Burney High School - Rehtnap Yearbook (Burney, IN)

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the furniture, bell, pavements, etc The house was of brick with stone founda tion, sixty by sixty feet, with front hall entrance, fourteen by twenty eight slate roof, contained four ash finished rooms, oiled The upper rooms were separated by folding doors, affording, when desired, a hall capable of seating two hundred and fifty persons A course of study covering primary, intermediate and grammar school departments was adopted, and P Ricketts, ex County Supt was employed as prin cipal, with Mrs Eva M Powner, an Miss Maggie Berger as assistants Next yea? C E White took the place of Mr Ricketts, and the present one is James C ulse For school year 1865 1884 Milford School J P Rouse, Principal 51 pupils Mrs Eva Powner, Assistant 4l pupils Trustees Jes e Stafford H Alexander Eb Butler John H Bobbitt came from Virginia to Decatur County in 1870 He taupht both in Clay and Adams Townships and was County Supt of Schools from 1881 1887 William F Powner, the first County Supt from 1871 1877 In 1850 he was the principal at Milford Charles T Powner, his son, was a teacher in Clay Twp Boyd Todd his connection with the town of Nllford CCl1ftyl here he spent several sum mers when a boy and came to know the people and happenings of the locality Later these same people and actual events of the neighborhood were incorporated in his novel, 'The Hoosier Schoolmast Although biographers point out that George Cary Eggleston, a brother of Edward Eggleston, was the original Hoosier Schoolmaster, local tradition avers Edward Eggleston himself taught his first school in Clay Township in Milford vicinity harie Shannon During the hitch rack and horse and buggy days in the fall of 1899, Clay Township, Decatur County a three year high school course was started in Mum- d CC1 iftyy The board of education consisted of Elmer Jerman as county superintendent, Os Trimble as township trustee, and Owen Burton, a Franklin College graduate, as principal and sole teacher He taught all the subjects, English, Latin Mathematics, History, and some Art, in one large room in the grade building There were students from Milford, lCl1ftyJ, Burney and the surrounding farm communities Some of the Milford students were Claudia Trimble, Gertrude McCullough, Grace Barnes, Mable Tansey, Bill Dor ey, Ray Miers, and the Burney students were Icy Burney, Harry Luther, Clyde Russell, and Ned Burney In the fall football practice was much in evidence during recesses and noon hours The coach was the principal, Mr Burton Many of the first students discontinued high school to go to work, or go into some business, or to attend a teachers' training school The following four people completed the two year high school course Claudia CTrimbleJ Kuhn Grace CBarnesJ Givin, N A Dorsey, Mable KTanseyD Maderis Also Claudia KTrimbleD Kuhn and Mable CTanseyJ Maderis graduated from a three year course The first high school graduation exercises were held in the Methodist Church in May 1902 The story is told of Montanini, an Italian harpist of Indianapolis, having been enraged to furnish the music at the commencement When he arrived in Adams via interurban, he was met by someone with a horse drawn phaeton He was rather indignant in his response of having to crowd in to the phaeton with his big golden harp on his lap, by saying, 'Don't people in Milford know that a harp costs a lot of money 2 During the high school years at Milford, teachers and students came and went Some of the teachers were Owen Burton, John Todd, Everett Wiley, William Molloy, Sallie Wright, Harry Weirman, and Alva McGraw. A few students finished the three-year course, but many discontinued 51 . . --S. . One of the legends of Clay Township is the story of Edward Eggleston and ' ern. W in ' .I - : , N

