“Singing Schools” in America began with New England settlers who believed in the importance of training each churchgoer to sing. In the rural south, they became a social event for people looking for something to do. Many young people saw singing schools as a good place for “courting.” The school was often taught by a traveling singing master and shape note singing was a popular aid in learning how to sing by sight. One common tradition was the “singing school picture” taken on the last day of school. This old photograph exists as a record of the Singing School in Arbovale, West Virginia, in the early 1900s.
First row, left to right: Unknown, Unknown, Bud (C.L.C.) Burner, Elmer Burner, Fount Arbogast, Willie Ben Arbogast, Glen Arbogast, Charlie Grogg.
Second row, left to right: Virgie Gillispie (Clark), Lucy Gillispie, Daisy Eskridge (married Bud Burner), Rufie Kerr (Barkley), Vesta Kerr (Nottingham), Mollie Gillispie (Burner), Unknown.
Children in back: Unknown, Ganelle Nottingham, Neil Nottingham. (Photo Courtesy of Pocahontas Co. Historical Society, ID: PHS000436)
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If you have historical records or photographs to be scanned for the county Historical Archive contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org Prints of photographs are available.