Pennington High School - Yearbook (Blountsville, AL)

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In 1927 the State Legislature passed an act creating a Demonstration Farm in connection with State Secondary Agricultural Schools. At this time a farm, now known as King's Farm, of 120 acres was purchased and converted into a modern demonstration farm. On the farm the following buildings were erected: superintendent's home, a tenant house, large dairy and horse barns, a cow barn, machine sheds, poultry houses and a seed house. The entire farm was furnished with running water and the superintendents house contained a central heat- ing system. The new addition to the school was purchased and built at a cost of about S20,000. Again on August 28, 1938, the halls of the school at Blountsville were swept by fire. The fire was discovered by the Principal, J. B. Pennington, about 9: 30 A. M. Once again the people of Blounts- ville rallied to rebuild their school. School opened on Monday morning in the elementary school and the following Monday in a ten room temporary building the men had built in a week. They set to work immediately and in less than a year the new building was completed. The citizens of Blounts- ville honored J. B. Pennington by naming this new school for him. Thus the J. B. Pennington High School we know today was created. The school stands today on a beautifully landscaped campus overlooking the town. The main building has twenty classrooms, library, restrooms, and auditorium seating 600. In 1966 the School Improvement Committee purchased twenty acres of land across the high- way from the school to be used for a recreation area. In 1967 a modern lunchroom seating 200 was constructed. Tennis courts were added in 1969. The spirit and value of a school cannot be told in buildings and grounds but is exemplified in the lives of its students. Serene in the assurance of duty well performed, Pennington celebrates her diamond anniversary in a Shine of Glory. Safe under the waving flag of this country and proud of the past, the institution proceeds to the future-a school of the people, by the people, for the youth of Blount County. PER ASPERA AD ASTRA.

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The purpose of the Agricultural School was to train all male pupils over the age of ten in scien- tific agricultural and horticultural methods. All other students were to receive training in horti- culture and floriculture. Also included in the cur- ricular activities of the school were the piano, voice, and expression departments. Extracurric- ular activities contained an excellent, well-rounded athletic department, as well as, two rival literary societies known as the Henry Grady and Frank Burns Societies. Dr. R. E. Tidwell said, These societies Were almost as important in the early years as football is today. The debates were at- tended by overfiow audiences. At one time there was a Ruth Cleveland Society for girls when they were not permitted to belong to a society with boys. An experimental station was established near the school to be used to encourage scientific farm- ing. Part of this experimental station was an an- nual spring garden which was cared for by the students and faculty. This farm consisted of ap- proximately 65 acres of land. It was located north of town on the Blountsville-Arab road. This farm joined the present school property. In addition, the school had a chemical labora- tory which would accommodate 16 students at a time. This laboratory was used mainly to demon- strate scientific experiments and scientific cooking procedures. Because of redistricting in 1917, the Ninth Dis- trict Agricultural School was changed to the State Secondary Agriculture School. That same year the school acquired a new principal, J. B. Pennington. He found the school heavily in debt and many unmet needs at the school. To add to these prob- lems the main building of the State Secondary School was completely destroyed by fire in 1919. After this fire, it appeared as if the school would be abolished by the State Board of Education. However, the citizens of Blountsville rallied to- gether and let the State Board of Education know that they did not intend for a fire to destroy their school. They offered to raise the money to replace the building. Some people mortgaged their homes to borrow money from the bank, others donated 156 timber which was sawed by a local sawmill. Men stayed up all night drying the lumber in a kiln. A total of 352880 was raised in cash for four- teen acres of land for the new location. This is the property on which the school is located today. They also raised 325,000 for the main building. The result of hand work by the citizens of Blountsville and surrounding communities could be seen in the main building of the State Sec- ondary Agricultural School. It was modern throughout and was built with the best materials. It contained nine standard classrooms, rooms for music and expression and a library. Electric lights, provided by a Delco motor, Water fountains, ample sanitary conveniences, and individual cloakrooms for teachers and pupils were provided. This build- ing also contained an auditorium seating 600 peo- ple. This provided the people of Blountsville with one of the best schools in the state. In addition to this building the citizens erected a sixteen room dormitory which was valued at SB12,000. It was destroyed by fire in 1927, and was replaced by a modern brick building with running water and electric lights. The luxury and con- veniences, previously unknown to the students, introduced them to a new way of life. A voca- tional building for the teaching of home economics and agriculture was completed and equipped at a cost of S11,000. A few years ago a modern shop was added. A field house which contained a com- plete water system for showers and a dressing room for athletic teams was built at a cost of 353000. The money for the field house was raised by subscriptions especially solicited by Mrs. Jim All- dredge who rode over the country in a buggy with chicken coops and egg crates fastened to the buggy, if one could not give money she would ask them to contribute a rooster, hen or eggs. She even accepted butter. This was interesting to see as well as hear when she returned to the school each day at sundown with roosters crowing and hens cackling. The next day the produce was sent to the market in Birmingham by a Blountsville peddler. This building still stands on the school campus.

