Earliest Date: 1875
Latest Date: 1944
The narrative about school locations near Smithville in Cochrane et al, The History of Caroline County, Maryland, From Its Beginning (1920), pp. 284-288, is corroborated by features seen in the 1875 Isler map and the 1897 Saulsbury map of Caroline County, and in 1920-1944 editions of USGS topographic maps.
Other Names, Teachers
The Smithville School located in 1875 at what became known as Lyden’s Crossroads, west of Smithville, was labeled School No. 3 in the Isler 1875 map and in an 1877 list of schools (Denton Journal). The school which was built a half mile east, closer to Smithville, was known as School No. 4 in Election Dist. No. 5 in 1896, after election districts were re-organized (Denton Journal).
Elizabeth Lawless was the teacher in 1908 (Denton Journal).
Smithville School was categorized as a Rural School by the county school board in 1924.
The Cochrane Narrative on Smithville School
“The first school in this section was apparently located between Brights Branch and Old Bloomery. In 1798 James Wright sold to several persons a lot of land, one acre, and provided a small house thereon to be used for a school reserving unto himself and his heirs one twentieth of the rights of the school. We presume he intended to reserve the privilege of his children attending there. The consideration was one pound, or five dollars. The children probably went to this school until they began to think it was too far to walk and the way was somewhat sandy. For a while they sent them to Liden’s School, but still it was too far away. This belief caused a school to be built in a more central place near the crossroads by the big hickory tree. This was called Hickory Hill. It did not stand many years before it was burned. William Edward Liden and Bennett Todd were the chief instruments in the construction of the next school. Mr. Liden giving a corner of his land near the cross roads for it to be built upon. After some years they discontinued its use, and Caroline County bought almost an acre of land from Thawley not quite midway between the big hickory tree and the village of Smithville for a new school to be erected. This remains to the present day [1920].”
[ The History of Caroline County, Maryland, From Its Beginning, 1920, pp. 284-288 ]
The First School – 1798 – Between Brights Branch and Old Bloomery
“The first school in this section was apparently located between Brights Branch and Old Bloomery. In 1798 James Wright sold to several persons a lot of land, one acre, and provided a small house thereon to be used for a school reserving unto himself and his heirs one twentieth of the rights of the school.” (Cochrane)
Bright’s Branch is a tributary of Houston branch, which in turn flows into Marshyhope Creek. All are clearly identified in moder maps. The distance between Bloomery Church and Bright’s Branch is 3 miles (and 2 miles to Houston’s Branch). There is not clear evidence of any other school in this area before Houston’s School, which was established in 1871, according to Cochrane.
The earliest county map showing property ownership – 1875 Isler Map – gives no clear evidence of Wright property between the Old Bloomery Church and Houston’s-Bright’s Branches which might have been the site for the 1798 school.
The Second School – At “Hickory Hill” Near Lyden’s Crossroads – Before 1875
“A schoolhouse was later built near the crossroads and called Hickory Hill. It did not stand many years before it was burned.” (Cochrane)
(Cochrane)
It’s difficult to know from the Cochrane narrative how far the burned school was from the crossroads. But it seems clear that it was not in exactly the same location as the school that followed, which appears on the map 1875 map as “School No. 3”. (See the next section.)
The Third School – At Lyden’s Crossroads – Before 1875
“William Edward Liden and Bennett Todd were the chief instruments in the construction of the next school. Mr. Liden giving a corner of his land near the cross roads for it to be built upon. After some years they discontinued its use, and Caroline County bought almost an acre of land from Thawley not quite midway between the big hickory tree and the village of Smithville for a new school to be erected. This remains to the present day [1920].”
(Cochrane)
This is almost certainly “School No. 3” in the 1875 Isler map near the W.E. Liden residence. This “T” intersection became a true crossroads marked “Lyden’s Crossroads” on the 1897 map. It is now the intersection of Todd Rd and Possum Hill Road.
The Fourth School – On Thawley’s One Acre – From Before 1897 through 1944
“After some years they discontinued its use [the school at the crossroads championed by Liden and Todd], and Caroline County bought almost an acre of land from Thawley not quite midway between the big hickory tree and the village of Smithville for a new school to be erected. This remains to the present day [1920].”
(Cochrane)
The 1897 map shows the location near the J.H. Thawley residence:
The same location is marked with a school symbol in the 1944 USGS topographic map. The location we use in our CRH maps and stories is this location based on the USGS Harrington 1918 and 1944 1:62500 scale topographic maps, along with Maryland state aerial orthographic imagery. A school is no longer indicated at this location in the USGS Hickman quadrangle dated 1955.
Footnote: Is “Bloomery School” the 1798 School? Or a Mapping Mistake?
The USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database locates “Bloomery School” on the south end of the parcel on which Bloomery Church is also located.
But so far, we’ve been unable to find any record, other than this USGS GNIS instance, for a “Bloomery School” in Caroline County. Denton Journal online and Google/web searches yielded nothing. It is likely, therefore, that the USGS GNIS “Bloomery School” is an erroneous reference to Bloomery Church. This could occur if automated digital processing of older paper maps to mistook a church symbol for a school. Also, USGS topographic maps often inaccurately represent historic churches and schools with the same symbol.
Location Precision: 50 meters
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