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Hokes Bluff School History Source: History of Hokes Bluff by Joe Barnes
The History of Hokes Bluff Schools Source: The Story of Hokes Bluff, Alabama and Surrounding Areas by J. Boatwright and S. Millander
Since the early settlement of Hokes Bluff, schools have
been a big part of the community. Many of the early settlers created small one
to three room schools. These schools were attended by the children in the
immediate area. Usually the schools were for grades one through six. Sometimes
children as old as eighteen may have attended the school in hopes of learning
their basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Hokes Bluff did have
two colleges or academies for older students. The colleges were private
schools. Admission had to be paid. The following is a list of small schools
which preceded Hokes Bluff High School. Hokes Bluff High School was created in
1935. The first graduating class was the class of 1938. The information about
each of these schools was gathered from interviews done with citizens who
remember the school or who even attended some of these schools.
The Hokes Bluff Male - Female College During the 1870’s, a Female College was
formed in Hokes Bluff. There are records still in existance from this college.
The Griffith family who had some part in the running of the school kept books
from the college. According to these books, only females attended to start with.
The students were charged twenty-five dollars for a semesters tuition. Many of
these girls were from other towns. Some were even the daughters of steamboat
captains who traveled up and down the Coosa River. The Female College was
possibly located on the present site of the Hokes Bluff Masonic lodge or in the
building which housed the Liberty Baptist Church(1st Baptist). The college must
have been located near the bluff so that it could interact with the steam-boat
traffic on the river. Hokes Bluff School was in operation from the
early 1900’s up until the creation of Hokes Bluff High School in 1935. It went
from grades one to eight. Many students who wanted to finish their high school
education had to attend nearby Glencoe High School. The building stood on the
hill across from the present day Hokes Bluff Elementary School.
This is a photo from Hokes Bluff School made
around 1929. The Woods school was located where Mt. Tabor
church stands today. It was inoperation into the 1930’s. Grades one through
six were taught. Louis Kirkland was principal there during the 1920’s and
1930’s. This was also called Ball Play School. The picture below is Woods
School sometime in the 1930’s.
The Ewing School was located across from present day Jack’s Restaurant. It was on top of the hill on the right side of Highway 278 as you are coming into Hokes Bluff. Today, this school would actually lie in Glencoe city limits but then many children who lived in Hokes Bluff attended Ewing School. Ewing School was probably built around 1912 or 1913. It was built to replace a school that had been destroyed by a tornado in 1912. This school was called the Little Red Schoolhouse. It stood on the present site of Gregerson’s. Mariette Sims Smith’s mother Annie Sims was a teacher at the schoolhouse. She was teaching the day the tornado struck the school. Mrs. Sims was able to get all the children out of the school safely. They hid under a nearby bridge until the storm passed.
The Ewing School about 1927. Photo Courtesy of Mariette Smith Front Row (L to R): Earl Sims, Charlie Frank
Summerall, Roscoe Alexander, Robert Tillison, ? Clay, Millard Taylor, L.C.
Wilkerson, Doyce Alford, Ryland Williams, F.B. Bryant, ?, M.L. Taylor, ?, Omer
Doyle, Homer Doyle, ? Elliott, J.P. Phillips, Bruce Sims Second Row: Tommy Reid,
Robert Reid, ?, Ruth Alexander, ?, Marie Reid, ?,?, Louise Marker, Inez Bryant,
Bebe Reid, Faye Lancaster, Francis Vinson, Sara Sharpe, ?, Bertha ?, T.Y.
Taylor, Mara Sharpe, Ruby Tillison, Emma Nell Clay, Mariette Smith, Bela Sue
DeJernett, Billie Jean DeJernett, Nita Tillison, ? Third Row: ?, Rufus Clay, ?,
?, ?, Lucille Clay, Virginia Vinson, Annie Lou Taylor, Mildred Milner, ?
Elliott, Pauline Blackwell, ?, ?, Evelyn Milner, Geraldine Sims, Grace McCluney,
Frank Tillison, Columbus Wilkerson 4th Row: Jerome Marker, ?, ?, Bob Sharpe, Ira
Bryant, ?, Thomas Bryant, Annie Wilkerson, ?, Henrietta Clay, Clyde Lancaster,
Narrie Wilkerson, ?, Lillian Waites, Mamie Ruth Sims 5th Row: Perry Clay, Smith
- Teacher, Hoyt Eubanks, Julius Eubanks, Leon Walker 1st Window (L to R) John
Motin, Billy McCaffey, ? 2nd Window: Prudence Walker, ? , Becky Sharpe 3rd
Window: Bob Sharpe The Mayes School was located near Mayes
Cross roads on the present site of Thomas Smith’s house. It also was in
existance until Hokes Bluff High School was created. It was named for the Mayes
family who settled in the area. Below is a photo of Mayes School. The first Graduating class of HB High was in 1938 - Posted in old HS hallway near Gym The Hokes Bluff Band was first organized in 1959 Hokes Bluff's first football team was in 1937 ( No yearbooks from 1938-1956 in HBHS Library )
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Photo of Smyrna School made about 1925. Sherman
Drain-Principal Back row left to right: Cora Loyd, Adele Tidmore, Nettie Croft,
Rose Bud Wise, Howard Wise, Violet Johnson, Willa Huff, Sherman Drain, Lois
Hodges, Hillmar Sims, Edith Huff, ?, Inez Johnson, Randolph(Jerry) Croft, Lona
Loyd, Miss Grace Abercrombie; 2nd row: Fannie Sue Brassell, Ella Croft, Mary
Graves, Jena Will Huff, ?, Guy Hodges, ?, ?, Eddie C. Griffith, Dovie Griffith,
Melinee Jones, Lou Ella Wise, Zannie Johnson, Edna Irene Wise, Elaine Wise
Brown, ? Loyd, Beulah Harcrow, Magadleen Croft, Albert Croft; Bottom Row: ?, ?,
Ruby Hodges, ?, ?, ?, Fannie Griffith, Ella Mae Brassell, P.W. Wise, Doster
Griffith, Woodrow Johnson, Rosa Lee Jones, ?, Hudon Bramlett, Mack Sims, Charles
Sims.
