The Choctaw Freedmen Part 17

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men."

ERA OF SUPT. McBRIDE

About October 1, 1888 Mr. and Mrs. James F. McBride arrived to take charge of the work as superintendent and matron. Their arrival was the occasion of another joyful meeting on the part of the colored people who came to see the "suptender, and express their great joy over the new start that was to be given the school."

Mrs. McBride at a later date, referring to the appearance of things on the day of their arrival at this, their new home, wrote:

"I can still see how the old log house looked as we drove up; so dilapidated. A broken down porch ran along the front of it, and we had to climb over an old rail fence to get to it. Our first meal was corn bread made with water--without salt--and stewed dried peaches."

When the school opened they were a.s.sisted by Miss Carrie Peck, Celestine Hodges and Mary Grundy.

A new era was now inaugurated in the management of the school. Owners.h.i.+p as yet extended only to the farm buildings, which consisted of the old log house, and barn, purchased from Robin Clark, and the new school building. The first effort was now made to utilize two small fields of cleared land and the neighboring timber to raise stock and crops for the local support of the school.

GIRLS' HALL

In 1889 a commodious Girls' Hall was built having ample facilities for carrying and boarding a considerable number of students. The enjoyment of anything like ordinary home comforts on the part of the teachers began with the occupancy of this building. It became the home of the family of the superintendent, teachers and the girls; and the old log house was fitted up for occupancy by the boys. An additional room was also added to the school building.

As the patronage of the school increased Mr. McBride felt there was need for a suitable Boys' Hall. He made the plans for it and, enlisting the interest of the women of Indiana, they provided the money for it. On January 29, 1892, after three and one half years of faithful service and before his hopes could be realized by merely starting the work on the new building, his death occurred and the progress of the improvement work was again arrested.

Mr. McBride was educated at Hanover, Indiana, and had previously taught in several other schools. He was an active christian worker and had been ordained a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church. He antic.i.p.ated the future needs of the school by planting fruit trees, that, during these later years, have borne bountiful crops of fruit.

The other a.s.sistants of Mr. McBride were Mary Coffland, princ.i.p.al in 1889 and a.s.sistant princ.i.p.al 1890 to 1892; Miss Priscilla G. Haymaker, who returned to serve as princ.i.p.al in 1890 and continued until 1896.

Other a.s.sistants were Anna McBride, Bettie Stewart, colored, and Rilla Fields who served from the fall of 1891 to the spring of 1895.

MRS. J. F. McBRIDE

During the next eight months the management of the inst.i.tution devolved upon Mrs. McBride; and she continued to serve as matron until the spring of 1899, a period of eleven years. She gave to this inst.i.tution many of her best years for service, and the best work of her life. She became specially interested in a number of young people at Oak Hill and aided them to attend other schools of our Board. She is now living at Coalgate, Okla.

XVI

ERA OF REV. EDWARD G. HAYMAKER

1892-1904

A TERM ANNOUNCEMENT.--BOYS' HALL 1893.--LAUNDRY AND SMOKEHOUSE, 1895--MR. AND MRS. HAYMAKER.--MRS. McBRIDE.--OTHER HELPERS.--ANNA AND MATTIE HUNTER.--MRS. M. E. CROWE.--PRAYING FOR WATER.--APPEAL FOR HOSPITAL.--CARRIE E. CROWE.

"Learning is wealth to the poor, An honor to the rich, An aid to the young, A support and comfort to the aged."

ERA, 1892-1904.

On October 1, 1892, Rev. Edward Graham Haymaker became superintendent and continued to serve in that capacity until the spring of 1904.

The following extracts, from a circular announcement, sent out in script form, for one of the early years of this period, are full of historic interest.

"Oak Hill Industrial school for colored children is situated 5 miles north of Red river and 25 miles east of Goodland, the nearest R. R.

station. School opens Oct. 2nd and will continue for a term of six months. It is important that all who attend be on hand at the opening. The sum of $10.00 for citizens and $12.00 for non-citizens will be charged which must be paid in advance, or a.s.surance given for its payment. The price of tuition has been raised by the Board as the Choctaw fund seems to be cut off. It only amounts to 1 cent a meal or 3 cents a day for board and 1-1/2 cents for lodging. Cheap enough. The Board pays the large part of the bill.

