1936-1972 school with some buildings built by the WPA.<br /> <div> <div id="ftn10"> </div> </div>

Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 12/07/22

SUMMARY

The South Side Bee Branch School Historic District is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion A with local significance for its association with the WPA and the educational history of Bee Branch, Van Buren County. The buildings in the South Side Bee Branch School Historic District represent the historic core of the South Side Bee Branch school campus and they have been the primary source of education in the Bee Branch Community, serving the community since 1929. The school is also a focal point for community events and activities. The construction of the Old Gym and Old Main in 1936 and 1941, respectively, are a link to the WPA’s involvement in the Bee Branch community and they are the only structures in the town of Bee Branch built by the WPA. The school has been a big part of the community offering education and employment for most of the residents of Bee Branch, Morganton, Rabbit Ridge, Gravesville, and Damascus.  It is also being nominated under the Multiple Property Documentation Form “Public Schools in the Arkansas Ozarks, 1920-1940.”

 

ELABORATION

HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY

Although it is not known exactly when European settlement began to occur in the Van Buren County area, it is believed that it began in the 1820s.  Of the early settlers, John L. Lafferty was the one who had the biggest role in the creation of Van Buren County.  Lafferty had a large plantation in “The Big Bottoms” area (now under Greers Ferry Lake) where the three branches of the Little Red River existed.  The increased settlement in the area, along with the distance from the area to other county seats, illustrated the need for a more localized government.  Due to Lafferty’s efforts, Van Buren County was created on November 11, 1833.  The new county was named for then Vice President Martin Van Buren.[1]

 

The original county seat was located at Mudtown, which became known as Bloomington, and it had a post office established in 1840 that was near Lafferty’s home.  Originally, the county’s business was carried out in the home of Obadiah Marsh, although a one-room log building was soon constructed as the county’s first courthouse.  By 1840, the county had 243 families and a total population of approximately 1,500, and by 1850 there were 448 families and a total population of 2,864.[2]

 

Van Buren County’s county seat remained at Bloomington until 1842 when it was moved to Clinton.  As at Bloomington, a one-room log building served as the initial courthouse until a two-story frame courthouse was constructed later.[3]

 

Throughout much of the nineteenth century, there was little in the way of industry or economic development, although that changed when the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad built a railroad line through the area in 1910.  The construction of the railroad line allowed the timber industry to develop in the area, and it also allowed the county’s population to continue a slow growth.

 

One of the towns that developed during the nineteenth century was Bee Branch.  Although very little is known about the community, it is known that they had a post office established in 1860.[4]  South Side Bee Branch Public School District is located two miles south of Bee Branch, Arkansas, on U.S. Highway 65.  Bee Branch was incorporated in 1860 and Willie D. Neal was appointed the first postmaster of the area.  In 1879 the community moved to the present-day city limits of Bee Branch at the corner of Arkansas Highway 92 and U.S Highway 65, originally to be called “Crossroads,” but the community was denied being called that due to a number of communities called “Crossroads” in the general area.  By 1912 Bee Branch was a booming town, many stores were built along the main roads as well as many notable homes.  In October of 1929 the South Side Bee Branch School District was established, and the First Superintendent was J.K. Bess.  The same year an agriculture building was constructed, and in 1936 the WPA constructed a Gymnasium for the high school, as well as a Home Economic Cottage.[5]

 

However, like much of Van Buren County’s population, the people of Bee Branch were affected by the Great Depression.  During the period, little money circulated, and a bartering system evolved.  Farmers, for example, traded eggs and poultry to merchants for items such as sugar and flour.  The economic conditions in Van Buren County also brought programs such as the Works Progress Administration, the National Youth Administration, and the Civilian Conservation Corps to the county.  The programs built Van Buren County’s current courthouse along with several of the county’s schools, and the CCC also established two camps in the county.  One of the school campuses that was improved by the New Deal programs was the South Side campus south of Bee Branch.[6]

 

In 1936 the WPA constructed the South Side Bee Branch Gym, at the Crest of South Side hill now overlooking U.S. Highway 65. As one of the last projects of the WPA which was in commission from 1936-1941, Old Main was built at the top of South Side hill along with the Old Gym, and a Home Economic cottage that was demolished in 2008.

