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Eccles, WV (Raleigh County) - A Selected History Early 1900s Through Present Day - |
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Classmates Page 12 of 18 |
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Submitted by David A. Jones August 4, 2006 |
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REFLECTIONS OF TRAP HILL HIGH SCHOOL
Trap Hill District has led the way in education. It is the Mother of the first public high school in Raleigh County. Trap Hill High School was established in 1915 at Eccles and later there was a high school at Lester.
Hunting and trapping of the abundant wildlife and fur-bearing animals in this area was good. The valuable skins were sold at a trading post that was used for collecting pelts and due to this the name of the district "Trap Hill" originated. The name and location of Trap Hill High School at Surveyor was believed to derive from the financier of the trapper Tom Severe.
The year 1930-31 was a notable year in the history of Trap Hill education. The doors of the beautiful, modem, brick school at Surveyor was opened in September 1930. The property for this school was acquired by the Trap Hill School District Board of Education from the Crab Orchard Improvement Company.
The school comprised of two buildings, the main building and a Vo-Ag House. It was erected and equipped at a cost exceeding $90,000. Its frontage at that time was 194 feet. The building contained ten classrooms, two halls, a chemical laboratory, a home economics department, a library, four restrooms, and a gymnasium.
The school began with 180 students in grades 7 thru 12. Its curricula included a college preparatory course, music, dramatics, public speaking, home economics, journalism, vocational-agriculture, and physical education. It was not until September 1934 that the commerce department was added to the curriculum.
The first faculty of Trap Hill High School included Barty Wyatt, Principal, H.G. Farmer, M. Albert Grimm, Kenneth Furbee, Miss Ella Davis Laing, Miss Louise Garden, and Mrs. Roy Meador, Librarian.
The first graduating class (1931) had 23 members and was the smallest to graduate from Trap Hill High School. The first graduates were Waymond Acord, Buster Bennett, Sylvia Bond, Thelma Bonham, Ruth Campbell, Obal Canaday, Harlos Cook, Margaret Cox, Palmer Falin, Opal Farmer, Okie Henderson, Quincy Hendrick, Teddy Hughes, Homer Hutchinson, Richard Keesee, Helen McMullin, Rachael Martin, Virginia Noce, Bernice Owen, Denver Snuffer, Garnet Trail, and Ward Worley. Fifteen members of this class are deceased, eight are living of which two are planning to attend this reunion. They are Sylvia Bond and Ruth Campbell.
The principals of the forty-seven years at Trap Hill High School were Barty Wyatt, E. Van Dorsey, H. G. Farmer, Ray Coffman, Sherman Trail, B. B. Chambers, Fred C. Roberts, George M. Parker, Harvey F. Pauley, and George D. Covey. Mr. Pauley served the longest term as principal, a total of 19 years. Mr. Covey was the only principal to graduate from Trap Hill. Out of the ten principals, Mr. Coffman and Mr. Trail are the only principals that are still living and both are planning to attend the reunion.
The largest class to graduate from Trap Hill High School was in 1965 and consisted of 109 members. There were 19 teachers and one secretary. The last graduating class of Trap Hill was in 1977. There were 69 graduates and the faculty consisted of 30 members and one secretary.
A total of 3005 students graduated from Trap Hill High School and at this time 354 of this number are known to be deceased. Of the remaining 2651 graduates, all were located, except approximately 160 persons.
