|
Schools of Bates County, Missouri
Education was an important concern among the early settlers of Bates County, The first formal school was established at Harmony Mission in 1821. The United Foreign Missionary Society of New York City sent Rev. N.B. Dodge with a group to mission to the Osage Indians. With that group were Amasa Jones and Miss Mary Etrie, teachers, who established a school at the Mission. Overall, the mission program was not a tremendous success and that coupled with the movement of the Osage to the Oklahoma territory, led to the discontinuation of the mission.
It was not the end, however, to schools. At first some large families hired a teacher for their own children. Others banded together to hire a teacher who would rotate living with each of the families. Soon buildings were erected that served as both schools and churches. Despite the fact that two-thirds of the land in the county belonged to the government, the population grew rapidly. So rapidly that by 1855 a final division of land was degreed by the Missouri Legislature formally setting the boundaries for Bates County and moving the county seat from Papinville, near the Vernon/Bates border to the newly established town of Butler in the middle of Bates County. In 1856 the government opened the land for formal sale and within three years nearly all was entered. By 1861 the county had a population of 6,765 and Butler was a well built town of 1000 people. And then the war came. Border warfare between Missouri and Kansas had been going on for years and with the formal declaration of war, Bates County was subjected to tremendous devastation. In August, 1863, Ewing’s Order No. 11 was issued and Union forces swept through the border counties of Cass, Jackson, Vernon and Bates enforcing a burnt earth policy that struck hardest at Bates County. Nearly every structure was burned to the ground, livestock stolen or killed, the entire population driven from their homes to neighboring counties at gunpoint. Civilian loses were many. Destruction was in the millions of dollars. Virtually overnight, Bates County was sent back to the 1700’s with no people living there, no food or shelter remaining. Never in the history of America has such an event as this occurred and Bates County suffered the greatest of all the counties.
Miraculously four school houses survived the ravages of war – one at Pleasant Gap, one on South Deepwater (Radford), one near Johnstown and one on the head of Elk Fork. School houses had been rendezvous for bushwhackers and scouts during the War and when they were forced to abandon them they usually set fire to them. Only five of the old teachers returned after the war: A.E. Page, R.J. Reed, William Requa, Mrs. Sarah Requa and Miss Josephine Bartlett.
David McGaughey was appointed county superintendent in 1866 and began granting certificates to teachers. A temporary school house was built at Butler in the summer of 1866 and taught by Professor Cavendish, a graduate of Ashbury University Kansas in the fall of 1866-1867. The first new school house built in the county after the war was the Elswick school house in Charlotte township.  By 1868 some 40-50 new school houses had been built. By 1870, Bates County ranked second in the county for the amount of money spent to build school houses. The first brick school house in the county was erected in Butler and became know as Washington School, or more commonly the West School as it was at the west side of Butler at the head of Ohio Street.. Work began in the fall of 1869 at a cost of $8,000. It was among the first schools to be furnished with the patent seat and desk.
In the late 1800’s, a school year was only six months. State law only required six months but many schools, at their own option would have seven and eight month school terms.
Most of the time the janitor work such as sweeping and cleaning the school and building the fires and banking them each night was the job of the school teacher, at no extra salary. The floors were treated with oil on mops and a sweeping compound treated with oil to keep the floors so they would not dry out.
Bates County Schools
Marais des Cygnes Society has begun a research project to identify all of the schools that ever existed in Bates County. We are seeking any information including names of pupils, teachers, locations, stories about these schools and photographs of classes, the school building, and school events. Following is a list of schools identified to date. If highlighted in blue, we have some information or a photograph of that school. You can email for more details. If you have any information you wish to share, please email the information or mail it to Marais des Cygnes Society, P.O. Box 189, Butler, Missouri 64730. A special thanks to all the volunteers who are helping with this project.
