This page has been created for the posting of information on early Choctaw Co Schools.

Abstracted by Johnnie Bouck from the book "Geneology of the James Cork I Family" written by Carmen Cork Weatherall

The Cork School House was built on land donated by James CORK ll and his wife Rebecca Catherine CORK.  James Cork II was the nephew of Rebecca Catherine Cork's father James Cork l.  The Corks also provided the logs for  the one room building.  Later the log building was replaced with a two-story frame school house. The Corks first child, Mary Ann, was born in 1846; their fourth child, Isabelle, was born in 1851.  (Note by JB: The school was probably built by the time their children needed a school.)
One teacher conducted classes for all the students grade one through eight. The school was in session for a term of six months.  Class was held from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM.  An hour lunchtime and a fifteen minute recess in the morning and afternoon allowed time for games.  Some of the games played where hopscotch, drop the handkerchief, ring around the rosie, hide and seek, pickup sticks, and marbles.  A large ball was used to play
basketball.  The baseball was made by wrapping twine tightly around a small rock.
A spelling bee every Friday afternoon provided a diversion.  After the teacher selected two people to serve as captains of the teams, the captains took turns choosing students for their team, who formed a line on opposite sides of the classroom.  If a player misspelled a word, that player was required to sit down.  The winning team was the one whose player was the last one left standing.
Students either walked or were brought by horse, wagon or buggy.  Some students enjoyed the use of a buggy with a top and celluloid windows which provided protection from the weather.  Ditches which buggies and wagons had to cross sometimes were across the dirt roads.  This required the use of slabs of wood from the sawmill to make walkways for the students on the side of the roadway.
The older boys kept wood supplied to the wood burning cast iron heater which heated the school.  A nearby spring provided drinking water.  The water was kept in a bucket with a dipper.  All students drank directly from the dipper.  A towel and a pan were provided for use in hand washing.  An outhouse was another necessity.
Cork School closed in 1919.  The students were transferred to schools in Chester or Ackerman.

The following photo was submitted by Johnnie Bouck. Photo was taken ca1913.