Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-05-23
PUB.
Lie SCHOOLS

No town in the State has, in the
last decade, made more rapid
progress along material lines than
has Sistersville. Situated, at it IS,
in the heart of an immense oil
field, it's popularity has increased
10000 since 1890, and its wealth
many times as much. But while
it's progress in industrial and f.
nancial affairs has been marked,
it's educational interests have not
been allowed to suffer, and the
public schools Of the city today
rank with those of the old estab-
lished towns Of the State.
The first public school was es-
tablished in 1863 in the old Meth
odist church building, with Mar
tin Bowman as teacher: later a
frame structure near the Dla-
mond was secured and used for
school purposes until 1869, when
a substantial brick building of
four rooms was erected on Main
street.
In 1876 the Board Of Education
outlined graded course of study
and employed A. B. Wilson as
principal and teacher of the
grammar department; l.. a. Low
the, teacher in the intermediate
department, and Miss Martha
Morrison in the primary depart.
ment. =,
The rapid increase of popula-;
ton, following the discovery of
oil in 1872 filled the school to
overfowing: lot adjoining the
school house was purchased, and
two frame dwellings on it were
utilized as school rooms. This
was not sufficient accommodation.
for the rapidly increasing enroll.
ment and in 1896 the Board of.
Education, composed Of Messrs..
G.. l.. Lowther, A. d. Work and
ID. l.. Core, contracted for the
erection Of a new and modern
school building on the corner of
Main and Hill streets costing $45,-
600. This is a three-stOry build
ing of pressed brick, heated by
the Smead system, lighted by elec-
tricity, having water on each floor
and telephone and electric beH
connections. The basement con-
tains dry closets, furnace rooms,
and several playrooms. On the
first floor are five school rooms,
one recitation room, and the Su-
perintendent s office and library
on the second floor are six school
rooms and the High school as
sembly room; on the third floor
are two school rooms, two High
school recitation rooms, and an
auditorium with a seating capac-
ity of six hundred.
The interior of the building is
most artistic. The walls and cell
ing of the halls are painted dull
yellow that harmonizes well with
the oak staircases. The Superin-
tendent's S office is finished in ter
ra Gotta with a stenciled border
in blue near the ceiling This
room is handsomely carpeted and
built in, along one entire side, is
a large oak bookcase with sliding
glass doors.
The school rooms are tinted In
delicate shades of green or blue,
having a wide stenciled border
above a picture moulding. The
windows are screened by Vene-
tian blinds, and single desks, slate
blackboards, and ventilated chalk
troughs, by which all dust is car
ried out of the room, render the
school rooms the perfection Of
comfort for both teacher and pu-
pills.
The building is surrounded by
a well-kept grass plot inclosed by
an iron fence, and dotted with
young shade trees and flower
beds. Through the generosity
of the Board of Education, bulbs
have been planted in these that
transform the beds into blaze
of colors in early spring.
The library originated In about
fifty volumes donated by the pa
rents and friends of the school
at "book reception" in 1897
Since then the book shelves have
filled rapidly, and today the Ii
brary numbers 1,0eO volumes, en-
braeing history, fiction, biOgra-