This week, we come to the final installment of Daniel Webster (D. W.) Scott’s fascinating account of the history of Meadows of Dan, written in 1949. Throughout this series, Mr. Scott has taken us back to an earlier time, offering a glimpse into the people, places, and events that helped shape this beloved mountain community.
As we bring his writings to a close, I would like to spend a little time getting to know some of the individuals he mentions. After sharing Mr. Scott’s concluding account, we will take a closer look at these folks, exploring a bit of their family histories and the lives they lived. After all, behind every name in an old historical account is a person with a story worth remembering, and that is what Patrick Pioneers is all about.
Here is D. W. Scott’s 1949 history in his own words…
The children of the first settlers were almost deprived of any education, except what some of the parents could teach them at home. But as the settlements began to grow and families increased, there being no schoolhouses, the people would hire a teacher to teach the children in one room of someone’s home. They taught only reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling. The usual price paid to teach each child was $1.00 per month, and the school lasted from two to three months.
The first schoolhouse in this section stood near P. L. Cassell’s house. M. E. Lewis was the teacher.
The first schoolhouse that was built by the county in this section was built in 1871 and was located where L. J. Cruise’s house now stands. It was built of logs and the cracks stopped with mud. The seats were made of split logs and a fireplace used for heat. There was a row of windowpanes 10 x 12 on the west side of the building and a small window on each side of the fireplace. This was known as the Lewis Schoolhouse.
Out of the sixty pupils who attended this school at that time, only five are living; C. R. Clifton, Robert Clifton, A. L. West, S. W. West, and D. W. Scott.
At that time only two schools were in this section. The other, the Langhorne School, was located near J. S. Langhorne’s. This school was first taught by Mrs. Alice Langhorne Cassell. Nothing is left of the old building.
We have no mention of a Superintendent of Schools until about 1880. Major J. A. Taylor was the first Superintendent we have any account of in this County.
The Superintendent’s duties were to appoint a board in each Magisterial District to assist him in examining teachers, and locating and looking after the schools in the District. This examination was both oral and written on spelling, grammar, hygiene, geography, arithmetic, physiology, civil government and algebra. He was paid a salary of $500.00 per year.
The Superintendent had also to visit each school twice during the five month session, and also send an annual report to the State Board of Education. Teachers were paid according to their grade. First grade paid $30.00, Second $16.00, and Third $15.00 per month.
I have a contract dated 1897, held by myself, stating that the teacher agrees to teach for a salary of $20.00 per month for a five-month period. This contract also called for school to open at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, take sixty minutes for lunch, and close at 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon. This contract was signed by D. H. Wood, Clerk; A. J. Harbour, Chairman of the Board; and D. W. Scott, teacher.
The next superintendent after Major Taylor was Col. Abe Staples, then W. E. Foster. Then came later George W. Via, followed by J. F. Reynolds, C. J. M. Kyle, and our present Superintendent J. V. Law.
It was necessary, as the population increased, to build more schoolhouses. These were frame buildings. The young people would meet occasionally for an old time Spelling Bee.
In 1870 there were two schoolhouses and two teachers. In 1915 there were seven schoolhouses and eleven teachers. Salaries paid teachers then were $40.00, $30.00 and $20.00 per month.
The first church that was built in this section was Concord Church, built by the Primitive Baptists. This church was built before the Civil War and the building has been repaired. Billy Lawson was the first pastor. The Meadows of Dan Missionary Baptist Church was the next church built. William Beamer became the first Pastor. There are now nine churches in this section.
Now this section is thickly settled with beautiful houses, and with barns for the livestock. There was a time when the people had no barns for the cattle, and now several have Grade A dairy barns. People have learned that dairy farming is very profitable in this area.
J. S. Langhorne had the honor of having the first frame dwelling house in this section, and Rev. Thomas D. Scott had the first painted house in this area.
