David L Burton

A History of the Rural Schools in Greene County, Mo. David L Burton

Generations of Missourians who were educated in one-room county schools tend to have fond memories of that earlier era and forget the stark conditions that often prevailed in rural schools. Despite their limitations and lack of amenities, rural schools fulfilled their mission. They brought education within walking (or riding) distance of nearly every Missourian. This was certainly the case in Greene County, Mo., which had 124 one-room schools operating in 1905. The earliest Missouri schools may have provided only the barest rudiments of education but they were also the social center for fledgling communities. The schoolhouse was a gathering place for everything from pie suppers and church meetings to holiday and political events. Such gatherings were a vital source of communication in rural communities, and they helped knit together the scattered population. Today, the one-room schoolhouse with its smoky stove, water bucket and outhouse is a fading memory. The emergence of a statewide road system made it possible for schools to consolidate and transport pupils to larger, more centralized schools. Whatever its shortcomings may have been, the one-room school served a vital function in the evolution of Missouri's public education system and in the overall social and economic development of the state. This book profiles the one-room schools that stood in Greene County, Mo. It also documents those that are still standing and provides both historic fact and the stories of former students and teachers at those one-room schools. This book is a "must-have" for any historian from the Ozarks that is interested in local history.