In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were three schools in Patrick County with Blue Ridge as part of their name. The Blue Ridge Institute was started in 1887 by Professor G. W. Owens and was located in Vesta. The Blue Ridge Mission School was started in 1916 by the Virginia Baptist Association and was located in the Buffalo Ridge (Woolwine) section of the county. The Blue Ridge Friends’ Mission was started in 1888 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and was located in Ararat (The Hollow), Virginia. Talk about confusing! This week, we will take a look at the one in Ararat that eventually evolved into what is now the Blue Ridge Elementary School.
The following information is from separate histories written by Vergie Thompson Tilley, Margaret King, Icy Niten, and Catherine Fultz. I have tried to create a complete timeline through 1934, at which time the campus was purchased by the Patrick County School Board.
In 1885, William Sawyers purchased an acre of land from William Mankins and built a store building on the property. Shortly after, while attending Federal Court in Danville, Sawyers contracted typhoid fever and died. Jefferson Moore and Captain John W. Gates purchased the store building from Sawyers’ estate and began holding revivals, community singings, and Sunday School there.
Reverend David E. Sampson, a circuit riding preacher was spending the night with local resident, Hillary Epperson, when the discussion came up about the need for a school to educate the children of the Hollow. Well, who was Hillary Epperson? So, I started down another rabbit hole.
According to records from Patrick County Circuit Court, Hillary Tippet Epperson was born on the 5th of January 1837 to John Daniel Epperson and Lethia Bowman of Ararat. In 1867, Hillary married Miss Matilda Frances Arnold, the daughter of Moses and Margaret Hopkins Arnold of the Dan River district of Patrick County.
In Tom Perry’s book, The Free State of Patrick, Hillary had enlisted with the 6th Virginia Infantry, Company E, in Great Bridge, Virginia on the 10th of May 1862. He furnished a substitute and was discharged due to health reasons on the 12th of February 1863.
In the 1880 census, Hillary and Matilda had five children, Susan Ann, age 11, Daniel M., age 9, Virginia, age 6, Lelia, age 4, and Joseph T. Epperson, age 2. I am not sure how many more children they had since the 1890 census burned in Washington, but in the 1900 census, only one more child was listed, Andrew Jackson Epperson, age 10. Hillary listed his occupation as a miller in the same census and in his 1904 Confederate pension application, he stated he was a keeper of a grain and corn mill.
So, apparently, we can thank Hillary Epperson for planting the seed in Reverend Sampson’s mind because the store building was purchased by the North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends in 1888. Rev. David E. Sampson became the Superintendent of Friends Blue Ridge Mission, and the school opened its doors on Monday, October 8, 1888. Miss Mary A. Anderson of High Point, N.C. was principal, and Miss Sadie Marshburn of Snow Creek in Stokes County, NC was assistant principal. Students enrolled from Patrick County, surrounding counties, several states, and even Cuba! On January 22, 1889, Thomas B. and Mary Jane Barnard donated two acres of land and sold 25 acres to the North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends for the Blue Ridge Mission to use for educational work, a church, and a cemetery. Miss Marshburn taught at the Mission for many years and eventually became the second Mrs. David E. Sampson.
“Any person of good moral character agreeing to conform to the regulations of the school” was admitted. All students were expected to attend Sunday School and the Meeting for worship each Sunday. Students received instruction in Bookkeeping, Latin, Botany, Astronomy, Mathematics, Philosophy, Zoology, Elocution, Composition, and Rhetoric. Monthly tuition for the Primary Department was $.75; Intermediate $1.25; and Academic $1.75.
In 1918, the campus was sold to the Home Mission Committee and opened under the direction of Reverend Newton Smith. The school operated as a Presbyterian Mission Boarding School under the name of Blue Ridge Academy and consisted of 28 acres of land and five buildings. Rev. Smith added another, pictured above, which was used as a manse until 1925. The manse was destroyed by fire on January 23, 1929, and was replaced by a nine-room building.
In the fall of 1925, Mr. and Mrs. L.C. Fultz and their four children arrived at the campus of Blue Ridge Academy. Mr. Fultz had been employed by the Home Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church to serve as superintendent. By the late twenties, the school had become a fully accredited high school. During the 1933-34 term, the school and several acres of land were sold to the Patrick County School Board, and the name of the school was changed to Blue Ridge School.
Next week, we will look at the other Blue Ridge Mission School (Baptist) which was located on the other side of the county in Buffalo Ridge. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or 276-692-9626.
