School Days: Subligna High School Class of 1949

L to R. Back Row: Doyle Milstead, Guy Pope, Billy Scoggins, Hubert Teems, Jerry Perkins. Front Row: Ruby Scoggins, Thelma Kinsy, Laura Brock, Charlene Roper, Esther Seritt, Louise Roper, Eunice Johns.

Recently, my cousin Christa McWilliams set up a new group on Facebook called Subligna Community Members & Friends. Her idea was to bring people together to share old photos and memories about growing up in the tiny community nestled at the southern end of the East and West Armuchee valleys. It’s the same community where we both grew up–and where our ancestors go back (in a tangled web) for many generations!

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School Days: LHS Majorettes, 1964

LHS Majorettes, 1964, Lamb’s Studio, LaFayette, Georgia

So far, all my School Days posts have focused on the Villanow and Subligna areas of the Armuchee Valley/Dirt Town Valley regions in Walker and Chattooga counties. I’ve looked at older photos and a (relatively speaking) newer image (and I’ll have more of both for you in the future). Today, though, will be something a little different. For any of you familiar with the geography of my homeland, you know that over Taylors Ridge to the west of the Armuchee Valleys lies the city of LaFayette. Home to LaFayette High School, LaFayette is the county seat of Walker County, and the city plays a significant role for all my Armuchee Valley ancestors.

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School Days: Subligna School Children

Subligna school children
Subligna school children, names and year unknown. From collection of David and Delores Grigsby.

Today I’ve another update in the School Days series. The last update was very specific, naming each student and the exact class and year. That image was from 1991. Most of the time, older school photos aren’t so well documented, and history leaves us to our own devices. Today’s photo is one such image.

I know virtually nothing about this photo except that it was taken at Subligna School. Since all the students look the same age, I’m assuming they’re all in the same class. That’s just a guess though. And since I don’t know any of their names, I can’t accurately judge the year.

The one clue is that the photo is from the collection of my cousin David Grigsby. David Grigsby graduated from Subligna in 1946. Later in life, David was a local historian, particularly of Subligna school, and it is thanks to him (and his wife Delores) that I have learned a lot of what I know about those days otherwise long forgotten. Unfortunately, just because this image is in his collection doesn’t necessarily mean it was his class. If only he were still around to fill us in on the details.

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School Days: Villanow School, circa late 1930’s

Villanow School, late 1930's
Students at Villanow school, late 1930s. Collection of Mary Pope Jordan.

Today I have another entry for the School Days series. This time, I present a photo from the Villanow School, which stood in Villanow at the opposite end of the valley as the Subligna School photo I shared last time. The Villanow school was among the last one-room schoolhouses in the area. The school originally opened, judging by various references in the Walker County Messenger, sometime in the 1880’s. It operated until 1952 when the Armuchee Valley School opened.

This photo is from the late 1930’s or possibly very early 1940’s. It contains three close family members: my grand uncle Guy Adam Pope, my uncle Robert Jordan, and my aunt Mary Earl Jordan (though some of the others in the image connect in my tree as well). The writing on the image is by Uncle Robert.

In March 2012, Guy Pope was able to identify almost everyone else in the photo for me.

Front Row (L to R): Robert Jordan, Reba Eakers, Guy Pope, Raymond Carpenter, Davis boy, Bob Stansell, Betty Eakers, Mary Earl Jordan, Davis girl, Louis Roper, Elizabeth Morrison

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School Days: Students at Subligna School, 1930’s

Subligna school studetns, circa mid-1930s. Harold Scoggins is the boy in the lower left corner. He would go on to graduate in 1941, so this might be a class photo with the other members of his class.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, numerous schools dotted the Armuchee and Dirt Town Valley regions. Today, not even one of them remains. Gradually, one by one, they were all consolidated, and now everyone travels to the larger towns for school.

I know little about the small schools that dotted the Armuchee Valley (and even less about Dirt Town Valley schools). But I intend to uncover as much as possible and share my findings here at Jordan’s Journey. Therefore, this post represents the first of an ongoing “School Days” series to showcase various photos and any other information I can rustle up. If you have anything to contribute, please get in touch. I am eager to document this almost-forgotten part of our past.

First is a class photo from Subligna School in Chattooga County, Georgia. My grandfather Harold Wallace Scoggins (1924-2000) is the boy in the lower left corner (first boy on the front row). The photo was taken in front of the school building. Judging by Harold’s approximate age here, this would have been taken in the mid-1930s. Harold later graduated high school from Subligna in 1941.

I do not know the other children’s identities in this photograph. They appear to be about the same age as Harold and, therefore, all probably in the same class. If you can identify anyone or have any other information to share about Subligna School, please leave a comment below to get in touch.

UPDATE 28 Jun 2012: This photo was posted to the Chattooga County Historical Society’s Facebook page.

UPDATE 25 Aug 2012: I included an update to this post here.

You can read more about Subligna School and the community in the chapter on Subligna in Jordan’s Journey.