Shady Grove

[ community, school site (June 30, 1906) & post office (established 20 July 1870 - discontinued 7 Aptil 1889 - established 5 Nov 1894 as Luther - changed 6 August 1909 to Shady Grove ]

When the Civil War ended, James W. Wentworth taught in Shady Grove before becoming the county's first school superintendent. Two or possibly more buildings were used for school purposes prior to the building of the last one. According to old records the school at one time had a much larger enrollment than it had in 1958. With consolidation, the older school buildings were abandoned, yet Shady Grove remained.

The first school was located about a mile north of Shady Grove and near the county line. The school was moved to "New" Shady Grove in 1906. After the building burned about 1930, the school was built south of Shady Grove and about twelve miles north of Perry. The building and grounds are to the south of the village and on the south side of the Econfina River, back from the highway about a quarter of a mile. The Shady Grove School was closed around 1970.

Some of the first teachers at the first schools were: Mrs. Edna Morgan, E. P. Blanton, Pat Kelly, Mrs. George Smith, John Donaldson, W. T. Cash and Mrs. Harry Miller.

Some of the teachers of the last school were: C. F. Laird, first principal at last school, Clara Roberts, Ava Williams, Anne Ruth Faircloth and Mrs. Johnson.

The school was more than a school building - it was the social heart of the area.

Mr. David F. Blanton purchased the store at Shady Grove that had been founded by the Porters of Greenville. He and his son operated the store successively for nearly seventy years. At the time of the establishment of this business, all mail coming to Perry came through there via Star Route with cart and mule, and all freight was brought by wagon train from Greenville or Madison.

Fred Williams attended Shady Grove school and clerked in his father's mercantile establishment. Frew got qualified to teach and was teaching at Covington between Red Oak and Rocky Ford when he was called to service in the First World War.

Moulton Jane Williams was a teacher and taught at Blue Creek School. After she married the family lived in Shady Grove where Mr. Williams was a merchant.