Just a few miles outside Earleville stood a modest country schoolhouse, the Fingerboard School. It first opened its doors before the Civil War, thanks to Stephen H. Ford, who donated land for what was initially called the Ford School, according to journalist Dot Clark in the Cecil Whig.
Later, people started calling it the Fingerboard School as a nearby signpost pointed the way to St. Stephen’s Church.
Over its 95-year history, the school welcomed generations of local children and was guided by 25 teachers. The first, Thomas Gale, began a long tradition of service to young scholars in the area. Other teachers included: Belle Veach (1872), Effie Titus (1873), Ella M. Staats, Mary Sherman, Helen Hasson, Jennie Packard, Emma Marley, John W. Cavendar, Lelia M. McCoy, Millie Watts, Isabelle Galbraith (1893-1915), and finally Alverda Ferguson (1916-1939)
The original building was torn down in the summer of 1873, replaced by a new structure built by Amos Wilson for $922. That schoolhouse was lost to a fire on December 15, 1914, but it was quickly rebuilt by James A. Smith and Son, reopening on March 15, 1915.
Isabelle Galbraith was teaching then. When she retired, Alverda Ferguson stepped in to lead the small country school. In May 1939, when the Fingerboard School closed its doors for good, it had 17 students spread across six grades. These young people and their teacher, Miss Ferguson, were transferred to Cecilton Elementary.
After its closure, the building was sold to Willard Knock, Jr., who converted it into a private residence. The old schoolhouse was still standing when Dot Clark wrote the story and interviewed Miss Ferguson.
Source: “Do You Remember? The Fingerboard School,” by Dot Clark, Dec. 9, 1970
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