POST OFFICES
The first Post Office in this section was located on Dan River about 1-1/2 miles southeast of where Meadows of Dan Post Office is now located, with J. B. Reynolds the first postmaster. The Post Office was kept in Mr. Reynolds’ dwelling house, and Mr. Reynolds gave it the name of “Meadows of Dan.” It was supplied with mail once a week from Stuart. It was later on moved to its present location. Later, five other Post Offices were established in this section; Vesta, Mayberry, Tobax, Ballard, and Cruise.
Mayberry, Tobax, Ballard and Cruise Post Offices have been discontinued, and the territory is now served by R. F. D. routes from Meadows of Dan Post Office.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
Previously, I have given a brief sketch of the educational facilities of the early settlers of this section of Patrick County up to 1915. At that time there were approximately 440 children of school age and twelve teachers in this section—average monthly salary paid each teacher $32.50 or $450.00 per month for twelve teachers. Total amount paid teachers in this section for a term of five months, $2,250.00. Teachers were required to open school at 8:30 A.M. and close school at 4:00 P.M.—6 hours and 30 minutes a day each day not counting noon recess. Average cost for each pupil of school age for a term of five months $5.10.
In 1949 there are sixteen teachers and approximately 430 pupils. Teachers’ average salary is approximately $140.00 per month or $2,225.00 per month for sixteen teachers, and approximately $800.00 per month for two, one janitor, one clerk and three school buses for carrying the children to and from school. Total cost per month for 430 pupils approximately $3,450.00 or an average cost of $7.85 for each pupil per month, or $65.25 for each pupil for a term of nine months not counting overhead expense. Total cost for a nine-month term $31,050.00.
PEOPLE
Dr. Clyde West and Dr. Frank West who partly worked their ways through college and became noted physicians, also their brother Professor Byrd West who partly worked his way through college and is now teaching in a college, also J. F. Reynolds who was born and raised in this section, and who was appointed Superintendent of Schools for Patrick County in 1914 and served in that capacity until his death in 1940.
Jesse D. Blackard made first school desks in Patrick Co.
THE END
Now that we have reached the conclusion of Mr. Scott’s history, I would like to take a closer look at some of the individuals he mentioned and see what we can learn about their lives and family connections.
The P. L. Cassell mentioned by Scott was probably Posey Lester Cassell, the son of Austin and Isabelle Plasters Cassell. Posey married Miss Essie Clifton, the daughter of Alga D. and Rosa Rakes Clifton. Posey and Essie were the parents of three children: Donnie, Roy, and Betty Lou Cassell Banks.
The identity of M. E. Lewis, the second individual mentioned in Scott’s account, remains a mystery. Despite my research, I have been unable to confirm with certainty who this person was.
Next, Scott mentions L. J. Cruise, who was most likely Levi Joseph Cruise, the son of Peter Frank Cruise, and Martha Rozina Rakes Cruise. Levi married Miss Crystal Mae Williams, the daughter of Sparrell Jacob Williams and Rosanna Turner Williams. Interestingly, Crystal has a special connection to the history we have been reading, as she was the very person who typed Mr. Scott’s account for him in 1949!
The Cliftons mentioned by Scott have also proven somewhat difficult to identify. However, I suspect that the Robert Clifton he refers to may have been William Robert Clifton, the son of Andrew Martin Clifton and Martha Jane Boyd Clifton. This Robert Clifton was the same age as Mr. Scott, which makes the possibility especially interesting.
Several other individuals mentioned in Scott’s writings have already been featured in previous Patrick Pioneers columns. Readers interested in learning more about J. S. Langhorne may refer to the December 6, 2023, and September 22, 2026, installments. Jesse D. Blackard was featured on July 7, 2026, and J. B. Reynolds was the subject of a column published on September 22, 2026.
There is still more history to be shared! I am planning an upcoming Patrick Pioneers story about Clyde, Frank, and Byrd West and the many contributions their family made to Patrick County.
As we close this series, I am reminded once again that even the briefest mention of a name in an old historical account can open the door to generations of family history. Mr. Scott may not have realized it when he put his memories on paper in 1949, but he was preserving much more than the history of a mountain community. He was helping ensure that the people who called Meadows of Dan home would not be forgotten.
For questions, comments, or story ideas, contact Woody at [email protected] or 276-692-9626.
