For 80 years the Old South School, later named in honor of Thomas A. Edison the electrical wizard, served as Hillsboro's second voter-approved "common" school. A quarter of a century earlier the citizens had authorized building the first tax-supported school house and in 1861 what became known as the North School, then Winhold, was opened.
     In the spring of 1887 Hillsboro City Council voted to give the old Academy property, which the school board had leased for seven years, as the site for a new brick school building. On May 17, Dr. S. J. McLean, mayor of Hillsboro, deeded the property to James M. Truitt, William Abbot and Absalom Alexander Cress, members of the school board, with the provision when it ceased to be used for school purposes the site became city property again.
     A special election was held six weeks later and on July 2 voters approved financing a two-story, eight room brick building for use as a high school and to house several grade school classes. Work was started on the new building in the early fall and was completed the following spring.
     On May 7, 1888 the high school and grade school classes, which had been taught in the old Academy building just east of the new school, moved into South School. Three weeks later the five members of the Class of '88, Margaret Williams, Charles Lockhart, Essie McWilliams, William Welge and John Linxwiler, completed their high school education in the new building.

Flowers for the grads

     Graduation exercises were held May 31 and according to the Montgomery News the graduates were showered with flowers, too many in the opinion of the News editors. In commenting on the floral tributes paid to the class members the editors wrote in part:
     "Before the exercises were completed nearly the entire space between the graduates and the footlights on the stage were covered with flowers; immediately in front of each graduate the flowers lay in piles, in one place to a depth of at least a foot."
     "It was not without some difficulty that those on the stage yet to address the audience could walk over them or stand on them with any degree of ease or comfort. To step on a Lily of the Valley or a Cleveland rose against hard floor is like stepping on a banana peel. One gentleman actually did receive a fall by doing so."
     "To so great an extent was this overdone complimentary business carried out that several minutes would elapse between speakers to allow the little basket girls time to make several trips up and down the aisles and complete the work of bearing to the stage all the flowers that the admiring friends of each graduate desired to send up to them."
     "We hope that at the next commencement the bouquet business will be carried on less extensively and the public presentation of gifts entirely dispensed with."

From K through 12

     From May 7, 1888, when the students first entered the building, until January 5, 1968, when the pupils were told to pack up their books and leave their classrooms for the last time, the school served many purposes. Classes from Kindergarten through high school were taught there during its four-score history, with changes being made in the building from time to time to accommodate the needs of students.
     A four-room addition was added to the east end of the building in 1912 to provide more classrooms. Later a one-classroom frame building was attached to the east side of the building. After being used for several years the frame building was moved to the present Beckemeyer school campus where it has been used for various purposes. It now serves as the music room (later it was used for the kindergarten classes).

First faculty

When classes were moved from the old Academy to the new building, George E. Ayres was superintendent of schools and Miss Lizzie Whitehead was high school principal. The other teachers in the Hillsboro schools, including those assigned to North School, were: Miss Mary Winhold, 8th grade; Mrs. Maggie Harkey, 7th grade; Miss Minnie Rutledge, 6th grade; Miss Laura Bowles, 5th grade; Miss Nellie Witherspoon, 4th grade; Miss Minnie Putney, 3rd grade; Mrs. Etta Young, 2nd grade and Miss Irene Ferguson, 1st grade.
     Records show that the 8th grade was located in the new building and it is believed that the 1st and 2nd grades were also taught there. A week after the school opened Miss Theda Gildemeister was employed to teach what was designated as the 9th grade. It was the "preparatory" class of freshmen and sophomore students.
     From the spring of 1888 until the fall of 1904 when the new high school (now Beckemeyer Grade School) was opened, high school classes were taught at South School. After the high school moved out, seventh and eighth grade classes were taught there until the present high school was opened in 1921. The old high school then became the junior high school.

"The Historian"

     The Class of 1903, which was to graduate just 20 years after the first commencement, published "The Historian," the first high school year book, were the 13 members of the Class of 1903, Lelah Brown, Ada Banes, Leta Blockburger, Blanche Chacey, Lela Fisher, Vera Goad, Ruth Greene, Esther Hughes, Linda McDavid, Lucie Newman, Bonnie Pfeifer, Tom Angerstein and Hubert Turner. Vera Goad was president of the seven-member board of editors and Leda Fisher was editor of the publication.
     At the time the book was printed there were 103 students enrolled in high school. The course of study "placed it on the accredited list of the State University and at the same time furnished electives for those who did not care to prepare for college.
     Only 500 copies of the "The Historian" were published and each was personally numbered and signed by Vera L. Goad, president. The book pictured the members of each high school class, the faculty members, the names of all who had graduated from high school in the past, pictures of the organizations, the "preparatory" class of 1907 and many other interesting items.

From Letters to Latin

     Dozens upon dozens of teachers taught in the second "common" school during its 80-year history. Covey after covey of kids learned the 3R's, some their letters and others Latin before the second educational center was abandoned after being declared unsafe.
     Spring flowers were in bloom on May 7, 1888 when students entered South School for the first time and snow covered the Ground Jan. 5, 1968 when Don Beane, Hillsboro unit superintendent, ordered the 10 classrooms at Edison vacate. The teachers had their children pack up their books and other belongings and move out. They were taken by bus to quickly established classrooms at Burbank and Beckemeyer grade schools and the junior high annex where they would finish out the school year.
     The day Edison School became a part of the past the faculty consisted of Miss Grace Lentz, principal; Mrs. Roger Moody, kindergarten; Miss Louise Sikes and Mrs. F. E. Tuthill, 151 grades; Mrs. Kenneth Myers and Mrs. Adrienne Walters, 2nd grades; Mrs. Kenneth Williams and Mrs. Paul Hersch, 3rd grades; Mrs. Tom Bliss, 4th grade; Mrs. Harold Sorrell, 5th grade, and Mrs. Elmer Steinsick, 6th grade.
     Two months after the school was vacated the Unit board took action to sell the property and use the proceeds for school purposes. The property was ordered sold on May 10 and on that date was purchased at public sale by Attorney Ralph Vandever for $43,000.
Objecting to the sale was the Hillsboro City council which contended the school authorities no longer owned the school grounds. When the old Academy site was conveyed to the school district on May 18, 1887 by the city, the ordinance provided that "at any time the real estate ceased to be used for school purposes it became the duty of the school officials to convey it back to the city."
     Because of this provision, Mr. Vandever was unable to get a clear title to the property and in July the school board refunded him the purchase price. In December 1971 Edison School was razed by the city and the council later voted to convert the grounds into the present Edison Park.
     Even though the school ceased to be, its spirit lingers on. The last day the teachers were together in the same building, "Edison Club" was formed as a means of keeping in touch with each other and discussing educational problems of the times. Today, more than 10 years later, the club still meets several times a year even though some of the members are now retired.

Taken from: "The Montgomery News" Monday, April 30, 1979