The White Hall School is listed as Linville District School #26 in
an 1886 Building survey of Rockingham County Schools. The White Hall
School was located near the southern end of Hopkin's Gap in a small
community called Palos. The White Hall was also referred to as the
Palos School. The land for the school was deeded to the Linville
District School Board on November 11, 1878 by Rudolph Myers and
others and a small one-room frame building was constructed.
In November of1886, county school Superintendent George Hulvey made a
one-week trip to visit the schools in northwest Rockingham County and
wrote his observations for the weekly newspaper, The Rockingham
Register. He described his visit into Hopkin's Gap: "Having gained
the top of the mountain proper, we consoled ourselves with the idea
that the weather was so threatening that not many persons would be
going to school, and thus reached Mr. Vigar's school, #26 (White
Hall). All of the upper portion of this hollow is known as Hopkin's
Gap, and through it flows a small stream which constitutes the first
southern tributary of the Shenandoah River". Mr. William S. Vigar,
the teacher, was from Mt. Solon.
The 1878 building served as the school for the area until 1919, when
it was replaced by a new building. The new building was constructed
by John I. Lee at a cost of $1300. Student population growth in the
area required additional space so in 1928, the closed Hoover School
was moved to the White Hall site and reconstructed by R. N. Gowl to
provide a second room for White Hall.
Teachers known to have taught at White Hall were:
1886-88 (two sessions) Mr. William S. Vigar
1888-1909 teachers unknown
1909-10 Irene Brickner
1911-12 Winona Hess
1912-15 (three sessions) C. H. Coakley
1915-16 B. F. Spitler
1916-17 school not opened
1917-25 (eight sessions) Lelia Heatwole
1925-26 Lucy Wenger
1926-29 (three sessions) Sem Swope
1929-30 Sem Swope, Anna Garber
1930-31 Trene Heltzel, Gail E. Trissell
1931-32 Justis G. Holsinger, Gail E. Trissell
1932-35 (three sessions) Raymond Wenger, Edna M. Wampler
1935-36 Elizabeth A. Showalter, Edna M. Wampler
1936-38 (two sessions) Alice M. Keeler, Edna M. Wampler
1938-39 Alice M. Keeler
1939-41 (two sessions) Anna D. Leatherman, Ruth Orendorf
The White Hall School closed in 1941.
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County Public Schools home page .