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his desk at sunrise and the first pupil to arrive at the schoolhouse would be the first to recite Text books were the American Primer, D1lworth's and Webster's spellinv book, Guthries' or Pike's arithmetics, the Envlish Header the Bible, and sometimes, Jeem's nnlfe of Washington Teachers were hired if they could write, cipher, and read a little In l87O the first County normal School was conducted by C W Harvey at Milford It was six weeks of traininr D S ellinc, Prof G hoss and Prof M H Venable were the lecturers, and held an examination the last week There were enrolled sixteen males and thirty one females Some of whose names are given R J Miers, L H Braden, Magpie Logan, Louisa Marshall, and Mary Qefton A list of teachers as published in Standard October 22, 1897 in Clay Twp Districts l Graham School, Cliff Smalley, hartsville 2 Turner's Corner School, Carrie L Burney, Ewlnrton Horace School, A J Weaver,Greensburg Ewlngton School, Oliver Blackmore, Greensburg Smiley School, Ollie McDonald, Burney diner School, Harry lount, Burney Burney School, Richard Anderson and Linnle Jones, Burney Loran Scho l, Flo E Kendall, Freensburg Brown School, Carrie Applegate, Greensbur Rauch School, Charles O Noise, t Paul Morvoo School, J C Glass, Iilford Hedges Corner, Bert horvan, Greensburg ilford was incorporated for school purposes in about 1859 The early history of the sc ool is given in the words of its pioneer teacnex of Milford nhilford lCliftyD had just been incorporated, the schoolhouse was then new they had school in the lower room and the upper room contained church seats The house stood out in the commons I was employed for two and one half months at forty dollars per month This was the length of the term of the free school Before the year ended there were so many pupils that we needed more room b there was no money in the treasury I started with a subscription list, and to our surprise, in one day I raised one hundred dollars, Ed Marshall leading a list with ten dollars The school was a success During the summer vacation, I provided better seats, fenced the lot, planted the shade trees which make the school yard at Milford to day one of the prettiest in the county In September school opened with two departments, both rooms full Pupils for two or three miles around were transferred to the corporation This school thus organized by Mr Powner, was tauzht by him several years during nine months of the year about three months public school and this re mainder supsorted by subscription In l868, G A Bower was chosen principal and had charge of the school two years, when w H Powner again taught one year John H Bob itt was se lected principal in 1871, and remained in charve of the school three years The priumry teachers for these three years were Niss Josie Barger, hiss Emalene Hedrick and Miss fanrie lucker At this time the enrollment exceeded that of any previous year, and the neces ity for a lar er and better house, and the establishment of a third department, became evident L H iarshall became prir cipal and with J S Ryan, tauvht one term The term of 1875 76 was taught by George A Bower and John S Booths James H Cornelly and Mar ie Berger were employed in 1870, and remained two years The question for a new schoolhouse had been agitated, discussed, and abandoned, but, in 1876, John H Alexander, S D williamson, and A C Russell school trustees, took the lnltiatory steps to provide the money for the build ing In spite of great opposition on the part of some of the wealthiest tax payers, mainly those who had been transferred from Clay Township to the corpor ation Several law suits and the completion for the new house were arnounced in l879 The new building was one of the handsomest schoolhouses 1 this county It cost about six thousand dollars, including two acres of ground 50 O Q u An J ' ' J I I Y I O V0 . . V. r. D. . W W . . ' , Q Vo a M 0 A - O - : . 1. . . - . O --IW. v 1' . N: 3.-- . . ' 4.-- - 5.-- ' 6.--' J fr.-,J 1 8l'- M P I I I t 9.-- 1 g lO.-- L n ' s K ' S . ll.--. . . . S - L 12.--Tanner School, Laura W. Taylor, Horace l5.--. S I J Q , N LI ' 1 S . - ' h I ' I 1 - . , - O I 6 l , ut O O I ' I 4 K O . 0 ' 1 L o I I -, W , I I - O 0 A' 9 , D . I I . . t H . . . - s Q ' ' I O 0 0 Al J' Q o ' ,L c . o o o o A v JS ., A 0 -Q - 0 o ' s Q V , 5. A ' A ' o V I 0 - A . I n O

