Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 12/06/00
SUMMARY
The Scotland School in Scotland in Van Buren County is being nominated to theArkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance underCriterion A because it is a significant landmark for local citizens educated in Scotland, Arkansas, and because of the role that this building played, and continues to play, in educating children. The Scotland School building is the oldest active school in Van Buren County.
ELABORATION
The area surrounding Scotland was initially settled in the decades before the Civil War. On 1 July 1874 a Post Office was established in the area and the town officially named Scotland. Circa 1874 the first school was established in the town and it was a log structure located approximately one half mile east of town. The log building served as both a church and school for the community. The very first teacher who taught in the school was Judge J.H. Fraser. Over the years the school building earned the name "Old Sway Back," a name recognized in the community today. In the 1880s the school moved to the N. A. Simpson building.
Like other remote areas of Arkansas, each of the small communities in the Scotland vicinity had its own one-room schoolhouse. Some of these communities included Butter Creek, Craig, Claud, Suggs, Gravel Hill, Crowel Mountain, Rachet Ridge, Lost Corner, and Snow Lick. Throughout the years these schools were closed and students were sent to the next school closest to them. In 1887 there was a box school built at Scotland and it served students until 1891 when the Scotland Male and Female Academy was officially opened. The Academy became a well-known school in the area in the Scotland vicinity. Students would come from miles around to attend the school some even boarded at the homes of local citizens. Eventually the student population outgrew the size of the building and a new school was constructed.
Bob O’Neal, a local carpenter, built the Scotland School in late 1925 and early 1926. Members of the community donated the wood for the building which was then cut locally and milled by N. A. Simpson who owned a sawmill in the community. The school was built for the purpose of establishing a centrally located school building for the surrounding population. The building was dedicated on 26 March 1926 and has been serving the community continuously since it opened. The school was constructed during a time with Scotland was a thriving small town. However, like many small towns the population of the community declined in the 1930s due to economic decline caused by the Great Depression and the town never completely recovered.
The school resonates with a rich history. Handwritten on the walls behind the old stage are names of cast members that participated in school plays dating back to 1937. The building served the community as both a school and meeting place for community functions. Today the building is Scotland High School and is the oldest school still in use in Van Buren County. The school has and continues to serve as the heart of the community.
SIGNIFICANCE
Because of alterations that have occurred to the Scotland School throughout the years it is not eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, however; these changes to not detract from the building’s significance as an educational anchor for Scotland, Arkansas. The Scotland School is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A because it is a significant landmark for local citizens educated in Scotland, Arkansas, and because of the role that this building played, and continues to play, in educating children. The Scotland School building is the oldest active school in Van Buren County.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hall, Mary J. Interview by Margo Jevicky.
Jones, Olen. Interview by Margo Jevicky.
Van Buren County Democrat, (Clinton) 13 August 1964.
Van Buren County Democrat (Clinton) 27 August 1964.