Ray City school history observed

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, October 3, 2018

RAY CITY — Since the frontier days of Berrien County, public schools were part of the fabric of community life. 

The pioneers of South Georgia were tasked with building a new society; literacy was key to ensuring an informed and free people. 

Numerous “Old Field Schools” were built throughout the county to help children learn how to read and write. Prominent community leaders often taught in these one room schoolhouses. 

In Ray’s Mill, Confederate veteran Henry Knight served as postmaster, Berrien County commissioner and as a teacher. Following the Civil War, he wrote the city charter for nearby Nashville. 

By 1900, Berrien had more than 50 schools. During the next century, education transformed as the state and nation developed. 

In Ray City, the Beaverdam School began as a log-hewn meeting house that shared space with both the Methodist and Baptist congregations. The white brick school was opened in 1922, during the era of growth brought by the Georgia Florida Railroad. 

The same facility would serve the neighborhood until school consolidation in 1994. Today, the Joe Sizemore Community Library is located in the old Ray City School.

The Ray City Library invites the community to join in the history of the Ray City School at an open house, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, according to organizers. 

All are welcome to stop by the library at 351 Pauline Ave. The event marks the opening of the “Ray City School Days” history exhibit, which includes a memory booth program where family and friends can sit down and tell a story about their experience at the Ray City School. 

The oral history collection will be archived by Valdosta State University. All are welcome to bring any artifacts to help continue to preserve the history of the school and community, organizers said.

The project seeks to document the impact of the neighborhood school throughout its 140-year history. The Ray City Community Library began work on the School Days project in 2017 and was awarded a scholarly grant from Georgia Humanities. 

The library is working in cooperation with Berrien Historical Foundation and Valdosta State University. Call (229) 455-2226 for more information, all programs are free and open the public.