Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-10-27
TAUGHT In COUNTY
FIFTY YEARS AGO
DIR. Zebulon v. Sheriff. Taught
School on Stony Fork in the Fall
e of 1877, Receiving $ls.75 for
Two Months Session

County Superintendent Smith
Hagaman is in receipt of the follow
ing letter from DR.. Zebulon " Sher-
rill, of Marion, Va, a former resi-
dent of Watauga county, who, after
reading the story in last weeks issue
of the Democrat about some old
school vouchers, says he taught in
the county half century ago:
Il see in the Watauga Demo ocrat
a reference to an old voucher paid
Miss Mamie Rivers for teaching at
the Meat Camp school in 1884. |
do not suppose there exists today in
the county superintendent office
any voucher to prove my assertion,
but it is, nevertheless, a fact, in the
fall of 1877, fifty years ago, Octo-
Der and November, taught school
in the Stony Fork neighborhood, of
six weeks duration (public schooD
for the sum of S1S.75, and during
January and February of 1878, l
taught another school of two months
duration for the sum of $4,000.
II boarded with the scholars as
matter of course, and enjoyed the
good things they gave me to eat,
spare ribs and back bones of fresh
pork that had been fattened from
heel tap corn or from boiled buck
wheat, chicken, ginger cakes made
from rye flour, with sorghum molas-
ses. Later | taught at old Poplar
Grove, Boards Greek, Phillips school,
house and other points.
GAS l recall, Mr.. S. NJ. Dugger
was superintendent of schools and if
you wanted to teach IN the public
schools and needed a certificate you
had TO go to Banner Elk to get your
examination. | had to borrow
rorse from Ee'ghbor or walk over
t. his home from BCcne. The lat
t'l worked no hardship on me-. At
that day walking was in style and
was good then ard il is good yet for
k. ping down that surplus ad;pose
tissue, so common nowadays.
after teaching my first school at
Beaver Dam in 1878, | bought my
first pair Of boots from Mr.. ". L.
Bryan of Boone.
''No ready made clothing was
kept in the two srCle~ of Boona at
that early date. | borrowed a horse
from neighbor and rode to a Mr..
CQwles' store somewhere not far
from Deep Gap and bought my first
overcoat, made of pure cotton cloth.
At this early date, Mr.. Cowles kept
quite a large store with number of
clerks and seemed to be doing
thriving business.
while boarding among the schol-'
ars at one Of the schools referred 10
q think it was in the Stony Fork
section) went home with one of the
pupils one evening after school to
spend the night. At the table that
night we were eating sweet potatoes
and drinking sweet milk The cups
from which we drank were the old
fashioned high quarts. | was max
ing pretty good progress with my
milk and was congratulating my
self on the fact that | would be able
to complete the job, when, to my
surprise and dismay, nice tall girl,
a member of the family, stepped up
from behind and filled my cup to the
brim without so much as asking # I
wanted more. 1t was TOO much for
me. | burst into tears and could
not control myself for many min
utes. | finally was able to explain
my conduct to the family by telling
them that my mother had taught me
to eat all that was set before me,
asking no questions, and felt sure
if | ate all the potatoes and drank
all the two quarts of milk, could
not long survive, and therefore, my
grief and sorrow on account of my
near approach to DEATH