Schools of Bates County
|
School
|
Township
|
Section
|
Latitude
|
Longitude
|
Elev
|
Info
|
|
Amoret
|
Homer
|
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Amsterdam
|
West Point
|
20
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Ballard
|
Mingo
|
|
|
|
|
pic & info
|
|
Belmont School
|
Charlotte
|
27
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bethel School
|
Charlotte
|
23
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bever School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Black School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brackney School
|
|
|
38.20.333
|
94.27.278
|
|
|
|
Brush College
|
Hudson
|
14
|
38.14.833
|
94.07.667
|
782'
|
|
|
Bryan School
|
Mingo
|
28
|
38.40.444
|
94.13.417
|
855'
|
|
|
Buckhorn School
|
East Boone
|
26
|
38.41.111
|
94.42.806
|
863'
|
pic & info
|
|
Burdette School
|
East Boone
|
32
|
|
94.48.222
|
875'
|
|
|
Butler Academy
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cherry Grove School
|
Spruce
|
33
|
38.29.611
|
94.13.75
|
910'
|
|
|
Clay Hill School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coleville School
|
Deer Creek
|
25
|
38.41.556
|
94.30.222
|
810'
|
|
|
Concord School
|
|
|
|
|
|
pic & info
|
|
Cornland School
|
Lone Oak
|
7
|
38.18.528
|
94.38.306'
|
767'
|
|
|
Crawford School
|
Grand River
|
23
|
38.42.833
|
94.21.333
|
860'
|
|
|
Crescent Hill School
|
Deer Creek
|
21
|
38.43.083
|
94.34.667
|
895'
|
|
|
Cumpton School
|
Deepwater
|
29
|
38.23.806
|
94.15.667
|
940'
|
pic & info
|
|
Dillon School
|
Mound
|
13
|
38.35.056
|
94.30.833
|
905'
|
|
|
Dixie School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Double Branch School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Douglas School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
|
|
|
|
pic & info
|
|
Edgewood School
|
West Boone
|
36
|
38.41.306
|
94.53.639
|
907'
|
|
|
Edwards School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
El Dorado School
|
New Home
|
|
|
|
|
perhaps Hot Water School
|
|
Elkfork School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elswick School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enterprise School
|
|
35
|
38.23.639
|
94.42.389
|
822'
|
|
|
Erhart School
|
New Home
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Play School
|
Spruce
|
29
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair View School
|
Spruce
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fairmont School
|
Rockville
|
8
|
38.08.694
|
94.12.914
|
|
pic
|
|
Fair Play School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fairview School
|
Osage
|
23
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fairview School
|
|
|
38.06.694
|
94.41.944
|
|
|
|
Fan School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forbes School
|
|
25
|
38.33.306
|
94.52.972
|
879'
|
|
|
Foster School
|
Walnut
|
Foster
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Foster School
|
|
|
38.16.167
|
94.50.917
|
860'
|
|
|
Franklin School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
Butler
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Franklin School
|
Osage
|
Rich Hill
|
|
|
|
|
|
Freeze Out School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fry School
|
Summit
|
26
|
38.23.917
|
94.21.222
|
921'
|
|
|
Goodin School - later Possom Trot School
|
Deer Creek
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grandview School
|
Charlotte
|
30
|
38.23.861
|
94.49.694
|
844'
|
|
|
Green Castle School
|
Osage
|
17
|
38.07
|
94.36.667
|
812'
|
|
|
Green Ridge School
|
Howard
|
20
|
|
|
|
|
|
Green School
|
East Boone
|
14
|
|
|
|
|
|
Green Valley School
|
East Boone
|
14
|
38.45.333
|
94.42.611
|
811'
|
|
|
Green Valley School
|
New Home
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
Green View School
|
Walnut
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greenview School
|
Walnut
|
2
|
