SNOWVILLE EARLY SCHOOLS
Snowville was the center of education for the Pulaski area
in it's early days. Its greatest progress
in education did not come until around 1856 and 1857. The first
schools were private schools which
were held in various homes. Then, in 1858, a public school was
set up and housed in a
building which had been erected originally for use as a woolen
mill. When the War Between the
States made it impossible to carry on the manufacturing of woolen
goods, the machinery was set
aside, and the building was used for the first public educational
institution ever to be established
in Snowville. Several years later the school vacated the werstwhile
woolen mill, and moved to
another structure located up on the hill back of the residential
sections of the Town.
At one time, Snowville had what would be considered today a junior
college which was supported by
private subscriptions. A few leading citizens engaged Mr. John
Hopwood to serve as a teacher in the
school for a period of five years. The men who contributed their
own money to promote the project
were: William S. Bullard, son of Dr. Chester Bullard; Dr. Chester
Bullard, minister; Mr. Haymaker,
minister; Capt. David B. Bill, merchant; Cliff Bullard, grandfather
of William P. Bullard of Radford, Virginia;
Frank Bullard, a man who later helped to found Lynchburg College;
and Rush Miller
In addition to funds supplied by these men, each pupil enrolled
in a grade above the fourth grade
paid $2.50 tuition per month.
In 1884, the Pulaski county School Board built a three-room school
which was later used as a
Community Club center. For a time, a building in the west end
of Snowville was used to house a
four- year high school and a seven-year elementary school. Later
some of the high school classes
were moved to the upper part of the old store building located
near the Little River. For some
years, students from miles around came to board at Snowville and
attend school there.
At one time Messrs. E.T. and J.W. Showalter taught the four years
of high school in one room.
Then, about 1922, because the number of students had decreased,
the offerings of the Snowville
High School were reduced to two years.
Later, all high school pupils living in the Snowville area were
transported to Draper and Riner to
attend school. In the year 2001, Snowville pupils were being transported
to Dublin, Virginia to
attend the consolidated high school there.
Snowville High School has graduated many boys and girls who have
become successful and
useful citizens. Some of the earliest ones were: Dr. A.W. Showalter,
M.D., Bentley Hite,
Attorney at Law; Miss Clara Scott, former Supervisor of Pulaski
County: Eddie Moseley, math
teacher at VPI and a minister of the gospel; Manuel Reynolds,
former Principal of Riner High
School and Byron Meredith, former Pulaski County School Board
member
Among the early teachers of Snowville were: Stillman B. Snow;
John Hopwood; Miss, Annie
Lucas; Miss Grace Sayers; E.T. and J.W. Showalter; Maurice Lowman;
Miss Marian Thomas;
Misses Marie and Helen Elmore; Misses Carmel, Kathryn and Ruby
Showalter; Miss Josephine
Lucas; and Miss Blanche Lancaster.
Source : Louise B. Allison - Louise B. Allison wrote this history
in 1958 and it was transcribed by