A History of Sand Hill School
 

Asheville was located in 1787.  It consisted of one store, a way side tavern and the post office.  There were a few settlers on the east side of the French Broad River, the West side was and unbroken wilderness, beautiful in native forests, crystal streams and rugged mountains.  It was used by the Cherokee Indians as a hunting ground.  Sometimes the Catawba Indians on the East invaded this hunting ground and fierce battle were fought between them and the Cherokees.

In the latter part of the 17th century Captain William Moore with a company of soldiers came through the Hominy Valley, driving back the Cherokee Indians who had been making depredations on the white settlers east of the French Broad, and those around Old Fort in what was then Burke County.

The Hominy Valley - Connehanee the Indians called it - pleased him with its stretches of bottom land then heavy cane brakes [?].  He received

Other settlers followed William Moore, men of sturdy growth and strong character.  With the true pioneer spirit, they tackled the forest as if it were a living thing and conquered it.  Soon there were smiling fields of grain and homes dotting the Valley here and there.  The settlers of this period were:  Capt. George Jones, John Hawkins esq., William Jones Sr., Williams Jones Jr., John Penland, Robert Murray and Robert Henry.  Robert Henry was a prominent lawyer of that period.  He discovered the Sulphur Springs and settled there.

When the home was established and men had time to rest and think, the question of schools arose.  Asheville by that time was a small village with two schools, one for girls, and one for young men at the Newton Academy.

In 1840 he erected a small frame building in front of where our present school building stands.  It was a difficult task as building material was scarce in those days.  A young man named Riley Cannon taught the first school there, a school for small children.  He was followed by one or two ladies who taught schools of a few months each.  Later Mr. Keener, a Methodist minister of some education, taught there.  David Coleman and Marcus Erwin attended this school.  They were afterwards two of the brightest and most successful

In the summer of 1850 Rev. Jacob Hood, a Presbyterian minister, lost his way in coming across the mountains from Tenn. to North Carolina and came to Capt. Moore's.  He was a graduate of Maryville College Tenn. and had had some experience in teaching.  Being urged by the people of the community he decided to take charge of Sand Hill School.  A salary was guarenteed [sic] him for the first year.  Capt. Moore and Mr. Russell Jones agreed to send wagons across the mountains to Tenn. after his family.  They also agreed to furnish him a house.

The school was advertised as well as could be with the meager facilities of those days.  Board and tuition was put within the reach of poor boys.  The school opened favorably in the fall of 1850, under the name of "Sand Hill Academy."  It was the first school  West of Asheville in which the [?] and higher branches of education were taught.  Many young men came from the Western Counties, and the neighboring people

It was evident from the first that the school would be self-supporting [?] and also that more soon would be needed.  In 1852 another room was added and an assistant procured.

The school was divided into two terms, so arranged that there were a few months between each term during which time the boys and girls could work so that they might come back

Mr. Hood taught until the summer of 1857 when he received a better offer and decided to leave, very much against the wishes of the people.

Many prominent men of Western North Carolina received the greater part of their education at Mr. Hood's School.  Judges, lawyers, doctors, ministers of the Gospel [?] besides [?] a large number of [?] men and women.

The judges were:  R. Cannon, J. M. Henry, J. C. L. Gudger, [?]. George Jones, C. A. Moore, [?]Gudger, Chief Justice of the Court in [?]  at present.

Some of the prominent lawyers were; J. M. Gudger, J. M. Gudger Jr. our present Congressman, V. S. Lusk, W. G. Candler, John Mathias, James Cooper [?], W. E. Moore.

The physicians were:  J. L. Moore, James and Charles Candler, [?], D. M. Gudger and [?] Gaston.

There was quite a number of ministers of the gospel of different denominations.

In the Fall of 1858 the services of Mr. William H. Graves were received for Sand Hill Academy.  he was a graduate of Maryville College Tenn. and was a talented young man.  Mr. Graves school was very successful and many young men and women went out to take their places in the world from his teaching.  He taught till the Spring of 1861, the beginning of the Civil War.  He went to Raleigh in July of that year where he received license to practice law.  He then enlisted in the 25th Regiment, N. C. [?] and went to the front.  He was killed in the "Seven days battles" around Richmond.  He fell in the vigor of his young manhood loved, honored, and lamented by all who knew him.

During the Civil War only small schools for children were taught by Mrs. [?], Miss Laura Gudger, and probably some others.

In the fall of 1867 Mr. William Barnes and his wife took charge of the school.  They were well educated people and taught a good school.  For some reason their last in the summer of 1869 and sent a Mr. Raleigh to take charge of the school.  He proved a failure.  He was a Catholic and did not wit the people, and had little education.  He could not teach mathmatics, not even algebra and they dismissed him after trying him for two months.  Rev. [?] Baldwin finished that session.

Sand Hill now lost its academic character.  The financial straits and political unrest of the country during that terrible period of Reconstruction, seemed for a time to put a [?] on the school but it never entirely died down.  Teachers came and left because it did

In the fall of 1870 Rev. W. M. Kerr, in '71 a young law student James Osborne, in '72 Mr. Wilson Morgan and Miss Margaret Barnes [?], each and all tried to revise the spirit of the old school, but failed.

In 1875 and 76 Mr. A. H. [?] and Mrs. [?] tried to establish a peabody school but failed as the money had given out.

