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Rosman School
HISTORY OF THE ROSMAN
SCHOOL
The first provision for
a school in the Rosman area was
made in a deed dated March 21,
1857, providing for a
combination Baptist Church and
school, which was located in
the middle of the present
Pickens Highway, directly in
front of the abandoned Zion
Church. The deed was signed by
Giles Glazener, Jr.
The first school
building, consisting of one
room, was built near the
present location of the Pickens
Highway on a lot adjoining the
old Zion Church. At that time
school was in session for eight
weeks.
Among the early teachers
in this building were Charlie
Henderson, Miss Nora Ashworth,
Miss Lena Wilson, Miss Victoria
Galloway, Miss Olivia Whitmire,
and Miss Canie Fisher.
The Presbyterian Church,
now the Methodist Church, was
used for a school when the one
room school house became too
small. This was a subscription
school with Miss Lucy Smith as
the teacher.
The first school
building in the present town of
Rosman was built through the
efforts of J. S. Silversteen in
1903. It was a five room wooden
building constructed by A. M.
Paxton, Sr. and the late Tom
Melton. G. L. Tabor and Edwin
Cooke will be remembered as
principals in this
building.
As ten students were
required in order to have a
high school, part of the
teachers took a course in high
school to get the required
number.
When J. E. Ockerman came
to Rosman in 1919 as principal,
there was plenty of room in the
wooden structure. In a short
time, however, the school under
his leadership began to grow
until the old school building
would not hold the pupils. It
was necessary to hold school in
the Woodman Hall, the W. P.
Hogsed house near the school
spring, and the Methodist
Church.
In 1922 the present
$25,000 elementary school
building was completed. It was
first used in the 1923-24
term.
Miss Beulah Reid, now
Mrs. Gus Bagwell of Brevard,
was the only member of the
first graduating class of
Rosman High School in 1922.
To Mr. and Mrs. Ockerman
is due the credit of placing
the Rosman High School on the
accredited list in 1923. There
were twelve teachers at this
time.
Other principals
following Mr. Ockerman after
1924 included V. E. Wessinger,
Ed Wilson, L. L. Shealy, G. C.
Bush, T. C. Henderson, Robert
Kimsey, W. M. Hunt, and E. F.
Tilson.
The present high school
building was completed in 1927.
Remodeling of the present
elementary building was
completed in 1949.
We now have an
enrollment of 858 and 31
faculty members.
--Undated, Mary Jane McCrary
Collection. Rowell Bosse North
Carolina Room, Transylvania
County Library. Box 42, Folder
12
William Austin Collection. Rowell
Bosse North Carolina Room,
Transylvania County Library. Album
S3-1.
Mary Jane McCrary Collection, Album
MJM S-64. Rowell Bosse North
Carolina Room, Transylvania County
Library.
Rosman High
School 1947.
Photo courtesy of Tim
Owen
Mary Jane
McCrary Collection.
Rowell Bosse North
Carolina Room,
Transylvania County
Library.
S-67
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