Shumate School November 1924

School House Picture, November 1924 School House Picture, 23 September 1998 Interior of School, 23 September 1998 Thomas J. Stith points to where the blackboard used to hang on the wall.

Thomas J. Stith at right at Shumate School 23 September 1998

     Shumate School is in a state of disrepair but still stands in September 1998.  It is located at the top of the hill above the Ike Hicks place about a quarter of a mile east away from the road from Stith Valley to Hill Grove.  Daphene who married Ike's son Howard has remarried and still lives on the Ike Hicks place.   The entrance to the road to Shumate School is directly across the Hill Grove Road from the road to the west that goes out to the old Thomas Jefferson Stith place.  The road out to Shumate School is along the boundary between the Ike Hicks place and the old Uncle Billy Barnes place now owned by Thomas J. Stith grandson of Thomas Jefferson Stith.  See map below.

    Thomas J. related a little of his memory of Shumate school as we toured it. He said that an extra duty for a child was to walk down to the spring by the foot of the hill across the road from Ike Hick's house and fetch water for the school. Thomas J. said there was always a volunteer for that task. He also said there was an out-house for the girls but that the boys had to go into the woods.

The following children are pictured in the group photo taken in November 1924. 

Thomas J. Stith	Cornelia Stith in Austin Texas, 1998	Harold Stith	Elizabeth E. Stith
John Scott Witt	Mary Ladd Witt	James Hicks	Eldridge Shumate
Wilbur Shumate, Jr. (Nuke)	Bill Shumate	Nettie Shumate	Nettie Catherine Kaelin
Casper Kaelin	Leo Kaelin	Marie Thornhill	Carl Thornhill
	Ruby Payne	Lyle Payne

Ruby and Lyle were sister and brother.  Thomas J. and Cornelia were brother and sister.  Harold and Elizabeth were brother and sister.

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