Tilden’s school fundamental to Oakwood’s early development

Photo of the Oakwood School, (also known as Tilden School) located in Township 57N, Range 5W, Marion County, Mo. Photo from the 1913 Marion County Atlas.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

As early as 1894, Callie Taylor, daughter of a pioneer Methodist minister from Lewis County, Mo., taught educational fundamentals to the children of Ralls County, who lived nearby to Oakwood. The school itself was to the north of the dividing line between the counties of Ralls and Marion.

Miss Taylor, born in 1851, was a life-long educator who began her teaching career in the country schools in Lewis County, before moving south with several siblings, thus establishing herself as a resident and respected educator in the Oakwood area. In all, she served as teacher at Oakwood School for nine successive terms.

Among the children she likely taught:

* Berryman Henwood, who graduated from Hannibal’s high school in 1900, and the University of Missouri’s law school in 1904. The son of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Henwood, Berryman was encouraged in his educational pursuits by his father, who was a long-time member of the Oakwood school board. The elder Henwoods lived in Oakwood from the early 1880s until 1910. Berryman served two terms as Hannibal’s city attorney, and later was appointed a member of the Missouri Supreme Court.

* The children of Gentry Warren, who were living with their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Willis Harrison in Clay Township, in 1898. Four cases of small pox were reported in this family in February 1898, causing the school board to temporarily shut down the school.

* A niece of John Haggard attended Oakwood School in 1900, possibly under Miss Taylor’s tutelage. When Mr. Haggard became dangerously ill with small pox in December, 1900, the school shut down in order to thwart the spread of the dread disease.

Rural teacher

Confusion exists with Callie Taylor’s identity, because at the same time she was teaching in Marion County schools, there was another woman teaching, also going by the name of Callie Taylor. Care was given in researching Oakwood’s Miss Callie Taylor, in order that the details of her teaching career be accurate.

Caroline E. (Callie) Taylor was 8 years old in 1860, living with her parents, G.Y. (a pioneer preacher) and Louisa Taylor, in Union Township, Lewis County, Mo. Their farm was one mile west of Monticello. Children in the family included daughters Sydney R., Callie, Mildred, Nancy (Nanny) F. and Ida B. Sons included George J., James, William O., Charles E. and Robert M Taylor.

George J. Taylor, the eldest and first to leave Lewis County, in 1906 was editor of a newspaper at Knob Noster, Mo.

Sydney R. Taylor married James C. Faulconer, a truck farmer, and in 1900 they lived with their children, Henry, Sallie and Emmett, in Clay Township, Ralls County. (See map on this page.)

Caroline (Callie) E. Taylor was the aforementioned teacher at Oakwood.

Nannie F. Taylor married W.H. Sprigg. (1856-1936) She died in 1913 at Marshall, Saline Co., Mo. They had 9 children.

Ida B. Taylor (1862-1900) was the first of the siblings to pass. She was the wife of J.T. Sprigg.

Wm. O. Taylor (1863-1918)

Chas. E. Taylor (1865-Nov. 25, 1920)

Robert M. Taylor ( 1870-1932)

In Hannibal

In 1903, siblings Callie, William O. and Robert M. Taylor were boarding together at 117 1/2 Market St., a frame building on the south side of Market, to the west of Schanbacher’s meat market, 1233 Market. Callie was teaching at Oakwood School; Robert Marvin Taylor was a compositor of the Hannibal Courier newspaper, and William O. Taylor was a barber.

Sad occurrence

The Lewis County journal, of June 29, 1906, reported the news that Miss Callie Taylor died, at the age of 54.

“She was stricken with paralysis while attending preaching services at the Methodist church near her home at Oakwood Mo., Sunday evening. Monday’s Hannibal Post in speaking of the case says:

“Miss Taylor was apparently in her usual good health and was accompanied to church by her sister, Mrs. Faulconer. During the series Miss Taylor remarked to her sister that she was feeling quite badly and that she intended to go out into the fresh air for a few minutes. Accordingly she arose and went to the outer door of the building. Not returning as soon as Mrs. Faulconer thought she should, she concluded to go and see what was the matter. When she reached the outer door she found Miss Taylor lying on her face on the front steps of the church unable to move or talk. She was lifted into her carriage and driven to her home. Medical aid was at once summoned and everything done that human instrumentality could do to relieve her. “

She died at 1:45 p.m. at her home.