For five or six years no schools, except summer schools for small children , were taught at Sand Hill.  But we were no without educational advantages in our valley.  The Northern Methodist church decided to establish a college here and make extensive preparations to that effect brick for the [?].  In the fall of 1871 they opened school in a brick building on the Candler Farm about one mile from Sand Hill.  They elected as president Rev. Carl Long of Athens Tenn.  A bright, brainy, young man who, with able assistance, taught a good school.  The fruits of which may be seen today.  The school was called Candler College.  In the spring of 1880 the enterprise fell through for the lack of

For a few years there were no schools except a few summer schools taught by Miss Brittain, Miss Sawyer and Mr. Lunsford.  The old Sand Hill building was rapidly falling to decay and educational interests were at a low ebb in the community, but there came a time in the tide of affairs.  The men of the neighborhood aroused themselves to the fact that their children could not grow [?] in ignorance and not many were able to send them away to be educated.  The result of this awakening was the erection of a comfortable brick building of two rooms in place of the old Sand Hill building which had been torn away.

In the fall of 1884 through the influence of Mr. Perry Gaston Miss Lucy Morgan opened school.  She came from Virginia, was highly educated, and was a remarkable woman in many respects.  She brought her piano to the school room and gave music lessons after school hours.  She possessed [?] energy and great strength of character.  She taught four years.  The school attracted attention and several pupils from outside came to her school.  Miss Morgan gave

In the spring of 1889 Miss Grace Munson, an accomplished young lady from Philadelphia, taught for a short while but her health failed and she was compelled to give up the school.  She also gave music lessons at the school.

In the fall of 1889 Rev. Mr. Brock and Mr. A. H. Helmut attempted to build up a school supported by the Farmer's Alliance, but this plan failed and they only taught one session.  M. A. Jenkins, who is at present a noted Baptist minister of the South, attended this school.

In the fall of 1890 professor S. H. Venable moved into this neighborhood and opened a school at Sand Hill.  He had conducted a school for boys for many years in Asheville and was an educator widely known.  He taught one year in the Sand Hill school building.

In the summer of 1891 the school was turned over to the county and made a public school, [?] to this time it had been a private enterprise.  Professor Venable refused to teach the public school and for several years he taught a 

In 1892 Mr. A. H. Felmet[?] with Miss Irene Gudger and Miss Lucy Moore as assistants taught the school at Sand Hill.

For several years after this there were short terms varying in length from four to five months each.  Some of the teachers of this period were:  Mr. [?] Kirby who taught two or three terms.  He left here to take the position of president at Weaverville College.  Mr. A. H. Felmet[?], Miss Irene Gudger, Mr. G. [?]. Mrs. Sherrill, Mr. Garren, and as professor Venable had closed his North Wood School, he taught one term with Miss Kate Henry as assistant.

In 1899 Mr. Gallatin Roberts taught one term.

In 1900 Mr. Walter Bryan of Wake Forest College, taught a very good school.

In 1901 Miss Sarah Johnson, a graduate of the Normal and Collegiate Institute of Asheville N. [C.]. 

In 1904 Miss Glenn Weaver and Miss Newland taught a very good school.

In 1905 Miss Glenn, with Miss Jeanette Gudger as assistant, taught one term.

The people now decided that a new building was necessary, and in the Spring of 1906 the old building was torn away and the present one erected.

In 1905 a special school tax was voted, causing some excitement as some few people opposed it.  This tax enabled us to have a longer term.

In the fall of 1906 Dr. J. G. Anderson and his sister, Miss Augusta Anderson, opened the school in the new building.  He proved to be a man of

In 1907 Mr. E. E. Connor, with Miss Augusta Anderson as assistant, taught part of the year.  Mr. Walter Bryan finished the term.

In 1908 Mr. J. W. Bradley, of Mars Hill took charge of the school and taught three years.  Mr. Bradley was assisted the first year by Miss Jeanette Gudger with Miss Kathleen Jones as music teacher.  The second year the school was so crowded that the Asheville school generously offered to pay the salary of a third teacher.  The primary room was divided by a partition and Robert Crooke was placed in charge of the third room.  He taught for a while and was succeeded by Miss Maria Gudger.  The Asheville School has continued the salary of the third teacher [?] to the present time which has been a great help and much appreciated by the people.

In 1911 Mr. E. E. Connor again took charge of the school with Miss Maria Gudger and Miss Frances Whitlow as assistants.  Mr. Connor is one of the best educated men that has taught in our school.

In 1912 Mr. C. E. Blackstock, from the University of North Carolina, with Mr. T. M. Greenlie[?] and Miss Frances Whitlow as able assistants, taught a splendid school.  The interest in the school has greatly increased, during this last year, under Mr. Balckstock's teaching.  Two societies have been organized, a literary society for the girls and a debating society for the boys.  In the public debate we have had the boys [?] themselves wonderfully well.  In the track meet at Biltmore on April 5th 1913 the boys of Sand Hill school won the silver cup that was given by the Board of [?] of Asheville.  It was a great day for Sand Hill and we hope the improvements will go on and on.  We want higher grades, another schoolroom added, and above all we want an auditorium.  The boys are also very

The glory of old Sand Hill has passed away, but new Sand Hill has arisen.  We trust that in the future the boys and girls who pass through its doors to higher institutions will bear upon them the stamps of Christianity, integrity, and the high moral manhood and womanhood that characterized the students of the old school.