Our Union County Heritage: A Historical and Biographical Album of Union County—People, Places, Events by Kathleen George Graves and Winnie Palmer McDonald (© 1978 Josten’s) relates the following information pertaining to the establishment for Wood Dale School:

WOOD DALE—June 16, 1898, (P-350). Jackson Boruff and wife to the School Directors of District 3, for love and affection, a lot for a public school, so long as it is used for a school—if abandoned, it falls back to the Boruff heirs. (p. 180)

Union County Schoolday Memories: A Pictorial History of Union County Elementary Schools From the mid-1800’s to the 1960s by Bonnie Heiskell Peters (© 1999) contains four group pictures of students and teachers of Wooddale School on pages 321-324. The first, dated October 12, 1908, was taken by James Stapleton when Eddie A. Irick was teacher. The caption under this picture states: “A land transaction by Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Boruff executed June 6, 1898 provided land for Wooddale School.”

The first register on file at the Union County Board of Education for Wooddale School (the spelling varies depending on the documentation source) reports that the building then in use was constructed in 1900 (the register for 1935-36 records the date as 1902). The registers show that the school went back and forth from having one or two teachers—one teacher from 1932-41, two teachers from 1942-1957, then back to one teacher from 1958-61.

The school was located a short distance from the Union/Grainger County line close to Boruff Cemetery on Black Fox Road. All registers identified the post office that served the school as Liberty Hill, Tennessee, though the area now, I believe, has a Washburn address.

The caption for the first picture continues: “Joe and Iva Davis on August 25, 1936 sold additional land to the county for $500 for this school.” Joe Davis was a well-renowned teacher of the time. Ms. Peters’ book and the registers show that Joe Davis taught at Wooddale School at least 23 terms. Ms. Peters identifies him as the teacher at Wooddale in the 1917-18 photograph on p. 323 of her book. This picture is of particular interest to me, for my father Frank Mincey (b. 1914) and his oldest full sister Dusk[ey] Mincey Jones (b. 1910) are in that portrait. I have a copy of the ca. 1945 picture from Wooddale School (also found on p. 324 in Ms. Peters’ book) on my home library shelf. The teachers in that picture were Joe Davis and Ina Hendrix. Ms. Peters lists Joe Davis as having taught at these schools for the terms identified:

Wood Dale 1917-18
Cook’s Chapel 1932-33
Cave Springs 1936-37
Brock 1938-39
Rose Hill 1940-41
Wood Dale 1941-49
Nave Hill 1950-51
Wood Dale 1952-54
Wood Dale 1955-58
Rose Hill 1959-60
Wood Dale 1960-61
Brock 1961-62
Nave Hill 1962-67

The picture in Ms. Peter’s book on p. 322 (ca. 1908) identifies Mose Kitts and Eva McPhetridge (?) as the teachers at Wooddale. Other teachers identified by Ms. Peters (pp. 333-334; 336-338; 340-341; 344; 346; 350) or by registers on file at the Union County Board of Education (indicated by *) as having taught at Wood Dale were:

Eddie A, Irick 1908
Eva McPhetridge 1912
P. L. Thomas 1932-33
Joe Davis 1933-34*; 1934-35*; 1935-36*
Kathleen Bailey 1934-35
Mary Ruth McPhetridge 1936-37*
Joe Davis 1937-38*
Carl R. Nicely 1939-40
Faustine Nicely 1939-40
James I. Davis 1940-41
Clarence Nicely 1941-42*
Anna Lou Nicely 1941-42
Rosella Nicely 1942-44
Lucil[l]e Nicely 1944-45
Faustine Nicely 1944-45*
Kathleen Bailey 1945-46
Ina H. Hendrix 1945-46
Barbara Bailey 1946-47
Lucille Bailey 1947-48
Barbara Jean Ingle 1948-49
Florence Chesney 1949-51
Anna Lou Nicely 1949-50
Anna Lou Nicely 1950-51*
Joe Davis 1951-52*
Edna* Inez Thomas 1951-52
Anna Lou Dyer 1952-53*
Anna Lou Dyer 1953
Kathleen Bailey 1953-54*
Joe Davis 1954-55*
Kathleen Bailey 1954-56
Joyce Braden 1956-57
Joe Davis 1958-59*
Edna Inez Capps 1959-60
Joe Davis 1960-61*