“Miss Taylor is well and favorable known in this city as in Oakwood where she has taught in the public school for a number of years. She is a most estimable lady and her large number of friends will be grieved to hear of her sad affliction and will sincerely sympathize with her.”

She was laid to rest at the Little Mountain Cemetery, Monticello, Lewis County, Mo.

About Tilden

Back in the days when horse power was literal, there existed a tiny developed “burb” to the west of Hannibal proper. The trail leading from Hannibal to this burb, named Tilden when it was platted back in 1859, followed along to the south line of high bluffs, and the northern boundary of Bear Creek’s ever unpredictable flow.

The “town” of Tilden was carved from the southeast quarter of Section 36, Township 57, Range 5, by Jonathan Gore and Tilden Selmes, two of Hannibal’s earliest businessmen.

Bounded to the south by what is now called Market Street, this quarter section of land already had some development, and the sectioning of the land accommodated those property owners.

The 8 acres of Lot 5, as shown on the 1859 plat map accompanying this story, as well as Lot 12, were owned by Thomas Bowling.

To help set bearings for the location of this land, both of Lots 5 and 12 are on the west side of what is now U.S. 61, which passes through Hannibal.

The southwestern-most point of Lot 5 is near the intersection of Veterans Road and County Road 422, to the east of Hannibal Carbide Tool. The northwestern most point is along Westover Road.

The eastern-most point of the Tilden subdivision is the southwest corner of Market and Ruby.

Some street names have changed since the land was platted:

The Hannibal to Paris Plank Road is now Market Street, until midway into Lot 4, to the west, when the name reverts to an earlier name, Paris Gravel Road.

Broadway is now Tilden.

Palmyra is now Hatch.

Property in Tilden Addition is located in Mason Township, Marion County, Mo.

Market Street roughly serves as a dividing line between Marion and Ralls counties.

Directly to the south of Tilden is Clay Township, Ralls County, Mo.

Another place identifier is the current Oakwood elementary school, 2340 Market, which occupies the western two thirds of Lot 2.

Tilden School, also referred to in times past as Oakwood School, was located in the western portion of Lot 4, at 4000 Market Street. Comfort Inn and Suites is now situated upon that lot.

Washington School was located in what is known as Oakwood, at 1818 Singleton, near the intersection with Market. The Church of Christ purchased this property from the Hannibal School District when the school closed, and held services in the school building prior to building a new church, located at 3104 Market.

Lot 5: This is where Dr. John A. Hampton and his wife, Susan Hampton, lived, beginning circa 1875. (That is father and step mother to Dorcas Hampton, aka “The Notorious Madam Shaw.” After the Hampton’s pre-1900 deaths, the land was used to construct the Masonic Home, later numbered 4210 Market. Today, this property serves as business locale for Poague Chevrolet Buick, 4270 Paris Gravel Road.

Note: Information for this story was culled from various newspapers accessible via newspapers.com and the Quincy library’s website. This author has been studying the history of Oakwood for nearly a decade, beginning with research for her book, “The Notorious Madam Shaw,” available via Amazon.com. Dorcas Hampton’s father and step mother lived in Tilden beginning in 1875.

Circled, in the upper right hand corner of this 1904 Ralls County atlas is the 10-acre property of J.C. and H.B. Faulconer. At the time, Mrs. J.C. (Sydney) Faulconer was sister to Callie Taylor, teacher at Oakwood School. Miss Taylor died the in 1906 while attending a church service with Mrs. Falconer. The Falconers operated a truck farm on this acreage. This image, supplied by Barry Zbornik, represents the northeast corner of Township 56 North, Range 5 West, Section 1. At the top of the map, to the north, is the Paris Gravel Road, which roughly separates Ralls and Marion counties. A small square in the extreme top eastern portion of the map (adjacent to the word Oakwood) is the point where Paris Gravel Road separates from the New London Gravel Road.

Tilden School, on the north side of the Ralls/Marion county line at the west end of Oakwood. Though almost all of the district was in Ralls County, the building was over the line in Marion County. Photo, taken in 1936, was supplied by Mary Muehring for inclusion of the Howard’s book on Ralls County, Mo.

The Tilden addition was originally platted in 1856 by Jonathan Gore and Tilden Selmes, two of Hannibal’s earliest businessmen. This drawing, based on that map, shows changes that have occurred over the ensuing years. Note that the present site for the Oakwood school is in Lot 5. Illustration by Mary Lou Montgomery