As we mourn the passing of another Lovilia High School alumni, my thoughts go back to my early elementary school days at Hinton country school. In the early 1940’s Paul Ansley and I were both students at Hinton although in different grades. This one room schoolhouse was located two miles south of Lovilia. The school house was directly across the road from the Jennings and Dorothy Kitsmiller farm home.
The little one room school house holds many fond memories. As I recall, classes started at 9 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. We never had snow days or spring breaks. Many of the students walked to school two or more miles. Some of the parents shared taking the children to school. Those of us fortunate enough to own a bicycle wold ride our bikes to school.
It was the teacher’s responsibility to get the coal stove loaded with coal to warm the building. The next task was to pump and carry buckets of water from the well into the building for drinking and washing hands. There were two outhouses for the students, one for boys and one for girls. The teacher was also the school janitor. At the end of the school day, students would often clean the blackboards and the erasers.
We always began the school day with the “Pledge of Allegiance” and finished with a patriotic song. Classes began with the lower grades first. The class in turn went to the front rows of desk to recite and go over the lessons. Then the teacher gave assignments and the class would return to their desks to study or work on special projects.
Each child carried from home his or her food for the day in metal lunch buckets. Hands were washed with a teakettle of warm water over a large dishpan. Summer lunches were eaten outdoors but during the cold winter months we would gather around the coal stove to be warm while we ate lunch.
We had very limited sports or play equipment at Hinton. Games we played were Oly-Oly-Oxen Free, Blind Mans Bluff, Anity-Anity-Over or games made up by the students. Some of the teachers would join us playing games or baseball.
The all school program was held in the fall of the year. It was a very exciting time for all the students. We would rehearse for weeks! We always had a play, music, and several students recited poems or sang solos. All the parents, friends, and neighbors living around the school would come for this once a year event. Mothers of the students would bring cookies, pies, and cakes to share with everyone.
During the long cold winter months we would build snow forts, have snowball fights, and get very cold and wet. Many indoor activities were planned too. I remember the older students helping younger students with snow pants and boots. Jimmie Kraber always helped me!
We always respected our teachers, I don’t remember any fights or name calling or certainly no four letter words.
The teachers that I remember were Mary Fallon, Beth Barnes, Helen Potts, and Helen Plum. My father Floyd Funk and his siblings, Bill, Bob, Don, and Viola also had Mary Fallon as a teacher. My mother Ann Funk was secretary/treasurer for the school.
Names of students who attended during my years were: Don, Paul, and Jimmie Kraber; Mervin and Pauline Briggs; Paul and Delores Ansley; Larry Henderson; Oliver and Ida Mae Smith; Barbara Chance; Dennis and Mary Kay Blomgren; Carol Mae Funk; Patricia Parker; Alice Lane; Jack and Jerry Chance. After so many years, I have forgotten some of the first names but these families had children also attending Hinton: Gray, Saner, Brown, Sterling, Gladson, Patterson, and Scavinger.
At the end of the school term we had a school picnic! It was always a very exciting time. We normally went to a student’s home for the picnic.
Today, Hinton school building is part of the United Methodist Church building in Lovilia. I was overjoyed when I found out that our little one room schoolhouse was being moved to town and used as extended sanctuary seating for the church. I was baptized, confirmed and married in this little church. Hinton’s little one room schoolhouse goes from a meeting place for elementary education to a meeting place of worship. This is a wonderful tribute to our little one room schoolhouse!
Sandra gives a special thank you to Larry Henderson for helping her remember names and data. Sandra is a 1957 Lovilia High School graduate.