Clarksville of Yesteryear - Lockert School - near Rossview/Port Royal Roads. Excerpts from the Memoirs of Julia Lockert Dunn (1868-1943). (Note: Some of the boys named the log school, located in the woods, "Cow Bell College", because all of cows had bells and grazed around the 1878 building.)  The frame school building erected later was located on the Rossview and Port Royal roads. This school was consolidated at Kirkwood with four other schools in 1937. This was the second consolidation of five small schools in Montgomery County.
        Stanley Gower, formerly with Leaf-Chronicle, received his basic education in the Lockert School.  There were 3 Lockert School buildings.
      "When my father bought the place, there were no churches nor schools in the district. He felt the need of both for the community. There was a school in a neighbor's home where we started to school,
      My father organized a Sunday School in a vacant cabin on Captain John Power's farm, but the house was not close enough to the road, so J. E. Fortson offered his barn.
      They put straw on the floor, with a table and a few chairs, they opened Sunday School. My father was named Superintendent and really taught the lessons. The barn was only temporary. There was a called meeting of citizens of the community to consider building a public school house. J W Stephens, D C Elliott, J E Fortson, Capt John Powers, Col. J W Lockert, Richard Reding and my father, David R Lockert.
      The men decided to go to the woods, cut logs, have them make boards and build a large room with four big windows - a black board the length of one end of the room, a door at the other - Mr. Reding agreed to make the seats.
       Mr. J W Stephens, who gave the land, was made Chairman of the Board of Trustees, others were D C Elliott and J E Fortson.
       The first public school North of Red River, and the first Sunday School, was opened to the public in 1878. The school was named in honor of my father, David Reed Lockert, and Col. J W Lockert. Miss Maggie Reding was the first teacher - she was from Ashland City.  She taught three consecutive years. She was followed by Miss Mary Sydnor from Trenton, Ky. She taught two years, followed by Mr. Edwards from Alabama, He was followed by Prof. Willie Grant, then Miss Annis Leight, Prof. Hook, Prof. James G. Rollow, and on down the line." (submitted by Sarah Dunn Baldwin).

TEACHERS I REMEMBER AT LOCKERT SCHOOL BY MARY ALLEN USSARY

NANNIE LAURIE WILLIAMS (MRS. ROBERT FORTSON)
TAPSEY WILLIAMS.
OLA HAGEW000
PATTIE MARSHALL
EMILY MARSHALL (MRS. JACK KILLEBREW)
SARA DUNN (MRS. WOODSON BALDWIN)
OSSYE KARNS
HAZEL TYSON (MRS.J.C. FREY)
LOUISE ROLLOW (MRS CLAY LEWIS)
INEZ HALL
VONNIE BURKE (MRS. MARTIN POWER)

THE FOLLOWING ARE REMEMBERED BY GEORGE ALLEN

MABEL KENNEDY (MRS. FINIS REDING)
SALLIE KENNEDY
RUTH ALLEN (MRS. WILLIAM HAYS)
ANNA ALLEN
SARAH ROLLOW (MRS. BOB MCCUTCHEON THEN MRS TURNER MCCRAW)
MRS. RHODA BATEY
ANNIE COMPERRY
JESSIE BASFORD
 
 
 
 

Submitted by Sandra Stacey

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