPHS0UZ[P[\[L^HZKLZ[YV`LKI`ÄYLPU[OLTPK  ZHUKUL]LYYLI\PS[

Clayton High School outgrew its facility and was replaced in  I`HUL^ZJOVVSVU[OLZHTL7PJRL[[/PSSZP[L0U  the Rabun County Board of Education was established and the Clayton City System was abolished. The property on Pickett Hill was sold to the county, and a new Rabun County high school was built on West Savannah Street. A gym for the high ZJOVVS^HZI\PS[PU I`[OL>VYRZ7YVNYLZZ(KTPUPZ[YH[PVU of the New Deal. ;OLZJOVVS^HZKLZ[YV`LKI`ÄYLPU HUK[OLJ\YYLU[OPNO ZJOVVS VU 9V\[L ^HZ I\PS[PU  ;OL N`T VM[OL old high school still stands on Savannah Street as the Rabun County Civic Center.

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