The first register on file at the Union County Board of Education for Wood-Dale School was for school year 1932-33. Notable students of interest that term were third grader Elmer Bailey, grandfather of current Union County Mayor Jason Bailey, and fifth grader Vallie Mincey (later Mrs. J. P. Lay), my aunt, who stopped attending in November; she repeated the pattern of dropping out of school in the fall for the following two years as well.

Information reported by Mr. Thomas on his Teachers’ Annual Report/Teacher’s Record in his register state that he received his four-year State of Tennessee teaching certificate by examination on July 1, 1929. He stated he attended elementary school for twelve years, high school about two years, and attended the University of Tennessee for eighteen weeks in the summer of 1931, earning 24 credits. Mr. Thomas had seventeen years teaching experience, having taught at Wood-Dale “about 8” years. Mr. Thomas was 46 years old, had five dependents, earned $75 per month, and taught grades 1-8.

Mr. Thomas’ Teachers’ Annual Report included in the register described Wood-dale School as a one room, 900 square foot, frame building. The condition of the windows (ratio of glass to floor area 6:90) that lighted two sides of the room and the walls was listed as “fair”, while the doors, floor, painting, underpinning and foundation were described as “poor”. There was no ventilation system—the building was heated by an ordinary stove, though the condition of the flues or chimneys was “bad”. Mr. Thomas listed the repairs or improvements needed as “a new house”. Equipment consisted of 23 double patent desks, one teacher’s desk, two recitation seats, fourteen square yards of wood and slate blackboards in fair condition, two erasers, one broom, no floor brushes, two waste baskets, one dipper, and one shovel. No precautions had been taken for the safety of furniture, equipment and supplies, and the need for a “new house” was repeated. The playground and school library were not discussed, neither per equipment, materials nor books on hand or read. The water source was a well “on ground” (on the property) with a common dipper for drinking. Toilets were not provided for either the boys or girls who attended the school situated on one-eighth of an acre.

The number of students enrolled at Wooddale varied depending on the chart consulted. Mr. Thomas’ “Progress Table—Classification of Pupils by Number of Years Attended and Progress Made” lists 22 boys and 27 girls. Only one third grade student (not identified by name) was listed as “Rapid”. Five first graders, 3 third graders, 1 fifth grader and 1 eighth grader were listed as “Normal”. The remaining 38 students were listed as “Slow”. The “Age Grade Table—Classification of Pupils by Ages and Grades” reported that the oldest student enrolled was a sixth-grade boy who was 17 years old. The oldest girl enrolled was a sixth grader who was fourteen years old. The “Record of Promotion and Retardation at End of Year” report lists that out of a total yearly enrollment of 49, 22 were dropped from the rolls, while 31 students were promoted to the next grade. In first grade, 1 boy and 2 girls failed who had been in the grade one year; in eighth grade, there were 2 boys and 1 girl in this category. One first grade girl failed who had been in that grade two years, and 2 boys and 3 girls failed first grade that had been in that grade over two years. The attendance rate was reported as 81% for boys and 82% for girls.

Mr. Davis’ register for 1933-34 indicates that my grandfather James Lafayette (Fate) Mincey’s youngest child Fleetie (Mrs. Lester B. “Jack” Thomas) was enrolled in third grade for that term. She appears to have stopped attending in mid-October of that year, and stopped attending even earlier the following year.

