Miller Grove School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker at Miller Grove School has to say, and friend, this one's got layers worth peelin' back. Miller Grove. Settled before Hopkins County even had a name to put on a map.

And right there from the beginning, this community decided it was going to have a school. The Commissioners Court records from 1856 to 1857 tell us that a man named Charles J. Phillips was teaching at Miller Grove for sixty-five dollars and seventy-eight cents per term.

Miller Grove was one of twenty-three county schools at the time. Twenty-three schools, and Miller Grove was already among them. Then comes August of 1860, when Franklin Marrs deeded five acres to three men: Thomas Proctor, James Dannell, and Jason Clark.

The deed language is worth savoring. It was for the benefit of the citizens around the Miller Grove School House, and for several orthodox churches for the worship of God. Five acres.

Two purposes. One community. In that early log schoolhouse, children sat on hewed wooden benches.

A school term typically lasted five months. Simple, but it was theirs. Now here's where the story starts picking up speed.

In 1872, the I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 139 built a two-story frame lodge and schoolhouse. This building housed a large bell, one still in existence.

It also hosted church worship services and community events. One building carrying a whole lot of weight for a whole lot of people. Then, around 1907, the Woodmen of the World built their lodge hall, and that building stepped up to become the next schoolhouse.

It served in that role for more than thirty years. More than thirty years of children walking through that door. Meanwhile, the road to Cumby got paved.

School buses arrived. And growth followed. The surrounding schools at Greenview, Center Point, Cedar Point, Palestine, County Line, Bonanza, Divide, Cross Roads, and Simmons Chapel all consolidated with Miller Grove, one by one, from the 1920s into the 1950s.

The community was drawing the whole county toward it. But 1938 brought trouble. The schoolhouse burned.

Now, you might think that would slow a place like Miller Grove down. It did not. A new brick building was completed in time to start the 1939 to 1940 school year.

Then, a few years after that, this school and a gymnasium both burned. And were rebuilt. Again.

Miller Grove was not in the habit of quitting. During World War II, members of the Defense Training Shop rebuilt an Army barracks, and that structure served as the school cafeteria all the way until 1994. By 2003, a new elementary school, high school, and gymnasium had been added to the campus.

And then there's this. At one time, all Hopkins County schools celebrated an end of year stew and community picnic. All of them.

Today, only Miller Grove continues that tradition. Every other school let it go. Miller Grove held on.

For generations, this community has gathered at that school for education, activities, and fellowship. Log benches to brick buildings to rebuilt barracks to new gymnasiums, and still the stew is cooking at the end of every year. Some places just know what they are.

What the marker says

MILLER GROVE SCHOOL MILLER GROVE, SETTLED PRIOR TO THE FORMATION OF HOPKINS COUNTY, BOASTS ONE OF THE AREA'S EARLIEST SCHOOLS. COMMISSIONERS COURT RECORDS FROM 1856-57 LIST CHARLES J. PHILLIPS AS TEACHER FOR $65.78 PER TERM AT MILLER GROVE, ONE OF 23 COUNTY SCHOOLS. IN AUG. 1860, FRANKLIN MARRS DEEDED FIVE ACRES TO THOMAS PROCTOR, JAMES DANNELL AND JASON CLARK FOR THE "BENEFIT OF THE CITIZENS AROUND THE MILLER GROVE SCHOOL HOUSE" AND FOR "SEVERAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD." IN THIS LOG SCHOOLHOUSE, CHILDREN SAT ON HEWED WOODEN BENCHES FOR A SCHOOL TERM TYPICALLY LASTING FIVE MONTHS. IN 1872, I.O.O.F. LODGE NO. 139 BUILT A TWO-STORY FRAME LODGE AND SCHOOLHOUSE WHICH HOUSED A LARGE BELL STILL IN EXISTENCE. THE BUILDING ALSO HOSTED CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS. THE WOODMEN OF THE WORLD'S c. 1907 LODGE HALL SERVED AS THE NEXT SCHOOLHOUSE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. PAVING OF THE ROAD TO CUMBY AND ACQUISITION OF SCHOOL BUSES RESULTED IN COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL GROWTH. SURROUNDING SCHOOLS AT GREENVIEW, CENTER POINT, CEDAR POINT, PALESTINE, COUNTY LINE, BONANZA, DIVIDE, CROSS ROADS, AND SIMMONS CHAPEL CONSOLIDATED WITH MILLER GROVE FROM THE 1920s TO 1950s. AFTER THE SCHOOLHOUSE BURNED IN 1938, A NEW BRICK BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN TIME TO START THE 1939-40 SCHOOL YEAR. THIS SCHOOL AND A GYMNASIUM BOTH BURNED A FEW YEARS AFTER COMPLETION AND WERE REBUILT. AT ONE TIME, ALL HOPKINS COUNTY SCHOOLS CELEBRATED AN END OF YEAR STEW AND COMMUNITY PICNIC; TODAY, ONLY MILLER GROVE CONTINUES THIS TRADITION. DURING WORLD WAR II, MEMBERS OF THE DEFENSE TRAINING SHOP REBUILT AN ARMY BARRACKS WHICH SERVED AS THE CAFETERIA UNTIL 1994. A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL AND GYMNASIUM WERE ADDED TO THE CAMPUS BY 2003. FOR GENERATIONS, THE MILLER GROVE COMMUNITY HAS GATHERED AT THE SCHOOL FOR EDUCATION, ACTIVITIES AND FELLOWSHIP.