I earned my undergraduate degree from West Liberty State College, and since doing so I’ve been interested in doing some research about the town and school that helped me along my way. WLSC has approximately 2,000 students and is located about 8 miles from Wheeling, but it’s the longest 8 miles you’ll ever travel through the winding hills of West Virginia. West Liberty may inhabit a few hundred residents itself, but it’s by large a college town. And when I say town, I mean it has a post office, and that’s it. Because of its seclusion, one has the feeling of going to a small private school, truly a unique experience. I had the pleasure of commuting, but those 11 mile (one way) drives (that took at least a 1/2 hour on a good day) gave me time to appreciate the land that I was driving through, so here’s a brief story of the town and school.
West Liberty State College is located in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The town of West Liberty resides about eights miles from the city of Wheeling which is located along the Ohio River. West Liberty is a small town, but in spite of that is home to one West Virginia’s first institutions of education. West Liberty serves as an example of early American education and its transformations. As time progressed, so did the nature of West Liberty’s education. The goal of this essay is to explore the history, development, and expansion by looking at the history of the town, its schools, and their relation to the national issues regarding education throughout the discussed time periods.
In 1776 the state of Virginia named territory west of the Allegheny Mountains the Augusta territory. This was then divided up into three counties; the Ohio, Yohagania, and Mononaries. West Liberty would be part of the Ohio County. The first person to settle in what is today West Liberty was a man named Mr. Black, between the years of 1769-1772. Black was sent to Ohio County by Abraham Van Metre, a wealthy planter from Berkeley County, Virginia to make a claim in the area. Black’s “tomahawk” claim was most likely because of the regions strong geographical attributes; such as a good spring and suitable farm land. Upon Blacks arrival he immediately built a cabin which would become known as “Blacks Cabin.” Soon after Blacks arrival two other men would follow, James Curtis, who was also making a land claim, and Mr. Hood. These men were said to have lived together in Black’s Cabin. During this time period it is important to note that Ohio County was the edge of the frontier and susceptible to Indian raids. Black’s Cabin and the nearby Fort Van Metre served as important garrisons in the newly formed Ohio County.
During the American Revolution the name West Liberty was decided upon because of its western location and from the dedicated love the early pioneers had for the patriot cause. In 1776 the General Assembly of Virginia decided that landowners in the Ohio Valley should decide on a place for holding courts. On December 27, 1776 landowners agreed that Black’s Cabin would be the best place to hold courts. This location is important because the court would be protected by Van Metre’s Fort, and Blacks Cabin was located away from the Ohio River which meant that it was less likely to be attacked by Indians. It is also important to clarify that West Liberty was chosen as the county seat because Wheeling, located on the banks of the Ohio River (a much larger and accessible town) was enduring numerous Indian raids. It was a good decision because the year 1777 was nicknamed the “The Bloody Year of the Three Sevens” due to the severity of the Indian raids. The first court session was held at Blacks Cabin on January 6, 1777. West Liberty was known as one of the first courts west of the Allegheny Mountains and would remain so until 1797 when it was moved to Wheeling.
An early unknown writer described West Liberty as a “early attracted settlement by its fabulous fertility and was appropriated by horse racing, fox hunting, jolly Marylanders and Virginians – some of them, men of education and refinement, and early given to hospitality, good living, fun, and inner-marriage.” West Liberty was described as a growing metropolis that catered to the early pioneers who were settling in the territory. People traveled to West Liberty for legal matters, to make land claims, attend worship, visit taverns, and shop. West Liberty was officially organized in 1787. Oddly enough, during the war of 1812 a raid in Richmond, Virginia by the British destroyed many public documents. This included the incorporation papers and charter for West Liberty. Until 1902 the only record of the town’s existence was in the post office guide. In 1902 a Greater West Liberty club was formed to reincorporate West Liberty. A vote was taken and West Liberty was reincorporated, but not without opposition from those who were unhappy for tax purposes.
From its early days, West Liberty saw the importance of education. One of the first schools in West Liberty was started by Thomas Ewing in the year 1800. Education was not Ewing’s main profession; he also worked as a cobbler and taught to pay for his room and board. Ewing was described as a strong disciplinarian and was said to have commonly used the rod. During this time period there was no organized education system, a subscription school such as Ewing’s was common for the time period.
While most eastern towns were starting to develop more formal means of education, West Liberty was just beginning the subscription school stage. Simply said, a subscription school could be started by any man who wished to teach, as long as he obtained the signatures of those willing to enroll their children in his school. M.D. Lewis came to West Liberty in 1816. Lewis’s contract stated he, “agrees to use his utmost endeavor to instruct all those who are committed to his charge in spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic.” His salary depended on what subject the pupil was to be taught. For example, “spelling, reading and writing, two dollars; and for English grammar and bookkeeping, three dollars; and for each branch of mathematics, five dollars.” These fees applied per student and were meant to cover a time period of three months.
Jacob Curtis was a student during the 1830’s in West Liberty. The school he attended was held in a log cabin. His description of the dwelling provides graphic insight as to what education was like for those living in a small country town.
It was about twenty feet square with a log left out on the east and south sides, filled with a long narrow slash of glass…Along these narrow windows was a broad slanting shelf for the writing class and over the balance of the unplanked oak floor were benches made of slabs, flat side up with four to six pegs driven in augur holes for legs, no backs, no footrest, and many of the little legs not long enough to reach the floor… A wooden paddle hung at the door with Out on one side and In on the other. We had to turn the paddle as we went in or out. The seats were highly polished by the constant friction of jeans pants, and linsey dresses. The books we used were the Olney’s Geography, Kirkhams Grammar, United States Reader and Spelling book and the Western Calculator.
Curtis’s first teacher was Billy Pinkerton and according to Curtis he “ruled with the rod.”
Curtis added that many of the early teachers enjoyed their “toddy” and were not monitored by school officials. In other words, as long as there were no complaints, the teacher did as they pleased.