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school or moved away Some, who attended were Mary Keen, Earl Hays, Smiley Fowler, Edith Keen, Mable Harwood, Clarence Pumphrey, Harry Peterson, Ruby Elwyn, Sherman Miers, N111 Lmby, and Octavia Messens Levimer Elbert Blades, Opal Elwyn Ernest Embry, Gladys Miers The social and recreational phase of hi h school from that of to day Spellinv bees, debates, box and life was very different pie socials, slel h rides skating nights, when Clifty Creek was frozen sflld on campbellite Fole, which was over the hill from the school house By the llsht of a big bonfire on the creek bank the more venturesome parents and teacher embled to see the fun and chaperon the young people Also we had taffy pulls, apple and popcorn parties, and occasionally some blr hearted farmer or parert would take us on a hay ride or bob sled party The hilford Hivh School was abandored in favor of a hizh school at Burney J Chas n Powe Examiners 1860 1860 1868 1871 1875 1870 1876 1877 1878 1879 1881 1889 1891 1897 1903 1911 1917 1929 1937 1941 1945 1866 1868 1871 1875 1875 1816 1877 1879 1881 1887 1891 1837 1905 1911 1917 1929 1937 1941 1945- Powner Mallett R Hall Powner James County Superintendents J Powner Philander Ricketts James L Farr Jorn Bobbitt Ryar ames L Carr Tohn P Bobbitt Braden Jenkins flmer C Jarman Edgar Mendenhall Frank C Fields R Crawley Paul Alexander Elbert eriffith Raymond Moller Loren York John Clay Township Trustees Lon Nanlove Ed Burney John Burney Jeremiah Braden Jin ailliams Oscar Trimble lafe llson Caleb sri ht Francis Pumphrey Albert Howe fd Pumphrey John Calender carl rown Sherman iers Ralph Pavy Joe noban 1951 195o 1959 1947 1901 1955 1939 1947 1901 The town of Burney came into existence after the C W and G Railroad was built in 1884 Children from this district attended the Burney School which was located on the Bd Pumphrey farm The city was named for Milton Burney The first building on the pre ent site was built during the tire when John Burney was tru tee of Clay Town hip about 1890 There were two rooms down stair and the upstairs had two rooms with a movable petition The A of P Lodge was formed and used the upstairs room as a meetin place This building was almost a duplicate of the Milford school The building became crowded and the old bulldlnr was built in 1911 during the term of office of Caleb Wright The addition of the east end of the buildinf wa made ln 1921 The first class to have examinations and to be awarded diplomas from com mon school in Decatur county was held in Burney This class which received dl plomas from the Burney community consisted of FarnieCPumphrey1 Vinor, Ida Galbraith McClintlc, Frances Johnson Cru er, Zelda Parten Some of the students went ahead and took some high school subjects along with the rest of the school There were two boys at the Tanner School ln 1897 1899, Ernest McGee, and ilbur McGee, and Ida Galbraith of Burney, who had some high sbhool subjects at Burney Some of the subjects tauyht at the time 52 . I A U 1 - U ' , ' .' e - - S , ., . , . . . L, . , n. s ass, . W C L 1 9 - - . X . V - 1. ' Tv' Sn 1 1 Q 1 - . --W. H. '- --J. B. 3 3- A I kv - --W. H. - --W. H. A F' F '- .J , - -- 1 - --W. B. . . '. - 1 Q v ' A - --U Y. 1 1 W - 1887-1889--John W. Jenkins Ed Pumphrey - --L. D. 7 Y g - H -- N, , - --4 , - -- ' . 1 1 31 0 N :ul 1 ,- - --J, , f 1 3 ----- C- - -- , .. H -- - 3 -1: ,w cu-DSC 1 Y 7 'V C . L. . . . ' V. s - , , , s L s . ' 4 ' s O Y I C ' 5.4 8 ' J A 1-A o , 1 xl v f . - s . r A L. KJ 9 A O L 1 4 A IL . S J o V Q I ., 1 -L A. 3 ' .il . L J