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Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School records

 Collection
Identifier: UA-0008

Scope and Contents note

Announcement, catalogs, clippings, histories, letter and notes, minutes, newspaper clipping, report, and yearbooks.

Original materials include a bound minute book of the Board of Trustees, 1907-1929, and letters and notes, 1931. The minutes document the activities of the Board and contain information on the formation of the School, faculty appointments and salary information, agriculture, committee reports, school finances, and student enrollment. The minutes also contain resolutions, by-laws, and rules of conduct.

The bulk of the materials are photocopies from unknown sources. Original materials may be located in the Georgia State Archives as part of the University System of Georgia, Records of Defunct State Schools (record group 33, subgroup 15).

Dates

  • 1907-1931

Creator

Conditions Governing Access note

No restrictions; open to all users

Conditions Governing Use note

Rights have been transferred to the University of West Georgia.

Biographical/Historical note

On August 18, 1906, the Georgia General Assembly approved Public Law 448, an act providing for the establishment and maintenance of schools of agriculture and mechanic arts in each congressional district. It was thereafter named the Perry Act after the Hall County Senator H. H. Perry who had initiated the bill. Provisions of the bill stipulated that the schools would teach agriculture, mechanics, and English with allowance for other teachers the individual school could afford. The schools gained their money from the inspection fees of oil and fertilizers in the state, and also from the sales of their goods and services. If there was a surplus profit, some of the money the school earned would go to the students as an allowance. The students themselves were to be the only laborers on the campus, working under the direction of their principal and teachers.

The Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School was located in Powder Springs, Georgia. John Newton McEachern, co-founder of the Life of Georgia Insurance Company, donated 240 acres to the school. His support of the school encouraged other members of the community to also donate their time and money to the school. In February 1908, the school opened its doors with one building which was a two-story, white-columned Administrative Building. One year later, the boys’ dormitory was completed but subsequently lost in a fire. It was then rebuilt in 1912, and the girls’ dormitory was finished in the same year.

Students were responsible for paying their tuition and earning their board while living at the school. The boys farmed and learned animal husbandry, growing the food for the school, while the girls learned cooking and other domestic tasks by cooking for the school. The students also helped build the school buildings, learning carpentry and brick-making in the process.

In 1933, the state of Georgia moved to disband all A & M schools. This decision was largely due to the exponential growth of accredited high schools in the state which decreased the need for district schools. The Seventh District A & M School was, in effect, consolidated with the Fourth District A & M School to create West Georgia College in Carrollton. Faculty member Sara Ward and staff Ruby Jenkins both came to West Georgia College from the Seventh District A & M School.

The Macland and Powder Springs communities continued to use the buildings of the Seventh District A & M School for education. Five small Cobb County public schools (Corner, Macland, Due West, Talley's, and Mount Zion) were incorporated into the Macland Consolidated School, which opened in October 1933. The McEachern family continued to support the school financially, providing money for books, supplies, and scholarships. In 1938, the Cobb County Board of Education approved a petition from the community and the local Board of Trustees to change the school’s name to John McEachern Schools.

Extent

0.42 Linear feet (1 box)

Language

English

Overview

The Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School was located in Powder Springs (Cobb County) and operated from 1908-1933. Records from this collection are largely photocopies. Original materials include a bound minute book of the Board of Trustees and letters and notes. The minutes, covering years 1907-1929, document the activities of the Board and contain information on the formation of the School, faculty appointments and salary information, agriculture, committee reports, school finances, and student enrollment. The minutes also contain resolutions, by-laws, and rules of conduct.

Arrangement note

Arranged alphabetically by file title.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

Unknown. Original items likely acquired at the time of the closure of the Seventh District A & M School in 1933.

Related Archival Materials note

Original materials may be located in the Georgia State Archives as part of the University System of Georgia, Records of Defunct State Schools (record group 33, subgroup 15).

Processing Information note

Processed by Jennifer Little in 2013.

Title
Guide to the Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School records UA-0008
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Little
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English

Repository Details

Part of the University of West Georgia Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections, Ingram Library
University of West Georgia
1601 Maple Street
Carrollton GA 30118-2000 United States