Assateague

The School House
From Lillian Mears Rew

(The text and photos included in these sections are from Lillian Mears Rew's book, Assateague & Chincoteague: As I Remember Them. The copyright belongs to Mrs. Rew's family, and the sections included here are reprinted by permission. Please note that the text and photos may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission.)
Assateague School HouseThe small one room school house, built in 1890 by the Accomack County School Board, employed one teacher for grades 1-6. In order for the county board to build a school, the board's requirement was that the school have a total enrollment of 40 students. In order to have a school on the Island, the residents sent several children under school age to make up the enrollment of 40 children. The enrollment was required, too, so the state funds could be obtained.

Meetings of different occasions were held in this school.

Religious services were held, with Sunday School on Sunday afternoon and a preaching service following. Prayer meeting was held on Wednesday night.

On weekends sister and I would visit our grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Thornton. We could hardly wait for Sunday afternoon because it was a time when we could see the people of the Island at church. And as young teenagers, we often sang in church. On one Sunday afternoon while attending the service, the superintendent of the Sunday school, Mr. Earnest Jones, asked us to sing a song for them. How well I remember what we sang: "Apples for a penny, apples for a penny, you may have one if you wish to buy, Apples for a penny how I wish I had a penny," etc.

After the services were over we would join the young people on the Island and visit with there. To their homes we were really welcomed. Refreshments were served, games were planned, and a good time was had by all present.

While the writer's grandparents lived on the Island, he worked for Mr. Sam Fields, the owner of the greater part of Assateague Island, out in the section known as Tom's Cove. It was there the settlers made their living. When Mr. Fields began fencing and posting his property they couldn't make a living any longer.