"Shoes must in all cases be provided by parents and guardians. Girls will be provided with other articles of clothing as far as possible, but no such provision can be made for boys. Books for all will be provided free, and all will be required to work certain hours each day. Boys will not be allowed to use tobacco.

"A course of study has been arranged and pupils completing the course will be given a diploma, which will admit to any of the higher schools under the Board.

"E. G. Haymaker, superintendent."

BOYS' HALL

During this period a Boys' Hall was erected in 1893, a laundry and smokehouse in 1895. In 1902 the school building was moved from the oak grove at the railway to its present position on the campus and the height of it increased.

Most of the pupils were boarders and most of them were girls. The girls were encouraged to learn to sew that at Christmas they might be the wearers of a new calico dress made with their own hands.

All were required to read the Bible and encouraged to commit the shorter catechism, the World's briefest and best commentary on the Bible.

MR. AND MRS. HAYMAKER

Rev. E. G. Haymaker was a native of Newlonsburg, Westmoreland County, Pa. He graduated from Was.h.i.+ngton and Jefferson College in 1885 and from the Western Theological Seminary at Pittsburgh, in 1890. In 1887 he was licensed by the Presbytery of Blairsville, and in 1890 was ordained by the Presbytery of Kittanning. After serving Midway and Union churches, Cowansville, Pa., two years, on Oct. 1, 1892, he became superintendent of Oak Hill and continued until the spring of 1904, eleven and a half years.

Mrs. Haymaker, who became matron of the Boys Hall in 1894, was a native of Pennsylvania and was educated in the public schools and Wilson Female College at Chambersburg. She was a teacher at Wheelock Academy at the time of her marriage in 1894.

During the period of service on the part of these and all previous helpers the necessaries of life had to be hauled long distances. The daily supply of water had to be hauled one and a half miles. The nearest post office most of the time was at Wheelock, ten miles east. Previous to 1902, when Valliant was founded the nearest trading stations were Paris and Clarksville, Texas, and from 1889 to 1903 Goodland, twenty-eight miles west. All the surfaced lumber in the Girls' and Boys'

Halls, built in 1889 and 1894 had to be hauled from Paris.

Travel over the rough crooked trails and unbridged streams in the timber, whilst not unhealthful in good weather, was always a slow, tedious experience, rather than a source of pleasure. To live at Oak Hill meant to enjoy a quiet secluded home, so far removed from the currents of the world's activity, as to be almost unaffected by them.

Mrs. McBride continued to serve as matron until 1899, a period of ten years. The school had then a history of 13 years. On reviewing the signs of improvement and progress among the colored people that might be attributed to the good influence of the Oak Hill school, she wrote as follows:

"The community has greatly changed since this school was established. When Mr. McBride and I went to the field murders were common in the neighborhood of Oak Hill, but they are rare now. The people are now improving their places, cultivating more land, planting orchards and building board houses, having several rooms.

They have more stock than formerly and their outlook seems hopeful; but alas! their religious life is sadly neglected. One half the pupils are from Presbyterian families, and those who come from other denominations learn to love our church, its doctrines and form of wors.h.i.+p."

Parson Stewart of Doaksville, who had been the faithful pastor of the Oak Hill church from the time it was founded in 1869, continued to serve it once a month until the spring of 1893, a period of 24 years. He was then at the age of 70 honorably retired from the active ministry, and the superintendent of the academy, became his successor in the pastorate of the Oak Hill church.

OTHER HELPERS.

The other a.s.sistants, during the period Mr. Haymaker was superintendent were as follows:

Princ.i.p.als: Anna T. Hunter, 1895 to 1901; Sadie Shaw, 1898-9; Carrie E.

Crowe, 1901 to 1903; Verne Gossard, 1903 to 1904.

a.s.sistant Teachers: Mattie Hunter, 1895 to 1901; Mrs. Mary Scott, 1901-1903; Jessie Fisher, 1903 to 1904; Rilla Fields, 1892 to 1895; Howard McBride, 1892-93.

a.s.sistants in the Cooking Department: Mary Gordon, 1894-5; Fannie Green (Col.), Josephine McAfee (Col.), Sadie Shaw, 1897, Lou K. Early, Josie Jones, Lilly E. Lee, Mrs. Martha Folsom (Col.), 1902-3, and Mrs. Emma Burrows, 1903-4.