38.19.722
|
94.52.816
|
|
|
|
Griggs School
|
Shawnee
|
11
|
38.36.972
|
94.20.306
|
830'
|
|
|
Hackler School
|
Mingo
|
26
|
38.40.333
|
94.09.556
|
|
|
|
Haines School
|
Hudson
|
36
|
38.11.778
|
94.07.167
|
|
|
|
Happy Hill School
|
Pleasant Gap
|
29
|
38.13.222
|
94.25.389
|
906'
|
pic
|
|
Harmony Mission School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Harmony School
|
Shawnee
|
26
|
38.32.583
|
94.20.944
|
888'
|
pic
|
|
Hayes School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hazel Dell School
|
Hudson
|
2
|
38.18.333
|
94.07.944
|
819'
|
|
|
Herrell School
|
Summit
|
8
|
38.28.861
|
94.27.389
|
860'
|
|
|
Hess School
|
Deer Creek
|
29
|
38.40.944
|
94.37.083
|
847'
|
|
|
Hillside School
|
New Home
|
|
38.15.261
|
94.41.639
|
|
|
|
Hog Skin School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hot Water School
|
|
s12 or 13
|
38.26.861
|
94.53.194
|
860
|
|
|
Hudson School
|
Hudson
|
|
38.19.222
|
94.07.639
|
835'
|
|
|
Hume School
|
Howard
|
8
|
38.09.306
|
94.58.056
|
911'
|
|
|
Independence School
|
Walnut
|
34
|
38.13.056
|
94.55
|
845'
|
|
|
Johnson School
|
Homer
|
32
|
38.22.667
|
94.59.111
|
|
|
|
Johnstown School
|
|
|
38.31.556
|
94.08.417
|
|
pic
|
|
Keith School
|
Osage
|
2
|
38.09.944
|
94.41.583
|
914'
|
|
|
Klondike School
|
Walnut
|
35
|
38.13.056
|
94.51.472
|
853'
|
|
|
Liberty School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Little Deer Creek School
|
Shawnee
|
8
|
38.37.444
|
94.27.168
|
859'
|
|
|
Lone Star School
|
Elkhart
|
17
|
38.35.417
|
94.48.028
|
873'
|
|
|
Lost Corner School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
31
|
38.22.194
|
94.391.39
|
|
pic
|
|
Maple Grove School
|
West Boone
|
9
|
38.45.75
|
94.58.056
|
995'
|
|
|
Marshall School
|
Pleasant Gap
|
4
|
38.19.972
|
94.23.333
|
845'
|
|
|
McDavitt School
|
Hudson
|
27
|
38.12.722
|
94.105.
|
797'
|
|
|
McKinley School
|
Mingo
|
20
|
38.42.778
|
94.15.361
|
880'
|
|
|
McNeil School
|
East Boone
|
18
|
38.45.5
|
94.49.167
|
885'
|
|
|
Merwin School
|
West Boone
|
32
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miami Center School
|
Charlotte
|
2
|
38.29.583
|
94.43.472
|
818'
|
|
|
Miller School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
36
|
38.22.528
|
94.31.222
|
|
|
|
Mingo School
|
Grand River
|
20
|
38.42.194
|
94.26.056
|
849'
|
pic
|
|
Mission Branch School
|
Prairie
|
8
|
38.09.444
|
94.24.944
|
754'
|
|
|
Montgomery School
|
Howard
|
20 east
|
38.07.083
|
94.46.333
|
867'
|
pic
|
|
Montrose School
|
Howard
|
11
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mound Valley School
|
Mound
|
18
|
38.36.917
|
94.38.25
|
918'
|
|
|
Mount Leonard School
|
Howard
|
14
|
38.07.306
|
94.52.583
|
|
|
|
Mount Rose (Montrose) School
|
Howard
|
11
|
38.10.139
|
94.52.583
|
861'
|
|
|
Mount Zion School
|
Walnut
|
5
|
38.19.639
|
94.56.639
|
|
|
|
Mount Zion School 1895
|
Mound
|
15
|
38.35.139
|
94.34.528
|
860'
|
|
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mt. Zion School 1928
|
Mound
|
15
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mt.Vernon School
|
|
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Mulberry School
|
Homer
|
10
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
New Home School
|
New Home
|
|
38.14.361
|
94.46.611
|
800'
|
|
|
North Muddy School
|
Osage
|
21
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nyhart School
|
New Home
|
3
|
38.20.47
|
94.43.69
|
|
pic & info
|
|
Oak Grove School
|
|
|
38.23.694
|
94.10.22
|
835'
|
|
|
Oak Grove School
|
|
|
38.12.611
|
94.31.194
|
747'
|
|
|
Old Walnut School
|
Walnut
|
21
|
38.15.944
|
94.55.139
|
|
|
|
Olive Branch School
|
|
|
38.29.556
|
94.48.167
|
875'
|
|
|
Olive School
|
Shawnee
|
9
|
38.37.028
|
94.23.694
|
855'
|
pic
|
|
Orchard Grove School
|
Pleasant Gap
|
3
|
38.19.972
|
94.20.361
|
960'
|
|
|
Osage School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ovid School
|
Osage?