Twenty-seven graduates of Trap Hill later returned to join the faculty of the school. They were: 1. 1934 - Edythe Clay 2. 1935 - John W. Saunders (DECEASED) 3. 1938 - Eunice Bonds Goslin 4. 1938 - Geraldine Canaday Mullins Kline 5. 1938 - Fern Tolley Robinette 6. 1941 - Maxine O'Neal Humphrey (DECEASED) 7. 1943 - Agnes Farmer Smith 8. 1944 - Ruby Clyburn 9. 1944 - Donald Manning (DECEASED) 10. 1945 - Clarence Eugene Sessler 11. 1946 - Glen P. Daniel 12. 1947 - June Arthur Manning Mashos 13. 1947 - Eleanor Eddy Stover 14. 1948 - George D. Covey (DECEASED) 15. 1948 - Mary Ann Farmer Egich 16. 1949 - Noel Riffe 17. 1954 - William Burleson 18. 1955 - Frederick M. Williams 19. 1957 - Melva Jean Thompson Walker 20. 1960 - James D. Canaday 21. 1962 - Nancy Clay Webb Gentry 22. 1963 - Jess Fuson, Jr. 23. 1964 - Rosemary Stephens Harmon 24. 1966 - Lonnie Barker 25. 1966 - Leslie Daniel 26. 1966 - Andrew Holland 27. 1969 - Donald Lloyd
The teacher that taught the longest at Trap Hill was Mrs. Ella Davis Laing Farmer of Bolt. She was on the first faculty list and retired in June 1970 with 40 years of service at Trap Hill. Mrs. Farmer will be remembered in many ways, but mainly for her wonderful dramatic productions.
The student body of Trap Hill came from ten communities, namely Harper, Eccles, Metalton, Surveyor, Lester, Tolleytown, Glen Daniel, Fairdale, Bolt, and Stover. As the student body grew, the building had to be enlarged. An addition was made in the early fifties on the west end of the original building to house the Vo-Ag department, industrial arts, commerce department, and the guidance department.
In 1956, a new library was built on top of this first addition and the old library was converted into a modern home economics department. The second gymnasium was built in 1965 and the first graduating class to use this new facility was the 1966 graduating class. This new gymnasium was named after the principal, Harvey F. Pauley, and was called the Harvey F. Pauley Gymnatorium. On the first floor of the new gym was the new music department. The old gym was converted into a cafeteria.
The athletic field was changed throughout the years. Funding for the lighting system was begun in 1947, for the purpose of playing football games at night.
Trap Hill has had some proud moments in sports. In 1933, the Trap Hill football team won the county championship. In 1936, Trap Hill won the first county basketball championship. In 1944, the team won the county football championship with the only undefeated football team the school ever produced. In 1963, Trap Hill won their last championship in football.
The driver education program was introduced in 1960 and continued to 1962. Then it was interrupted by all county driver education classes being taught in summer school by the vocational school. In 1973 to 1977 the driver education program was returned to the curriculum of Trap Hill.
Trap Hill High School was located at Surveyor at the intersection of Route 3 and Route 305. Over the span of forty-seven years, students attended other schools before entering Trap Hill. The following is a list of schools that were located in Trap Hill District that eventually fed into the high school. They were: Mankin School on Maple Meadow, Maple Meadow Elementary, two different Shumate schools on Maple Meadow, McDonald at Maple Meadow, Covey School, Lester Elementary School, Upper Lester, North Lester (which was later the Lester Head Start Center), Lester Junior High School, Webb School at Hoo Hoo, Tolley School, Trail, Surveyor (which was the first six grades in the Trap Hill High School building), Metalton, East Metalton, Eccles Elementary, Eccles Junior High School, Eccles High School at Eccles, Eccles No. 6 on Six Hill near the Eccles No. 6 Mine, Sanders at Eccles, Snuffers Branch School, Stevenson's School, Honaker, Red Bird, Star, Shiloh, Webb on Webb Creek, Fairview Elementary, Trap Hill No. 13 at Glen Daniel, Mill Branch Elementary at Glen Daniel, with Turner, Dillon Creek, and Caperton all being on Sandlick, and the Shumate School at Stover.
The three chief industries of the Trap Hill District were farming, mining, and timbering. Some factories were located in this area were the ice cream factory, brick factory, mattress factory, furniture factory, and building blocks.
Trap Hill High School was a 1-12 high school from 1930 until 1951. Then it became a 7-12 high school. Later it became a 9-12 high school. It closed its doors as a high school in June 1977 and the school building became the present Trap Hill Middle School.
Submitted by Evelyn Erwin Carter September 24, 2005 |
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