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| Initialed photo renewed interest in old schools |
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| Question: Shirley Gray, a member of the Historical Society, shared the picture accompanying this column. She wanted to know what the initials "V.S.T.S." on the back of the photo could possibly mean. |
| Answer: The initials "V.S.T.S." stood for Valley Springs Training School, and the story about the school is one of interest to those who might have had relatives attending this school. |
| In the 1870s, there were three area schools classed as academies: Valley Springs Academy, the Rally Hill Academy, and the Bellefonte Academy. From their high educational ratings, they gave this area the name of "The Athens of Arkansas." All three schools were located within 10 miles of each other, creating a rivalry among them by the late 1800s and early 1900s. |
| Rally Hill was the first to close its doors, while Valley Springs and Bellefonte still carried on in a large way as publicly-supported schools, instead of privately-operated schools. |
| Valley Springs pioneered in the transition from classical education to education featuring manual training when the name "Academy" was dropped in 1922. The school was taken over by the North Arkansas Conference of the Methodist Church and became the Valley Springs Training School, with Professor M. J. Russell as the headmaster. |
| The Valley Springs Training School operated a shop and a 160 acre farm on what was called a "potluck" plan. Students worked in the shop and on the farm, and this work paid a part or all of their tuition and board. During the time the Methodist Conference operated the school, average attendance was 150 high school students, and 150 in the lower grades. Professor Russell remained as head of the school until it was discontinued in 1937. |
| In 1927, Allbright Hall was built when vocational education funds became available through state and Federal sources. The building, named for one of the early educators, Thomas Allbright, was a structure of massive gray stone walls with a ground measurement of 40 x 120, and three stories high. By 1941, the Smith-Hughes building had been completed, with 45 NYA boys assisting in the work. A national defense school of carpentry and other defense trade classes were being taught at that time. |
| Valley Springs School attracted much attention in 1940 and 1941 by its hot lunch and garden program. The P.T.A., with the aid of W.P.A. labor, cultivated a large garden, providing food stuff for children's lunches, in addition to 2,500 quarts of vegetables canned in glass jars. Three gardeners were employed by the W.P.A., and eight cooks assisted during the canning season. |
| A Little Rock newspaper article in 1941 stated: "The State Department of Education gave Valley Springs a 'B' rating and commended its vocational, commercial and adult education departments." The article also noted the school had three "steel" buses that make two trips daily, with some rural routes 15 miles from the school plant. Board members that year were Elmo Murray, Witt Bryan, Bert Askew, Claude Taylor and Jeff Dalton. |
| We thank Joe Bruce for sending this picture to Shirley Gray. Their question as to what the initials "V.S.T.S." stood for is now answered. |
| Old photos often hold both questions and answers. The Heritage Museum strives to preserve the history of this county for generations to come. We welcome your old photos and family stories. The museum is located on the corner of South Cherry and Central Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
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