The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition Thursday, July 1, 1976 Section B, Page 2 EDUCATION HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES IN MARION COUNTY Education had made great strides of progress in all the sections of Alabama and Marion County and this is certainly true in Winfield, also, as is evidenced in the buildings and methods of teaching today compared to the first schools in Winfield. No record is available as to where the very first settlers attended school, but after the railroad was built in 1887, and more families began to migrate to the small town of Winfield, almost immediately the few citizens saw the need of providing schools for their children. It seems well established that Mrs. Mattie EARNEST, under the principalship of a Mr. GARRETT.(sic) She began her teaching career in 1889 as Miss Mattie WESSON, after completing her college work at the Florence Normal. The former Miss WESSON and Mr. GARRETT taught in the old school south of the Methodist Church, near the home of Mrs. Mary SMITH, and Miss WESSON served as assistant principal along with her classroom teaching. Some of the first students in this school were also some of the earliest settlers who were then in their teens or some above that age. Included were: Mr. and Mrs. Newt WHITEHEAD, Mrs. M. W. HARRIS (Then Jo WHITEHEAD), Bob WHEELER, Cora WARD, and Jesse COUCH, who later became principal of the Brilliant and Winfield Schools. Lynwood EARNEST, who was also a student of "Miss Mattie", later married his teacher, then went to medical school and returned to practice in Winfield for many years. He was the son of Dr. J. F. EARNEST, one of the earliest doctors of Winfield. Miss Mattie resigned from teaching after her marriage and later wrote for a number of magazines and other publications. She died on January 14, of this year, after reaching the age of eighty-four. This first school was a plank building, one large room, that was built with funds raised by the citizens, according to Mrs. Newt WHITEHEAD. John WINDOM was believed to be the next teacher in the same building until the time it burned in 1893. After this time, school was held in the churches and among the teachers in those year were Professor ZEIGLER, Professor Hass SHERER, according to Mr.s R. E. MOORE, Sr. and Dr. R. K. SHIREY taught in the Church of Christ. Others were: (If more are membered). Continuing in the churches until the early 1900's, the next school was built next to where Mrs. VANN now lives. John McKENZIE and also Professor J. H. COUCH taught there according to Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr. The third school building was built near the home of Albert HOLT and the Chiropractic Clinic of Dr. Boyd JACKSON in South Winfield. Mrs. MOORE said that J. H. COUCH, Humphrey BISHOP, and C. R. WELDEN were there with Mr. WELDEN as principal. Al the teachers in that school were not available but a list taken from the School Booklet printed in 1812-13-14 listed C. R. WELDEN as principal; C. D. HUGHES, assistant principal; Mrs. Fannie BEEKER, Second assistant; Miss Corinne TUTHILL, Primary Department; and Miss Anice BOYSTON, Music department. The Board of Education during that year included: J. R. COCHRAN, Chairman; Dr. R. L. HILL, secretary and treasurer; T. C. McCLESKEY, M. S. ASTON, and R. F. WHEELER. In this same school, Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr., then Miss Jennie Lee REESE, began her teaching career in Winfield in 1908, after she had received her degree from the Florence College in 1906 and taught in Walker County for two years. Mrs. MOORE taught in this school from 1908 to 1912, the year of her marriage to Mr. MOORE, then of Brilliant and Engineer on the Illinois Central Railroad. Mrs. O. W. ODEN, then Miss Nora EZZELL of Belgreen, also began her teaching in this same school in 1914, and taught for two years and until her marriage to O. W. ODEN who was connected with the drugstore. Principal WELDEN was instrumental in getting the larger school built where the Winfield Manufacturing Company now has its factory. This school served the children of Winfield from 1916 until the time it was almost completely destroyed by fire on the night of January 8, 1951. According to Mrs. MOORE, the principals who served this school, included C. R. WELDEN, Humphrey BISHOP, John KUYKENDALL, a Mr. MILLICAN, William MOORE, J. H. COUCH and Gordon CRAWFORD, the principal who was serving at the time the building burned and is the principal in the new ultra-modern Winfield Elementary School which was enlarged the summer of 1955. After the building burned in 1951, the grades were again taught in churches and the small remaining part of the school which did not burn. The new building was built in 1951 and opened for the first school term in August of 1952. It contained one of the most modern and well-equipped of lunchrooms, large beautiful entrance, principal's office and teacher's lounge, nice rest rooms, library music room, and classrooms for the six grades and small private piano room which was used by the Kindergarten during the past year. The addition of four classrooms and possibly another was completed during summer 1955. These new rooms housed the three first grade classes had Kindergarten with separate bathrooms for the different rooms which indeed was an asset to the growing school. Mr. William MOORE, who came to Winfield in 1923 and served as principal of the Elementary and High School for a period of twelve years. He was instrumental in getting the present Winfield High School built in 1925 and served as the first principal, and Miss Zora ELLIS, a past A.E.A. president, taught English in the school during its first term. The High School principals since Mr. MOORE, have been: C. C. EDMONDSON, R. J. LAWRENCE, A. C. WALKER and J. S. BRINDLEY. Additions have also been made to the high school since its original structure was built in 1925, including the Home Economics Department, a gymnasium. On the present school board are Sam COUCH; Olen CUNNINGHAM, Homer HOOPER, Parker SPANN, and Billy GILBERT. A most sentimental part of the Winfield Education system is the fact that many of the present faculty members are descendants of some of the very first families in the town of Winfield. And another important factor in the Progress of Education in Winfield, is the great support of the City Governing body and the cooperative citizens who designate special taxes earmarked for the improvement and progress of the schools, such as was evidenced in the program for meeting the city funds for much of the recent building. The Estes Hudson Stadium is another example of public spirited cooperation and support of the citizens as the Winfield Stadium is one of the most modern in this section and the support which has been given to the Winfield High School Band. LOAN FUNDS There will be no shortage of loan funds in he(sic) Southeast this year, but lenders will be concerned about the ability of borrowers to repay and will supervise loans closely. Following the pattern in all of the U. S., interest rates on farm loans will stay high.