 

Old Main History

Old Main was constructed by the WPA in 1941 to replace the high school building which had burned down in January of 1940. Old Main housed Math, Science, History, bookkeeping/typing classes as well as an auditorium and library. Many community events like graduations took place in the auditorium. During the 2008 super Tuesday tornado the local South Side Baptist Church was blown away by the storm, and Sunday services was held in Old Main until the church was rebuilt. Old Main has finished out all but two school years since 1941, one school year was interrupted by a tornado and the other being the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Classes are still taught in Old Main. Today a computer lab for college classes and an In-School Suspension class (ISS), are held in the north end and the Administrative Offices and the Linda Pennington conference room are in the south end of the building. The most significant dates for the Old Main and the historic district are January 27, 1978, when the Titan II missile 4-7 leaked oxidizer. This led to an evacuation of the school campus. The other date would be November 15, 1988, when the EF 3 tornado center lined the school. The yearbook for 1989 featured pictures of the disaster and one in particular featured the severely damaged Old Main with the headline “Old Main still stands.” The picture shows a damaged roof and blown out doors and windows. The nearby Agriculture and science building, which was located a few yards from Old Main had its roof blown completely off of the structure. The Old Main stands as a centerpiece for the South Side Bee Branch School and is considered throughout the school and community as the most cherished building.[7]

 

Old Gym History

The Old Gym is the oldest building and structure on the South Side Bee Branch School campus. Built in 1936 by the New Deal agency the WPA the gym has housed athletic events for the community from 1936 until 1988. The Gym has seen a few changes in its history. The stage that once stood at the south end of the building for graduations and plays was covered up for dressing rooms in the middle part of the 1970s. The area that is now the weight room started out as a cafeteria until the lunchroom was built in 1966 and the space was then converted to a lobby and concession stand in 1968. The one part of the Gym that remains the same is the old basketball court; the gym floor has the small slender wood plank that was common at the time with a series of colorful lines painted on the floor for practices and games. The floor is often proven to be old because of the screeching sound and the loud hollow sound of a ball bouncing on the court. The walls of the gym are the original wood walls that are painted blue and white, and the original bleachers are painted a blue grey. State Banners are found on the wall for state runner up girls in 1978 and state runner up boys in 1980. Two wooden goals on the east and west walls are original from 1936, and the two visitors and home goals are from the 1960s. The unchanged part of the Old Gym is the open attic, which  has three gigantic trusses that support the roof, and names of past student from 1936 until the present can be found written in chalk on the walls of the attic. Most players will remember the packed gym on home ball game nights, and most of all they will recall running up the stairs from the basement dressing rooms avoiding tripping over the wax Coca-Cola cups. The most significant date for the gym is the 1978 and 1980 basketball season, as well as the 1988 tornado. What makes the 1988 tornado important to the gym is the miracle of the night. November 15, 1988, was supposed to be a home ballgame for the hornets. The opposing team was Concord which was to travel and play South Side Bee Branch that night. During the day, however, for some reason the game was moved to Concord to be an away game. The changing of the location of the game saved countless lives due to the lack of an advance warning system. The Old Gym was damaged by the tornado but was quickly repaired to resume ballgames. The Gym is the historic link to our school’s success in athletics and has housed practices for many generations of athletes at South Side.[8]

 

The Cafeteria

The Lunchroom is the youngest building in the district but is also one of the most important buildings. Built in 1966 the Lunchroom and the adjacent classrooms were built to house the expanding school. Fifth and Sixth grade classes were moved to the classrooms and the cafeteria, which had been housed in the gym since 1936, was placed in the building. Every student since 1966 has eaten breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria. The cafeteria has fed generations of students. Many students will recall stopping by the lunchroom and picking up sack lunches for field trips to the now closed Watergate Museum and Choctaw Park. Until the pandemic, the cafeteria provided sack lunches picnic style to elementary kids participating in track and field day. From 1966 until 2015 the lunchroom housed Bingo for the community every year for Fall Festival, which is the biggest school event. Recently the South Side Bee Branch school has provided free lunches in the cafeteria to students. The cafeteria is important to the South Side School for the countless generations of children who have bonded with friends over lunch as well as the lives impacted by students by the 5^th and 6^th grade teachers.[9]

 

The Old Third Grade Building (Old Elementary)

