Port Republic School

 

Port Republic was one of the early educational centers for Rockingham County. By 1878, there were three one-room schools in the community. The citizens of the community decided that they needed a larger school that would offer higher level instruction than that offered by the small schools in the community. Initiatives to build a new school had already begun and land for a school had been deeded to the Stonewall District school trustees on November 28, 1877. Efforts were soon begun to build a four-room school to be called Mont View Academy. The building was constructed by the community and ready to open for the 1884-85 school year. The first principal at this school was J. J. Lincoln, a native of Lacey Spring, who was the principal at the school from 1884 through 1893. The school started out as a three-teacher school with 78 pupils and a seven month school term. Later the school added a fourth teacher. Superintendent Hulvey proposed in 1914 that the Port Republic School be combined with the school at Grottoes to make a large school similar to those being built at Bridgewater, Dayton, Broadway, Timberville and Linville-Edom. However, neither of the communities were willing to give up their school and it was not until 1923 that a new high school was built at Port Republic to replace the aging 1884 building. On May 2, 1922, land for the new school was deeded to the Stonewall District school trustees by John F. Wagner and a new four-room school of modern design was dedicated on May 23, 1923. Port Republic was then recognized as an accredited four-year high school. The first four-year graduate was in the class of 1926. A four room addition was built at the school in 1934. On October 29. 1945, the Port Republic High School burned to the ground. Because of the post-war shortages of materials, a new high school could not be built at Port Republic so re-conditioned army barracks, called "chicken coops" were used at the school from the date of the fire to the closing of Port Republic High School in 1950. Port Republic was one of the schools consolidated into Montevideo High School in 1950. A new elementary school was built to replace the "temporary" housing and the new Port Republic Elementary School opened in the fall of 1950. The school continued to serve the community until the school was closed in 1994 to be consolidated with Grottoes into the new South River Elementary School.

Principals at Port Republic are:

1879-80 B. B. White

1880-81 J. R. Keeler

1881-82 Frank H. Bowman

1882-83 Kate Yost

1883-84 S. W. Houck

1884-1893 (nine sessions) J. J. Lincoln

1893-96 (three sessions) B. B. Mitchell

1896-97 Walter S. Whitmore

1897-99 (two sessions) B. B. Mitchell

1899-1900 Mary V. Clary

1900-01 G. G. Strayer

1901-02 Maude A. Kerr

1902-05 (three sessions) Joseph Pence

1905-08 (three sessions) B. B. Mitchell

1908-09 Lula B. Kahle

1909-10 W. H. G. Bowers

1910-11 Rebecca Nevitt

1911-12 C. C.. Bowen

1912-13 C. W. Cawthron

1913-23 (ten sessions) P. B. F. Good

1923-25 (two sessions) R. E. Layman

1925-1950 (twenty-five sessions) Hobart Earman

1950-53 E. Cameron Miller

1953-56 Ashby L. Shifflett, Jr.

1956-87 (twenty-one sessions) John R. Phalen

1987-89 (two sessions) Charles McDonald

1989-91 (two sessions) Ed Byrd

1991-93 (two sessions) Selah Sprinkel

1993-94 Gary Shell (in combination with Grottoes)

Return to the History of Rockingham County Public Schools or the Rockingham County Public Schools home page .