Thanks. Roger! This was of particular interest to me, because my mother (Mary Louise Taylor of Wilson County) was teaching Latin and English at Winterville High School in 1938-39 or so when she went on a blind date with "a Greenville boy", Chester Elks, who later became my father. If anyone has access to late thirties yearbooks, I'd like to correspond about getting pictures. (Looks as if I may have to buy Roger's book!) Thanks, Katherine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger E. Kammerer" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 5:22 PM Subject: [NC-PCFR] Hisory of the Winterville Academy > [TRYING A SECOND TIME] > > I was asked to put up some of my history articles on the Mail List. I had > a conversation last night about the Winterville Academy, so here is an > article I wrote several months ago. I hope you find it interesting. > Thanks, Roger Kammerer > > > History of the Winterville Academy > > Pitt County has long had a willingness to try to educate its children as > evidenced by the scores of schools in its history. It seems every > community and cross roads town had its own school built either by one > local man or group of citizens. The old Winterville Academy was one of > these schools that were the outgrowth of people in a community trying to > educate its children. > The love of education in the Winterville community initially grew out of > the love for learning instilled in the pupils of Mrs. Mary Smith (Miss > Polly) who had taught many of them in a private school in her home. One of > these students was Miss Nannie C. Cox (1865-1939) daughter of John Cannon > Cox and Elizabeth Gardner. Nannie went to the Normal and Industrial > Training School for Teachers in Greensboro, NC for a year and then > returned home. She taught a private school in her neighborhood for > several years. The village of Winterville grew up around her brother A. G. > Cox's Manufacturing Company and with his help, Nannie Cox bought a lot and > had a boarding house and school built on it. The two-teacher school opened > in 1895 as the "Winterville Academy." Her two assistants in the school > were Miss Mattie Tucker and Miss Leta McGowan. A number of boarding pupils > from other communities were enrolled in the Winterville Academy and it > became a very popular and influential school. > According to an advertisement for the Winterville Academy, Miss Nannie > Cox, Principal, in the local newspaper in Oct. 1897, her prices were: > "Primary English, $1.00 per month; Intermediate English, $1.50 per month; > Higher English, $2.00 per month; Languages, each, $1.00 per month; Music, > including piano rent, $2.50 per month and Board, $4-$5.00 per month; with > no deduction for loss of time except in case of sickness of as much as a > week's duration." > In 1899, Nannie Cox married Mr. Walter J. Wyatt and she stopped teaching > and got Jesse L. Jackson to take over as principal. He served as principal > for only a year. His assistants were Miss Rosa Cox and Miss Annie Wyatt > who taught music. > In 1899, Mr. A. G. Cox and Dr. Beriah T. Cox bought and donated a > four-acre plot of land for a school, in the southeastern part of the town. > Work had already started on erecting a school building on the land when in > 1900 a stock company was formed for the operation of the school and > interest grew to such an extent that it was offered to the Neuse Baptist > Association and was accepted for a denominational school. > The central building built in 1900 was a two-story building, 54 ft. by 64 > ft., with double porches and a large bell tower. It had a large auditorium > or chapel, four large recitation rooms and four smaller classrooms for art > and music. > The Winterville Academy opened in Jan. 1901 with G. E. Lineberry, a native > of Chatham County, NC and graduate of Wake Forest College, as principal. > F. C. Nye was appointed his assistant. On Feb. 5, 1901 the school was > incorporated as "The Winterville High School." The school was operated by > 18 trustees who served under the auspices of the Neuse White Baptist > Association. > In 1902, a dormitory for girls with 19 bedrooms, two bathrooms, a parlor > and dining room was erected on the west side of the property. They were > described as having stone floors and slate roofs and as being the "model > of convenience and comfort." Later two small boy's dormitories, one with > fifteen rooms and the other with sixteen rooms were built on the east > side. In June 1903, it was reported that the school campus had been > enclosed with an attractive Pittsburgh wire fence, nice walks had been > laid off and the entire grounds had been leveled preparatory to sowing in > lawn grass. > By 1907, the school grounds had four buildings and had enlarged to over > seven acres. According to the rules in the school catalog from > 1908."School opened each morning with religious exercises and all pupils > had to attend. School discipline was rigid, cigarette smoking and > profanity were forbidden. Also forbidden was unnecessary communication > between boys and girls. Forty demerits resulted in suspension and three > suspensions were grounds for expulsion. All boarding students furnished > their own sheets, pillows, pillowcases and two blankets. Room and board in > the dormitories were about $8.00-$9.60 per month, including fuel and > electric lights. School lasted three months, tuition, to be paid in > advance, was $5.00 for first primary, $7.50 for second primary and $17.50 > for high school per month." > In 1909, F. C. Nye succeeded Mr. Lineberry as principal and by the next > year, the Roanoke-Baptist Association became co-owner of the school. The > school became very popular and students were coming from all over eastern > North Carolina. Winterville grew as many families moved to Winterville so > their children could attend the school. About this time they had a school > annual called the "Cotton Boll." > Prospects were very promising until right after the fall term of 1916 > opened. In the early morning of August 16, lightning struck the > administration building and the fire which ensued completely, destroyed > most of its contents and all the school records since the beginning. > School activities resumed the same day in the dining room of the Girls > Dormitory and plans were immediately started to rebuild. Due to the > economic conditions brought on by World War I, it wasn't until the Spring > of 1919 that a new administration building was begun. > In November 1919, before the new brick administration building was > completed, another fire destroyed the Girls Dormitory. No more school was > taught that year and since the State was becoming more interested in High > Schools, it was decided to sell the school to the State the next year. The > school reopened in the fall of 1920 as a public high school. > In 1935, a new high school building was built and the old building became > the elementary school. A new gymnasium became the eighth building on the > campus in 1965. When the schools were integrated and consolidated, the > Winterville High School ended in 1970 and the students were moved to the > new D. H. Conley High School in January 1971. > The old Winterville High School became a middle school named the A. G. Cox > Middle School. The last vestige of the old Winterville High School, the > brick administration building built in 1919, was torn down in 1974 and > replaced by a modern addition. The cornerstone and keystone from the brick > administration building were saved and are now located in the cafeteria > building of the new school. > Using older people's memories and the few school catalogues that still > exist we have a record of some of the people associated with the old > Winterville High School. > Others who followed F. C. Nye as principal and teachers include: B. R. > Page, H. F. Brinson, John R. Carroll, J. L. Olive, Paul S. Daniel, George > Quillen, Ivan Bennett, C. J. Carpenter. > Among the lady teachers were: Misses Annie Lee Staley, Lena Spain, Nannie > D. Wood, Laura Cox, V. Elizabeth Boushall, Mollie Bryan, Effie Barker, > Kemp Carlson, Rennie Peele, Dora Cox, Ethel Carroll, Nellie Page, Mary > Susan Steele, Kate Watson, Lossie Stone, Vivian Roberson, Netta Liles, > Clyde Harrison, Nan Lou Waldrop, Musette Daniel, Carmen Rogers, Bessie > Johnson, Bessie Sams, Alice Irving Lambert, Ethel Jennie Miller, Kate > Jenkins, Ethel Gillett and Lillie Bennett. > Among the Dormitory matrons remembered were: Mrs. Eliza Woolard, Miss Neta > Dew, Miss Nannie Braxton and Miss Roxie Harris. > > > > ==== NC-PCFR Mailing List ==== > Post to this mail list at: [email protected] > Visit the PCFR website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncpcfr > Browse our rich collection of old family photographs, private documents, > and public records. > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > >