The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-02-09
SCHOOL S rs 4 EN- rs
MAKING PROGRE S,S|
In This State as a Brief
Review ofIts History
Shows.


CHARLESTON. Feb. s-Encour-
aged by the proper legislation, west
Virginia has made rapid strides
during the last half century. From
The old log cabin school where our
forefathers were taught their A, B.,
c's have sprung the finest types Of
school houses OF their respective
kinds in the country. From these
school houses have graduated men
whose names are now in the hall Of
fame. West Virginia graduates are
senator's, governors, supreme judges
and4in fact. men in all walks OF life.
Two Of oh!o's governors received
Their, education in this state and the
late Governor Reuben Chapman, OF
Alabama, was a West Virginia
graduate.
The stride that West Virginia has
made in educational lines is more
than remarkable. Probably the
FIRST school house ever erected with
IN the bounds of what is now West
Virginia, was built in the year of
1'747 on the Upper Potomac. Dur
ing this year, when George Washing
ton was surveying the lands of Lord
Fairfax. on this historic old stream,
he camped near an old log cabin
school house which few pioneer
settlers had built in what is now
Hardy county. Two years before
the French and Indian war and ten
years before the fail of Quebec, an.
old eastern schoolmaster named
shorck built school near what Is
now Romney, and taught the chill
dren OF the early settlers
iDecdniber 26, 1895 the general
assembly enacted fhe first Virginia
school Law, ny which the schools of
Ohio county, then in Virginia, were
governed.
The most important educational
meeting ever held on West Virginia
ssoH was held in Clarksburg in 1871,
the Object of which was to induce
the general assembly, or legislature,
to establish free school system.
This meeting was presided over by.
y. Jacobs, of Ohio county. Soon at
ter the establishment OF free schools
in this state, Jesse Il. Reno, an Ohio
county boy, graduated from one of
the first schools in that section and
left for Mexico, where he achieved
much honor, and was Killed during
The Civil war while leading the
Ninth army corps of the Union.
An important step taken leading
10 the free school system was on the
9Th day of November. 1881, when
John Hall, of Mason county, presi-
dent of the first state constitutional
convention. sitting at Wheeling,
named committee on education.
Two years later the first West vir-
ginia legislature convened in the old
capitol. building (now L.nsly insti-
tute) and appointed a Senate COM
m'ttee on education consisting OF
John H. Atkinson, OF Hancock coun-
~; T. X. McNann, of Greenbrier;
John 3. Bowen, OF Wayne; Chester
d. Hubbard. OF Ohio; and E. W. Sc
venson. of Wood. At the time
spicer Patrick, OF Kanawha county.
speaker of the House of Delegates,
appointed q House committee on ed
cation composed OF A. F. Ross, Of
Ohio county; Daniel Sweeney Of
Tyler county. and others. These
two committees met in joint confer
ence and on December 10, 1863,
was passed an act providing for the
establishment of free schools in this
state. The Law provided for the
election of state superintendent of
free schools, and thus the free
school system of West Virginia was
established.