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Blountsville Is One Of The Oldest And Most Historic Spots In ounty The Sunday edition of the Birmingham News- Post Herald May 12, 1929 featured, the history of Blountsville in an interesting way. This article by Grank Willis Barnett is reproduced. Town Was Founded in 1816 by Settler Caleb Friley. Sunday we had a story about Oneonta and in it gave some of Blount County's history. Oneonta is a new town, but now we are going to write about an old town, for Blountsville was settled before Alabama became a state. Here stood Bear Meat Cabin, home of a Creek chief in 1815. Here in 1816 came Caleb Friley, first settler in the first wagon ever in the county. Under shelter of high bluffs on Sand Mountain to the north, this resting place for the stream of traveling immi- grants southward was established. A blacksmith shop was set up for convenience of travelers, and it is said one smithy brought in many bars of iron out of which he intended to make different imple- ments, but he had to use all his material for iron horseshoes alone. This is the best possible evidence of the number who used the road which led through Bear Meat Cabin located on Towne Creek on Huntsville Pike. By 1819 it had become important, and in 1820 Blountsville became the Seat of Blount County. This county, created by the territorial legislature February 7, 1818, originally was of vast extent, and included the present county of Jefferson and that part of Walker County east of Sipsey Fork, on the Black Warrior. It was almost Wholly in the Creek Indian Cession of August 9, 1814. It was re- duced to its present limits by acts of December 13, 1819 creating Imperial Jefferson County, and of December 20, 1824 creating Walker County. It is still a sizeable county, having an area of 649 square miles or 415,630 acres. Blount County, as well as Blountsville, was named for Gov. Willie G. Blount, of Tennessee, governor of that state during the Creek Indian War, 1813-14, and his sympathetic response to ap- peal of settlers of Alabama, then in the Mississippi Territory, made him a hero, and they were glad to perpetuate his name. Help Create Magic City It may be of interest now that here in Birming- 158 ham we are going to have such a magnificent courthouse to know the act creating Blount County provided its courts shall be holden at the house of major Kelly in Jones Valley. This point was within two miles of the present courthouse in Bir- mingham, so Blount Countians can take pride in claiming that at one time they had a part in creat- ing what later became the Magic City. County officers were appointed by William Bibb, governor of Alabama Territory. On the same date of the formation of Jefferson County, December 13, 1819, John Gilbraith, William Rino, Stephen Box, Moses Burleson, and Henry McPherson were appointed Commissioners to fix on a suitable place for the seat of justice. The commisioners settled on Blountsville as the permanent county seat, and December 18, 1820 Blountsville became the county seat and it retained the honor until 1891, when it was moved to Oneonta, 16 miles away. At Blountsville, or, as it was then called, Bear Meat Cabin, we hear of a great old Methodist pioneer preacher, whose name lives in Alabama Methodism, for the Reverend Ebenezer Hearn preached there in 1818. He was the first to preach the gospel in Blount County. If you are interested in his life and labors, you can find some interest- ing data in Dr. Anson West's History of Meth- odism in Alabama, page 119. Blountsville, and the community about it, was largely made up of Tenesseans and Carolinians, a fine old stock, out of which has come great leaders in Alabama's social, political, commercial and reli- gious life. The life of the late Bishop James McCoy is an example of preachers who can trace back their spiritual heritage to Ebenezer Hearn. Here in Birmingham, we have such families as the Drennens, Yieldings, Hoods, etc., who came to us from Blount County. All this came to us as we rode from Garden City Wednesday morning with Professor C. 0. Davis, out to Blountsville to deliver the commencement address at the State Secondary Agriculture School. It was not our first visit to the lovely little village with such a historic background. We had made our way to it from Bangor, and from Oneonta. The road out was in fair shape, and we enjoyed the ride in spite of a terrific rain.