Cullers Run School (1898 - 1956)

PRIVATELY OWNED. VISITORS ARE PERMITTED TO WALK PROPERTY - LEAVE NO TRACE. PARK ALONGSIDE ROAD - NOT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. THE SCHOOL IS OPENED DURING HERITAGE WEEKEND (SEPTEMBER).

The cozy hot stove in the middle of the class warmed many a small hand and foot in those cold Hardy County winters. Built on Henry and Phebe Feathers Cullers land and opened in 1898, the Culler Run School served the Mathias area of the southwestern quadrant of Hardy County as a one room, then later two room school. One source claims that it was built on Ott Cullers property. (Whitson, 2008) “The current two-room school building sits on 1/2 acre of land that belonged to James and Rosa Shipe Cullers' estate and was purchased by Kenneth and Anne Shifflet in 1977.” (https://cullersrunschool.wordpress.com, 2021)

The second room was added in 1914 and allowed for higher grade students to be separated from the younger ones or the second room could be used for other preparations as needed in the school. The school ultimately closed in 1956.

This is a Mountain Heritage Trails project made possible through the support of the Hardy County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area AmeriCorps program, and the West Virginia University Fulcrum Project.

Heritage Trail Project Coordinator: Shefa Nola Benoit

Researchers: Mark Lambert & Shefa Nola Benoit

VISITORS ARE PERMITTED TO WALK THE PROPERTY. LEAVE NO TRACE BEHIND.

The school was originally built on land belonging to Henry and Phoebe Feathers Cullers, although there seems to be some dispute about who owned the land at the time of the purchase. There was an earlier school structure on the site from 1879, when the land was purchased by the Board of Education. Little is known of this structure. A new, one room, single story, wooden school structure was built in 1898. The school soon outgrew itself and a second room was added in 1914. This room allowed for the older students to be separated from the younger ones. It also allowed for other activities to be performed inside while the main room was holding school. 

For over a half a century, Cullers Run School educated the young minds in that southwestern area of Hardy County. The original building was built for a cost of $137. That would translate into $4,151.52 in 2019 dollars. (Manuel, 2022) In those days the board of education and the local community itself was tasked with raising the money.

Most of the children in attendance walked to the school or rode horseback. The school had no indoor plumbing. Water was drawn from the nearby creek or from the porch pump of the farm house that the property use to belong to. The site of the outhouse is not exactly known at this time but was supposed to somewhere behind the school.

During an interview with a former student's descendant, a story was related that one stormy, snowy winter day, the teacher did not make it to the school but many of the children did. So all the kids spent the day at a neighbors' house popping corn and playing games for as long as necessary to return home from the storm. (Benoit, 2022)

While corporal discipline was still used in West Virginia. an article from 1922 appears to disagree with or outright deny how children were punished in schools. “Lickin’ and larnin’” have broken their unsavory partnership, the teacher no longer able to resort to corporal punishment, secures better discipline by methods which calls for great resourcefulness.” (BRB, 1922).

In 1989 a group of volunteers began to restore the school. That year, it was opened at the Heritage Festival and has been open every year since excluding 2020 and 2021 when Covid caused cancellations. The school would also have a class reunion biennially but that too was canceled in 2020 due to Covid. They expect to resume in 2022.

The school is a real treat to see. It is filled with period authentic materials such as the water glasses and lunch pails the students used. The original stove that came from the 1914 upgrade was moved to the original one room. There are a plethora of books, writing material, news articles and first person accounts of going to school there. It is a little bit off the beaten path in southwestern Hardy County but well worth the drive. 

In 2018, the Hardy County Tour and Crafts Association award Cullers Run School a small grant to collect the oral histories of the remaining students. Shefa Nola Benoit interviewed 6 classmates and created a website for the school that is not currently maintained by the school. Some of the videos can be found in the links below.

Benoit, S. N. (2022, April 02). Interview about Cullers School as told to her by Barbara Mongold. (M. Lambert, Interviewer)

BRB. (1922). Schools of Yesterday and Today. The Journal of Education Research, Vol. 5, No. 1 pgs 74-77.

Cullers Run School Association. (2022, April 29). Retrieved from A Bit of History: https://cullersrunschool.wordpress.com/a-bit-of-history/

Heritage Weekend. (2022, April 27). Retrieved from Cullers School History: https://www.heritageweekend.com/all/cullers-run-school

Manuel, D. (2022, April 30). Inflation Calculator. Retrieved from davemanuel.com: https://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php