Evergreen Home Institute - Evergreen College - Evergreen High School - Evergreen Elementary School

 

Much of the information about schools and the principals was derived from "History of the Evergreen School" by Marvin Tanner, Oma West Tassin and Mabel Mounger Grant.  This was published on page four of "The Evergreen Centennial Program", April 23, 1972.  From H. C. Kemper who was the first school principal of the Evergreen Home Institute in 1857 to Raymond Mayeux who was principal the last year of Evergreen Elementary School in 1988, attempts have been made to document the tenures of all principals who served the Evergreen schools.  Please send information on any other schools in the Evergreen area so they may be documented.  

 

1. Principals of Evergreen Home Institute, Evergreen College, Evergreen High School, and Evergreen Elementary School:

 

1857 - H. C. Kemper - from Kentucky was the first principal of the Evergreen Home Institute.

 

During the Civil War, the school was closed and served as a military hospital.  No public schools existed after the war, but small private schools were established.

 

 

1867 - J. Prescott - the school reopened and he was followed by W. C. Brown.

 

1868 - Mr. and Mrs. Dans - stayed only one year.

 

1868 - 1975 - Professor William Hall - under his guidance, the school became the seat of learning in Avoyelles Parish.  In 1975 Hall was elected parish judge and later became Avoyelles Parish Superintendent.

 

(1869 - Algernon Shropshire - from Chicago - a discrepancy exists in the written information about this principal)

 

1875 - J. Hopkins

 

Mr. Shaddock from Virginia.

 

Mr. Henry Branch died of typhoid fever.

 

1889 - Charles C. Weir from Mississippi. The name of the school was changed to Evergreen College.

 

1896 - Daniel Harmond

 

W. L. Dickins from Kentucky

 

1899-1900 - W. J. Dunn and Miss Sallie Glass, his assistant.

 

January 1900 - The school was private, but became public along with the other Avoyelles Parish schools.
Corrie Everett was added to the faculty and Lucy Glass, Walter Fisher, Annie Miles, and Jack Heard were the graduates that year.

 

October 4, 1904 - the Evergreen school district was consolidated by the Avoyelles Parish School Board and all schools within a radius of four miles of Evergreen were consolidated with the Evergreen High School.

 

1916 - Evergreen High School became a state-approved high school.

 

1910-20 - Mr. William Freshwater  He lived on campus in the principal's residence, which became known as the Freshwater Building.

 

1921-25 - Fletcher Rodgers  During his tenure some students resided in the Freshwater Building.

 

1925-39 - L. O. Jeansonne  A new school building was built in 1931 and in 1938 the Home Economics Building was added.

 

1939 - Mr. Jeansonne died and Mr. Anthony Smith succeeded him.

 

1950 - The new cafeteria was built.

 

1951 - A gymnasium/auditorium  was built.

 

1956 - The new vocational agriculture building was completed.

 

February 13, 1958 the school building and the Home Economics Building burned and on Monday (17th), classes resumed with grades 1-5 at Church of the Little Flower Hall, grades 6 & 7 at the Bayou Baptist Church Educational Building and grades 8-12 in the gymnasium and Vocational Agriculture Building.

 

June, 1958 - the Avoyelles Parish School Board renamed the new school under construction at the EHS site the Evergreen Elementary School and appointed Marvin Tanner as principal.  Mr. Anthony Smith became the principal of Marksville Elementary School.

 

1958-59 EES students attended classes in the gymnasium and Vocational Agriculture Building while the new elementary school was being constructed.  The high school students from the Evergreen school zone attended either Bunkie or Cottonport High Schools, with the exception of John Smith who moved to Marksville with his family and graduated from Marksville High School.  

 

Morrow, Keith

 

Mayeux, Raymond