Mr. Dodson, here is a letter which talks about the early schools in the County. This man was an uncle of Dr. Jacob Adam Wagner, the beloved physician of Bland County. Parke Bogle McCloud, Oklahoma February 14th 1933 Mr. J. A. Wagner, M. D. Bland, Virginia Dear Nephew, Answering your letter of December 21st last year, I will relate to you to the best of my recollection the information you requested of me. I do not know the exact date I left Bland County as many of my personal papers have become lost, however, I do have a document showing commission tendered me as First Lieutenant of the Newcastle Volunteers of the State of Nebraska dated April 16th 1874 and this approximately one year after my arrival in that state. I left Bland County during blackberry time and did not arrive in Nebraska until frost, losing only about one week on the road account unable to travel. I do not know just how many days or weeks exactly. My first recollection of any teacher and school was one Joseph Lambert, and school was taught in an old camp ground known as Hoge's Camp Ground, a place of worship for the Methodist Church holding camp meeting under an arbor. Several of the next schools I can recollect were taught under the shed of that institution and in the tents also. A party would agree to teach a school under written agreement at so much per pupil to be paid by the parents of children attending or commonly known as subscription schools. For a building the simply used these camp grounds or got permission to use some unoccupied house in the neighborhood. School usually lasted three months each year, or during camp meeting, for the smaller children as the older ones were usually busy at something else. I was about five or six years of age when Joseph Lambert was teacher, making that date about 85 years ago. Other teachers were, Mrs. Juliet Hoge, who taught at Hoge's Camp Ground. I was then seven or eight. Another was a Miss Thorne from Mechanicsburg who taught at a private house. Teo others from the North somewhere, were a Mr. Dudley and Mr. Uttley who taught at Hoge Camp Ground, also Jake Wagner taught at this same place. I was then 8 or 9 years of age. There was a young man from some of the New England states, I think Massachusettes, who called himself a Yankee, also one named Wayman Harman, one from old Virginia- Armstead Ashworth. There was one native of that neighborhood, a college man, Hiram Muncy. My last teacher was Jacob Smith just prior to the breaking out of the Civil War. My school experience was cut short in 1861 when the Civil War came up. As to any further history of teachers I cannot recollect. About the school buildings. As already stated, school was held under the church arbor or in the tents of the visitors or in some unoccupied house. The only regular school building in that neighborhood before the Civil War was known as the Cubine School House. It was located about 7 miles from the present location of county seat of Bland County. This district could be identified as the Harman-Hoge or Waggoner neighborhood. This building was about 24' or 25' by about 14' by 15'. There was one door in the end of the building and for lighting purposes a log in the west side of the building of about 8 feet in length and about 4 feet from the ground, was cut out. There was no glass in the window but was open except in inclement weather, at which time a paper was pasted over the opening and greased to admit light and keep out the weather. For heating purposes, in the east side of the building was a fire place that would hold considerable wood, with a wood chimney, plastered with clay to make it fire proof. This building had a dirt floor. For school furniture, a split log was placed under window at a sloping angle to facilitate writing and for a bench, a log 6' to 8' in diameter was split and placed flat side up with pegs for legs. When not at the writing desk, the pupils were accommodated with the same kind of benches without desks. As for studies, I learned to spell in the Blue Back elementary speller and got a little instruction in mathematics from an arithmetic. The first arithmetic I recollect was "Pikes Arithmetic". One reading book I remember was "The New York Reader", a combination reading and spelling book. For writing practice, the teacher would set copy she thought appropriate according to the age of the pupil, beginning with the alphabet and extending through the spelling book, with instructions to the pupil to as nearly as possible duplicate her writing. Of course each teacher had her own system of penmanship. When I arrived back after discharge fro the US Army, I found a school house built on Baltzer Helvey's property known as "Point Pleasant Academy". It was conducted by one George Penley, a Methodist minister. You speak of the two Harmans in your letter, I will state who they were. Randall was a son of Frank Harman, deputy sheriff under me when I was sheriff of Bland County. ACW/HFW { Adam Clark Waggoner, was born January 7, 1843, a son of Adam and Elizabeth Hutzell Waggoner. He was a brother of George Elias Waggoner who married Elizabeth Hearn; James E.Waggoner who married Aisley (Elsie) Munsey; Franklin P. who married Catherine Young Munsey and Julia A; Waggoner, who married Rev. John A. Smith. Adam was the only son to survive the Civil War and after his return he married Melissa Holbrook in December of 1866 in Tazewell County. . This letter was presented to me by the late Alice Duncan Mustard, whose husband, John Crockett Mustard, Jr. was a grandson of Dr. J.A. Wagner of Bland, to whom this letter was written. Mrs. Mustard stated that all dates for her research came from the family Bible sheets. } Parke C. Bogle