|
31
|
38.12.194
|
94.36.861
|
|
|
|
Papinville School
|
Prairie
|
16
|
38.06.694
|
94.23
|
752'
|
pic
|
|
Passaic School
|
Mound
|
|
38.32.194
|
94.35.111
|
866'
|
|
|
Patty School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
14
|
38.27.111
|
94.31.694
|
850'
|
|
|
Peru School
|
Lone Oak
|
12
|
38.18.222
|
94.29.139
|
832'
|
|
|
Plainview School
|
Charlotte
|
6
|
38.29.972
|
94.51.222
|
882'
|
|
|
Pleasant Gap School
|
Pleasant Gap
|
11
|
38.17.056
|
94.19.972
|
971'
|
pic
|
|
Pleasant Ridge School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pleasant Valley School
|
Lone Oak
|
14
|
38.16.139
|
94.29.694
|
776'
|
|
|
Possom Trot School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prairie City School
|
Prairie
|
|
38.07.861
|
94.17.444
|
795'
|
pic
|
|
Prairie Rose School
|
Mound
|
30
|
38.32.306
|
94.38.361
|
820'
|
pic
|
|
Prairie School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reavley School
|
New Home
|
26
|
38.12.833
|
94.41.417
|
|
|
|
Red Top School
|
Walnut
|
7
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red White & Blue School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redmon School
|
Summit
|
11
|
38.28.389
|
94.21
|
885'
|
|
|
Reynard School
|
Hudson
|
17
|
38.15.75
|
94.13.528
|
808'
|
|
|
Rich Hill School
|
Osage
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rich Valley School
|
Hudson
|
32
|
38.12.028
|
94.14.167
|
781'
|
|
|
Rockville School
|
Rockville
|
14
|
38.07.417
|
94.08
|
763'
|
pic
|
|
Rocky Point School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rose-Leonard School
|
Howard
|
14
|
38.08.722
|
94.51.75
|
875'
|
|
|
Scifers School
|
Pleasant Gap
|
22
|
38.13.75
|
94.20.639
|
880'
|
|
|
Seelinger School
|
Prairie
|
3
|
38.10.111
|
94.21.167
|
795'
|
|
|
Shady Dell School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
9
|
38.28.889
|
94.34.861
|
863'
|
|
|
Sheepskin School, also Happy Hill
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shelton School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Silverdale School
|
Elkhart
|
8
|
38.38.25
|
94.48.528
|
850'
|
|
|
Smoky Row School
|
Mingo
|
14
|
38.43.278
|
94.09.361
|
774'
|
pic
|
|
Sprague College
|
Howard
|
10
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sprague School
|
Howard
|
9
|
38.09.667
|
94.46.056
|
915'
|
pic
|
|
Standish School
|
Walnut
|
29
|
38.13.194
|
94.58.772
|
|
|
|
Star School
|
Lone Oak
|
4
|
38.19.472
|
94.33.75
|
|
|
|
Summit School
|
Summit
|
15
|
38.26.194
|
94.23.833
|
956'
|
pic
|
|
Tripp School
|
|
|
38.24.194
|
94.35.917
|
833'
|
|
|
Tygard School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
20
|
38.25.75
|
94.38.083
|
|
|
|
Valley School
|
Deepwater
|
7
|
38.28
|
94.17.444
|
877'
|
pic
|
|
Victory School
|
Homer
|
|
38.23.972
|
94.56.25
|
|
|
|
Victory School
|
Mound
|
10
|
38.37.944
|
94.34.417
|
865'
|
|
|
Virginia School
|
Charlotte
|
17
|
38.26.722
|
94.49.278
|
870'
|
pic
|
|
Virginia School
|
New Home
|
17
|
38.17.222
|
94.47.167
|
|
|
|
Washington School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
Butler
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Webster School
|
Mt. Pleasant
|
Butler
|
|
|
|
pic
|
|
Wemott School
|
Shawnee
|
32
|
38.25.583
|
94.27.333
|
883'
|
info
|
|
West Point School
|
West Point
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wilcox School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Willow Branch School
|
West Point
|
12
|
38.36.972
|
94.52.861
|
883'
|
|
|
Willow Tree School
|
Deepwater
|
14
|
38.26.556
|
94.10.139
|
815'
|
|
|
Woodland School
|
West Boone
|
11
|
38.45.667
|
94.53.583
|
922'
|
|
|
Worland School
|
Walnut
|
7
|
38.18.667
|
94.59.5
|
865'
|
pic
|
|
|