The Old Third Grade Building sits in-between the new Upper Elementary and the Lower Elementary buildings. The building was constructed in 1948 and moved onto the South Side campus from Fort Roots. It is unknow at the time who built the old third grade building, or when it was moved in, but it is hoped that further research will answer those questions. But what is known about the building is that it has been in use since it was moved in and well taken care of. During the 1950s elementary students coming from the nearby Damascus school would start out in the third-grade building. The building housed the First through Fourth grades from 1948 until the 1980s when the lower elementary building was built. The significant date for the Third-Grade building is January 27, 1978, when the Titan II missile leaked. The author of the book Command and Control mentioned in an interview about the missile that the local elementary school was evacuated, and the local elementary was South Side Bee Branch. The Third-Grade Building is significant to South Side Bee Branch for being the oldest elementary building on the campus, and also for the countless lives touched by the wonderful teachers who taught in the building.

 

All of the buildings on the South Side Bee Branch School campus that are encompassed in the historic district illustrate the growth of the campus over time.  In addition, they illustrate the important role in local education that the school campus has played and the campus also illustrates the importance of the WPA in providing new and updated school facilities for the area during the 1930s and early 1940s.  Today, the South Side Bee Branch School Historic District remains an important part of the Bee Branch Community.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPERTY

From the time of the Old Gym’s completion in 1936 up through the present day, the South Side Bee Branch School Historic District has been the center of the area’s educational system.  The fact that it has always been several miles to the next nearest school meant that the South Side Bee Branch School was where students had to go to get an education in the Bee Branch area.  The importance of the South Side Bee Branch School Historic District was not just limited to Bee Branch, but that whole part of Van Buren County.

 

In addition, the South Side Bee Branch School Historic District was likely not only a significant part of the Bee Branch area of Van Buren County when it came to education, but it was also likely an important aspect of the community's social life.  As with churches, schools were often an important part of the community not just during the week, but on the weekends as well. Even today, the building is an important part of the community for hosting community events such as the Fall Festival.

 

The South Side Bee Branch School Historic District is also significant as a work of the WPA program in Van Buren County.  Although the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program has documented other works of the WPA in the county, the South Side Bee Branch School Historic District is one of only two school campuses with more than one WPA-built building that has been documented in the county.

 

The South Side Bee Branch School Historic District is a very treasured district to South Side schools. The district has had challenges, being established at the start of the Depression, almost being wiped off the map by a tornado, and almost being destroyed by a Nuclear Missile.  However, the buildings have stood the test of time. South Side is a perfect example of a small-town school where everyone knows everyone, and everyone extends a helping hand. The 1989 yearbook gave a perfect example of what the school means to the community:

 

On November 15, 1988, tornados swept through Van Buren County; and South Side school was in the path. The school which has been a long pride of the communities in the South Side District was nearly destroyed. Everyone in the area was momentarily shocked.

Instead of being overwhelmed by the seeming catastrophe, the people in the area saw the situation as a challenge. Citizens volunteered their time and skills; area businesses offered financial assistance; local churches volunteered their facilities for elementary classes; and elementary teachers gave up their classrooms to high school teachers and students. Everyone offered hope and prayers.

No one was left untouched by this disaster; and each person, who was touched by it, made sacrifices. Because of this willingness to sacrifice, the doors of South Side School are still open. The cooperation and devotion of our administration, school board, faculty, students, PTA, and the patrons of this school district has made this possible.

Things are not as they once were at South Side, but they are better than they might have been had not everyone pulled together and made the best of what remained.

When they might have shrugged their shoulders, shaken their heads, and walked away, we have squared our shoulders and held our heads high, and stood firm.

What could have been the end of South Side is the new beginning.[10]

 

The South Side Bee Branch Historic District, as was said by the 1989 yearbook staff, has been the local pride of the community.  Due to the school’s importance to the educational history of Bee Branch and Van Buren County, as well as its importance as a reflection of the work of the WPA in Van Buren County, it is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A.  It is also being nominated under the Multiple Property Documentation Form “Public Schools in the Arkansas Ozarks, 1920-1940.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

“A History of Van Buren County” by Ruby Clark

 

Depner, Gilbert (former Superintendent of South Side).  “A History of South Side Schools.”  In the files of South Side High School.

 

Interviews with members of the community and former staff

 

Morgan, Sam.  “Works Progress Administration (WPA).”  The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.  Found at:  https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/works-progress-administration-2284/.

 

South Side Yearbooks, 1959-1990.