Dacusville High School

     

Old Dacusville Elementary School

      Schools are important in communities, it usually is a focal point.  It's more than just where we learn Math, Science, English, etc. It's where we learn we have a second family, especially in a small town like Dacusville.  School is where we create most of our childhood memories, we find our best friends, and perhaps our future spouse.  It's where we play team sports, or cheer our team on from the stands, it's where we take pride in our Alma Mater.

Dacusville's 

Alma Mater

Fairest of all the fair halls of Dacusville, 

Rising in state as the crest of a hill,

Stands the firm walls of our dear Alma Mater,

Round her so nobly our hopes cluster still.

When in our exile, our hearts may be yearning

For the bright scenes of our vanishing youth,

Back to thy portals our memories turning,

Clear, gleams they beacon of love and truth.

Dacusville, we hail thee, our Alma Mater,

Pride of our hearts, no fear shall distress,

Faithful and true our children will ever

Cherish thy influence, remember and bless.

     

     I recited a different Alma Mater then the one above because I graduated from Pickens High School, Class of 1994.  Was it because I lived in Pickens, no, I have lived in Dacusville all my life.  It was because Dacusville no longer had a high school.  The last class of Dacusville High School was in 1971.  I spoke with someone who was in this class, and he shared with me some memories.

Tommy Bridges

   Tommy Bridges went to Dacusville High School.  He was born in Pickens at Cannon Memorial and moved to Dacusville when he was six years old.  His first home was behind Bruce O'Shields beside the Duncan's place.  His parents later bought eight acres of  land from Mr. Looper.  At the time, the land was a corn field and his parents paid 46 dollars a month till they paid it off.  The house they lived in had a well pump and outdoor plumbing.  There were five kids, and both parents worked so they hired an African American woman to help with the house work.  Tommy talked about a "party line", it is something we now call the telephone.  To use a party line you would have to wait your turn to talk.  Everyone tried to be civil about it and wait their turn. Tommy said not every one did this, he remembers the Griffin boys, they would constantly get on the phone and holler and make all kinds of noise.  It would make it hard to talk with anyone.  

     Things have certainly changed over the years in our community.  Long gone are the days of ginning cotton, corn and wheat mills, and dairy farms.  Tommy told me that Dacusville use to have 3 dairy farms:  N.B. Williams, John Finley, and Carmon Looper.  Tommy's 1st job was working at N.B. Williams' dairy farm at the age of 13, and then later he worked with the McConnell's for 23 years doing underground work.  

     Tommy is a very talented musician and artist.  His grandmother had a piano, and his mom, sister, and grandmother played.  When Tommy was in 2nd grade, he took piano lessons from Norma Tripp for 4 years. When he was in 6th grade he switched to guitar because he said playing the piano is not cool for guys.  His dad got him a right handed guitar, the only problem with that is Tommy is left handed.  But it worked out for him because later he hurt his left hand and would not of been able to play the guitar.  Tommy loved to sit on the porch and pick, he played in a band for 12 years.  The band played at the Shriner's Club, Moose Lodge, American Legion, VFW; mainly private clubs that raised money for different causes.  

     Tommy is married to his wife Darlene of almost 40 years come this September.  They have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.

     Tommy told me that he remembers his 1st grade teacher was Mrs. Hall, his 3rd grade teacher was Mrs. Riggins, and Mr. Hall was the agriculture/shop teacher.  He shared with me that discipline has changed a bit since he was in school.  He remembers the principles giving licks with a paddle if you misbehaved.  When Tommy was in school he said he had to go to the principles office only twice.  Once to David Cox and once to Mr. Barton.  He had to go to Mr. Cox because he was late for class, Mr. Cox gave him 3 licks.  He said when he went to Mr. Barton, he gave him 5 licks.  Mr. Barton made you stretch out over his desk and he would rare back and with all his might, like he was hitting a baseball would pop you with the paddle. Tommy said after the 3rd lick he was about to come up swinging.....yeah, things have changed.

Old Dacusville High School

     African Americans were now allowed to go to school with whites. Tommy said that when he was in 7th grade, the laws changed.   He said there were about 6-8 blacks at the school.  He remembers how the water fountains caused a lot of problems, but over all every one got along great. 

     Tommy was an athlete he played football, basketball, and he ran track at Dacusville High School.  He talked very highly of Coach Hart.  He said Coach Hart always went above and beyond for the students.  He said that Coach Hart and his wife would load the team up in their car and take them to the games because Coach Hart couldn't get a bus.  Coach Hart had the football field built across the road from the old elementary school.  The community helped dig and build the bleachers, and Fred Durham was the welder. For the football players that helped, Coach Hart gave them free passes to Pine Grove, it was a park near Marietta and Travelers Rest that had a huge swimming pool with a 20 ft. tall slide.  Tommy shared that Coach Hart was a just and stern coach, during basketball games if a fight broke out, and he said it happened often that Coach Hart would break up the fight give the boys boxing gloves and said now settle it. 

Tommy Bridges in top picture holding football
Photo by "The Dacusville Star"

     

     Tommy was in 9th grade in 1971 when they decided to close Dacusville High School.  He remembers that Easley and Pickens always got more funds, and Dacusville was always left out.  No one wanted to close the high school.  The following information was printed in an article in The Greenville News on February 26, 1971.  

  ...About 300 to 400 people crowded into the school auditorium to protest closing any classes or the transfer of students to Easley or Pickens Senior High School.  The nine-member board voted to accept all comments as information and said they would act on the matter at a future board meeting.  Dr. Curtis Sidden, superintendent of Pickens County Schools, presented figures which indicated that the Dacusville school is a financial burden to the county. Randy Looper, president of the student body, gave an emotion-charged plea to keep the top three grades at Dacusville. At the same meeting many protested sending their children to Easley because they said it was too big.  Several people stated that the drug problem was "out of hand" in Easley and one woman said "We don't have any of that stuff up here and we intend to keep it out." Another woman said, "We need to let our children keep their identity; we feel like we have always been hit in the head.  But up here everybody knows everybody and we always know where our children are." - Dacusville Middle School. Down Home:  Dacusville Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow. Dacusville Community History Project. 1995. 

     Basically it was said that the high school closed due to lack of teachers, cost for teachers, maintenance, and lack of growth in the area.

     The school closed and now Dacusville 9th grade students join in with Pickens 9th grade students to form Pickens High School.  Which once was our rivarlvy now becomes family.  It would be nice to still have Dacusville High School as our Alma Mater, however it's not so bad to join with Pickens students. It's said that you can't ever have too many friends, and I was able to form more friendships by becoming a Blue Flame.

     

     The biggest rivalry in Pickens County is Pickens vs. Easley.  Every year the stands pack the stadium with blue and green to see which team will beat out the other.  This makes me think about the battle that was between Jesus and the devil.  When Jesus died on the cross, the devil thought he won, but three days later Jesus rose from the grave and won the biggest battle of all times.

     

  Want to see some older school buildings around our county, check out the site below:

     http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcls/sets/72157594314220076/detail/?page=2