Miss Willie Kieffer (Tebeau) taught at Berryville School. Located on Berryville Road, several miles south of Clyo and a few miles north of Springfield, at the intersection of the Seaboard Railroad, the school sat in the vicinity of the present home of Mr. and Mrs. Heyward Johnson.

This school was built as a two-room school with a front porch. Although poor in quality, the accompanying photo is perhaps the only existing photograph of the school. (Please let Historic Effingham know if you have a picture of the Berryville School.)

At the time when Mrs. Willie taught at Berryville, she was the only teacher. She taught all elementary grades in the same classroom.

Although Mrs. Willie taught in the “one-room school,” she was lucky enough to attend Effingham Academy in Springfield (correction from last week’s Echoes) that housed elementary and high school classes. The eight classrooms at the academy had teachers teaching more than one grade level per room.  

When Charlton Tebeau taught at Berryville, he was one of two teachers there.  The other was Sarah Outz (Thomas). Ernest B. “Cap” Mingledorff and Mittie Lee Oglesby are among those who taught at Berryville.  

Most communities had one-room schools. Very close to Berryville was Indigo School, just off the present Indigo Road, on property now owned by H. B. Rahn where he formerly had a Christmas tree farm. Midway School was located on the present Highway 119 North across the road from the residence now of Mr. and Mrs. Reiser Rahn.

The class reunion of Berryville School held in 1997 at Clyo Homemakers Club was a great time of fellowship for the former students and teachers. Many have passed away since the reunion . Not only are these remaining students remarkable, so is the 98-year-old teacher, Mrs. Willie Tebeau.

This article was written by Susan Exley of Historic Effingham Society. If you have questions, comments or photos to share, please call her at 754-6681 or email: susanexley@historiceffinghamsociety.org