The information included in the “Teacher’s Annual Report—Teacher’s Record” in the 1933-34 register report Mr. Davis’ date of birth as October 30, 1896. He was himself educated at Wood Dale for 8 years, graduating in 1916. He attended Horace Maynard High School for four years, graduating in 1930. (Note that it was mentioned above that he taught at Wood Dale during the 1917-1918 term; Mr. Davis taught school before he completed high school!) He reported that he received a four-year professional State of Tennessee teacher license on September 30, 1932. Mr. Davis attended the University of Tennessee (UT) for one year and had last attended summer school for 12 weeks in 1932, also at UT. Mr. Davis had 9 years of teaching experience, 5 of them at Wood Dale. Mr. Davis was 36 years of age, married and reported two dependents. He taught grades 1-8 for eight months at a salary of $65 per month.

Mr. Davis’ register for the previous year listed no library materials at Wood Dale; this improved greatly in 1934-35 by the addition of 46 books during the year at a cost of $9.80 (cheaper than if purchased from KARM today). No books were lost during the year, though their value decreased to $8.00. No books had been secured from circulating libraries, yet 75 books were read during the year.

School year 1935-36 saw the continued enrollment of my aunt Fleetie, my cousin Bertha Jones (Mrs. John Lay), and my sister Estelle Mincey (Mrs. Buford Mullins). Cousin Bertha grew up to be a voracious reader; she gave me scores of books from the time I was 17 until a short time before her death (practically all of which I still have)—these books became a substantial part of my home library. Only Estelle completed that entire school year, attending 133 and missing 24 days. Mr. Davis reported the value of the buildings and heating plant that year as only $50.00 and the value of the grounds $10.00. His reported salary for 1935-6 decreased to $55 per month.

My aunt Fleetie, sister Estelle, brother Fred Mincey (who later served in the military, married Easter Jarvis and moved to Cincinnati), and cousins Bertha Jones and Carson and Mildred Rosenbalm were enrolled at Wood Dale in school year 1936-37. This school year introduced both a new teacher and building to Wood Dale’s students. Mary Ruth McPhetridge held a permanent Tennessee teaching certificate issued on September 12, 1936. She was both an elementary and high school graduate and had a total of 101 college credits obtained from 60 weeks of attendance at Lincoln Memorial University and 12 weeks attendance at UT (23 quarter hours were education credits). She taught grades 1-8 for 8 months, her salary $68.50 per month.

Ms. McPhetridge reported that a new school was erected on October 2, 1936 (probably the date the building opened). It was described as a one room frame building, 23 by 38 feet, 874 total square feet. Like its predecessor, it was heated with an ordinary stove and had no ventilation. It contained 2 single and 23 double patent desks. There was an “insanitary” water source and two sanitary toilets on the grounds. The school library had a total of 25 usable books valued at $10.00 total.

Ms. McPhetridge’s daily program of work indicated that the responsibility of teaching all grades and subjects each day to 55 students left neither time to waste nor a lot of time to spend working with individual students. The schedule was:

8:00-8:10 Chapel 10:55-11:05 2nd Reader 1:45-2:00 TN History (Cons’t)
8:10-8:25 Primer 11:05-11:15 3rd Reader 2:00-2:15 3rd/4th Geography
8:25-8:35 1st Reader 11:15-11:25 4th Reader 2:15-2:30 5th Geography
8:35-8:45 2nd Reader 11:25-11:35 5th Reader 2:30-2:45 7th/8th Geography
8:45-9:00 7th/8th Arithmetic 11:35-11:45 7th Reader 2:45-2:55 Recess
9:00-9:15 5th Arithmetic 11:45-12:00 8th Reader 2:55-3:10 US History
9:15-9:30 4th Arithmetic ? All Health 3:10-3:20 7th/8th Spelling
9:30-9:45 3rd Arithmetic 12:00-1:00 Dinner 3:20-3:30 4th Spelling
9:45-10:00 1st/2nd Arithmetic 1:00-1:15 Primer 3:30-3:40 2nd/3rd Spelling
10:00-10:15 Number Class 1:15-1:25 1st Reader 3:40-3:50 1st Spelling
10:15-10:30 Recess 1:25-1:35 2nd Reader 3:50-4:00 Primer Spelling
10:45-10:55 Primer 1:35-1:45 3rd Reader

