ROCKPORT SCHOOL SYSTEMS.

The State of Kentucky, prior to the mid part of the nineteenth century, was mostly rural and a large percent of the population was illiterate. The great citizens of Kentucky and Ohio County wanted to make changes in the illiterate area, but conditions were tough and money was scarce. Prior to the mid part of the nineteenth century, rural schools were mostly non-existent. Rockport was a small town, but prospering. The town was without a school and the citizens wanted a life for their children that included a better education than what was obtainable in the time frame of the mid nineteenth century. Prior to the start of the Twentieth Century, the first school in Rockport was believed to have been located on the old Jackson property. Rockport school history information is limited in this time frame. Whether this school building burned or just outgrown, I do not know. The next school was located on the corner of Church and Cemetery Streets and diagonally from the present day Baptist Church. Ernest Elder owned the lot at one time. The building consisted of a two story frame house with the school located on the main floor and a Masonic Hall located on the top floor. This building burned in 1906. Now, it was back to the students being taught in homes, churches, business and even a saloon.

In 1908, the trustees of the local school district bought a parcel of land at the end of Bluff Street. School taxes had been approved in an election just prior to the start of the Twentieth Century. These new taxes helped in the purchase of a lot for the new Bluff Street School. A new school system was started that same year and it consisted of a grade school and a two year high school. In 1925 a four year high school was started with the first graduating class in 1926. This new school building, on Bluff Street, was probably the first time that Rockport Students attended a school in a building specifically designed and build for school purposes. Prior to this, school was taught where ever a place could be found. The school on the Jackson Property was probably held in a house that had been converted to a school building. The same holds true for the building on Church Street.

If you are reading at this point, thanks for your time and effort. Appreciate your interest and would welcome comments and other information concerning Rockport. The Rockport sections of the Web Site are broken down into decades. There are sections for the twenties, thirties, forties and the fifties. The "Twenties" only contain four separate years, 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1929. I have a web page for each year, but most are incomplete and still in the construction stage. Updates and corrections will be made if and when further information becomes available.

This old retirees' brain does not have the ability to remember very many events in the long Rockport History and especially names, times and dates. Other Rockport natives, that have lived a part of this history. have been a big help in my compiling this information and are appreciated. Some have personally been thanked in the "Introduction" (Click on "Introduction" to visit) section of this web site. I enjoy using this old keyboard to type out thoughts of the past, but hate to do research on facts. Shirley Smith's book, "History Of Rockport and Echols", has been my guideline. My thanks to her for her previous research on the History of Rockport and Echols and her long hours of work in getting out her book. I used information from this book for this web page and have used it in the past for other web pages. I do so with oral permission from her. Thanks Shirley.

See you.....
jrd