By Danny Crownover

The Vagabond recalls the many interesting closing programs at the old wooden building that stood where the old Striplin School was and the Gadsden Public Library is now located on College Street. It was called Seventh Street in the good old days. The Vagabond recalls going to the old Striplin School before it relocated to its present site.

The first building was erected in 1880 and the school opened with A.B. Goodhue, noted teacher and scholar, as principal. His assistants Were J.W. Dubose, J.C. Hail, Mrs. C. Dunn and later, D.P. Goodhue, his son.

In 1883 A.B. Goodhue went to Howard College and J.W. Dubose was elected principal. His assistants were Henry B. Foster, of Tuscaloosa, just out of the University of Alabama and destined to become a noted circuit judge in Tuscaloosa County.

He had charge of the grammar school: miss Mary Ward, member of one of the pioneer families of the city, was in charge of the intermediate department: Miss Mary Hedleston, also member of an old Gadsden family, was in charge of the primary department; Miss Maggie Lide was the art teacher and Miss Charisle Sibert, daughter of Major W.J. Sibert, was in charge of the music department.

Professor Dubose was a great educator, and he wielded a great influence among the young people of the community. He was a polished gentleman and was widely known for his teaching ability.

When he took over, the school was known as the Gadsden Public Institute. Later, it was called the Gadsden Male and Female Institute. It was taken over by the public school system in the early 1890s.

When the school first opened, Professor Hail was teacher in the primary department and soon afterward, he was succeeded by Dr. D.P. Goodhue, who was a born teacher.

He believed in children learning to spell and once a day he lined all pupils up around the north and west walls and gave out words from Webster’s dictionary. He used Kellog’s Grammer and Wentworth’s Arithmetic.

Grammar was taught mostly by using diagrams, with nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and participles invariably occupying certain lines that angled off from the main stem.

Mrs. Dunn, one of the original teachers, was the wife of C. Dunn, a colorful merchant. She was the aunt of Miss Emma Wheadon, who married A.L. Glenn, bank president here for many years. Mrs. Dunn taught the multiplication table by having the whole roomful of children stand and sing it through to some old-fashion tune.

She was the only teacher who did not use the rod, but she could raise blisters on the hand with rulers. She also used the dunce cap on rare occasions. She was a wonderful woman.

As the school progressed it had some fine music teachers, some real art teachers and some excellent calisthenics instructors. Boys and girls in the junior department were required to say speeches on Friday afternoons.

On the playgrounds boys amused themselves with leap-frog, one eyed cat, marbles, baseball, town ball, bullpen, and, later, football. The girls played mumbled peg and skipped the rope.

Contact The Vagabond at dkcrown@bellsouth.net.