Note that this schedule for a full eight-hour teaching day included no duty-free lunch, no breaks for class transition, and no teacher planning time. Perhaps “All Health” was taught in conjunction with the dinner hour. This schedule puts to shame current teacher complaints of too many students with neither enough planning time nor enough materials/supplies to adequately teach their students! All this with no air conditioning, technology, cafeteria or cooks, fellow teachers with which to collaborate. The teacher would have been required to serve as janitor and build fires in winter to heat the building with an “ordinary stove” (or ensure that older students completed these tasks). One can be assured that there were unruly students and disgruntled parents as well, but alas, there was no place to file a grievance. Those were the “good old days” for sure.
Mr. Joe Davis returned to Wood Dale for school year 1937-38. His roll this year included my sister Estelle and cousins Bertha Jones and Myrtle Rosenbalm. On his “Teacher’s Record”, Mr. Davis stated he had received 16 credits for high school graduation. His teaching license was renewed on July 1, 1937 per the following qualifications from UT:

Year # Weeks Attended # College Credits Education Credits (# Quarter Hours in
Professional Subjects)
1929 12 15 6
1930 6 3
1931 12 12 3
1932 12 9 3
1937 6 6 3

Mr. Davis also received 6 quarter hours of college credit in 1932 from extension or correspondence courses. He was specifically prepared to teach upper elementary grades. Mr. Davis now had 14 years teaching experience received at 7 locations.

The area of school property increased from one-eighth or one-fourth acre (depending upon specific register consulted) to 2 acres due to Mr. and Mrs. Davis selling additional land for the school as noted above. The new school building and additional land increased the value of the buildings and heating plant (ordinary stove with “window board” ventilation) to $1,600 and $600 for the grounds. The school library continued to have 25 usable books valued at $10.00. The total number of students had decreased slightly to 49.

The 1937-38 register contained a “Record of Eighth Grade Certificates”. Three students, one boy and two girls, ages either 13 or 14, averages for the year either 90 or 92, proudly graduated from Wood Dale School on March 25, 1938.

I was unable to locate a register for Wood Dale School for 1938-1939. Carl R. Nicely was the teacher for Wood Dale School for 1939-40. My brother Fred and sister Estelle were enrolled that year. The writing in this register is particularly difficult to read as entries were written in pencil and the paper is deteriorating. There are two students, a boy and a girl, whose parent is identified only as “Mrs. Turner. Also, dates of birth are not recorded in this register and the teacher did not sign the affidavit as to the register’s accuracy. The only information Mr. Nicely recorded on his own “Teacher’s Record” was his “Series B” certificate number and its date of issue. He lists the name of the institution he attended as “State Teacher _” (an illegible mark for the blank space) from 1936-38 where he received 96 total college credits, all of which were education credits (assuming these were not unduplicated numbers). Mr. Nicely listed the net enrollment as either 22 or 23 (dependent upon which report is cited) and the total enrollment on the “Teachers’ Annual Report” as 40—of these, 13 were dropped from the rolls; 18 were promoted to the next grade; 16 failed who had been in the grade one year, 7 in the grade for 2 years, and 3 who had been in the grade over two years. The length of the school term was 160 days, 157 which were actually taught (excluding holidays). The oldest student was a third-grade boy who was 16 years old. There were no eighth-grade students in 1939-40, and no substitute teachers are listed for the year.

In this article I have shared information about Wood Dale School from 1900 through the depression years to 1940 as related in Our Union County Heritage: A Historical and Biographical Album of Union County—People, Places, Events by Kathleen George Graves and Winnie Palmer McDonald (© 1978 Josten’s); Ms. Bonnie Heiskell Peter’s book Union County Schoolday Memories: A Pictorial History of Union County Elementary Schools From the mid-1800’s to the 1960s; and available school registers on file at the Union County Board of Education. I will continue this discussion through the decade of the 1940s in the next edition.