Teachers identified the following schools in Chapmanville District of Logan County, WV, and offered a bit of local history in 1927:

Big Creek School, est. 1852

Edith Richardson, teacher

Big Creek School was built of logs in 1870. Crispin S. Stone taught the first free school in his kitchen in 1870. A log building was erected the next year by the people. A Baptist Church exists here as of 1906. Many soldiers of the Civil War served from here. Two are still living. George Hill of Holden served in the Spanish-American War. Sid Ferrell of Big Creek was wounded in World War I when he left the trenches ahead of his command. The first merchant started here in 1904. Prudential was the first coal mine, just below here, in 1905. The first gas well was drilled here in 1909. Big Creek was formerly named “vette.” On the left of Big Creek (stream) looking downstream is Buzzard Hill and on the right is Pigeon Mountain. Pigeon Hill was named due to the great number of pigeons resting there. Big Creek was formerly called Poplar Camp Creek from a surveyor’s camp made of logs. The town was pretty well built up since 1902.

Lane School, est. 1887

Mable Lowe, teacher

Two room frame building

Four Confederate soldiers and one Union soldier lived here during the war. Garrett Fork was named for John Garrett, an old soldier.

Under the entry for Godby Branch: Godby Branch was named for John Godby. Old settlers claim that Simon Girty who married an Indian squaw lived on Godby Branch for several years. He cut his name on a large beech tree that fell in 1890. John Godby told the story.

Chapmanville School, est. 1892

Lot W. Adams, teacher

Four rooms and two outside rooms

There is a large Indian mound in Chapmanville. French Dingess reportedly fired the first gun at Fort Sumter. The Guyandotte River was reportedly named from the Indian word meaning “narrow bottoms.” Company D, 36th Virginia Infantry, known as the Dare Devils, organized here in May 1861 with Charles I. Stone as captain. Later it combined with Co. C, 36th Virginia Volunteer Infantry and was known as the Logan Wildcats with Hugh Toney as captain. The Battle of Chapmanville Mountain was fought in the fall of 1861 here. Major Davis was wounded and captured and his original is still kept by his relatives. He charged fifty cents a month per pupil and the textbooks were free. A large beech and a large white oak plainly marked a corner trees on the Thomas Huff 850-acre survey made on June 3, 1784.

Stone Branch School (colored), est. 1902

Violet H. Agee, teacher

Kitchen School, est. 1905

Uses three one-room buildings

John Stone said there were a few straggling bands of Indians here when he came to Stone Branch in 1807 but committed no depredations after he settled. John Stone taught the first school in this district and maybe in the county at Stone Branch in 1812. The textbooks were made by him with goose quill pens.

Hugh Thompson School, est. 1916

J.G. Beymer, teacher

One room frame building

A school house erected in 1916 was blown down in a heavy storm, killing John Conley, an old citizen who had taken shelter under the floor. The house was not used for school this year but was rebuilt the following year.

Ed Stone School, est. 1919

Rosa Barker, teacher

One room frame building

One Confederate soldier lived here during the war.

Thomas School, est. 1919

Burley Stollings, teacher

One room frame building

Two Confederate soldiers lived here during the war.

Daisy School, est. 1920

Daisy Pettit, teacher

One room frame house

Source: Local History and Topography of Logan County by J.A. Vickers (Charleston, WV: George M. Ford, State Superintendent, 1927).