Rison School: 

The Mill Village Classroom That Shaped Huntsville

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

Rison School was born from the needs of Huntsville’s Dallas Mill Village, a community built around the hum of Alabama’s largest cotton mill. In the early decades of the 20th century, mill families lived in rows of company houses, shopped at the company store, and relied on the mill for nearly every aspect of daily life. Yet one essential need remained unmet: access to education beyond the elementary grades. Children in the mill village could attend only the earliest grades locally. After that, families were required to pay non resident fees to send their children into Huntsville city schools—fees far beyond the reach of mill workers. As a result, many children left school early and went straight into the mill, where long shifts and dangerous conditions were the norm.

Recognizing the importance of education for the community’s future, Dallas Manufacturing Company made a remarkable decision. In 1921, the company built Rison School, named for mill general manager Archie L. Rison. The construction cost—$56,788 for the school and an additional $13,881 for a YMCA wing—was a significant investment for the era and reflected the mill’s commitment to improving the lives of its workers’ families. Rison School quickly became a beacon of opportunity in a neighborhood where opportunities were scarce.

Under the leadership of principal Cecil V. Fain, who served for an extraordinary 32 years, Rison developed a reputation as one of the most progressive public schools in Alabama. Fain believed deeply that mill children deserved the same educational opportunities as any child in the state, and he built programs that reflected that belief. Rison became the first public school in Alabama to establish a Safety Patrol Program, and it was the first to offer Drama and Speech courses. The curriculum expanded to include Bible study, foreign languages, home economics, industrial arts, and physical education. For students who were ill or homebound, teachers provided lessons through telephone calls, home visits, and correspondence. During World War II, Rison even offered correspondence courses for former students serving overseas, ensuring they could continue their education despite the distance.

Rison School was more than an academic institution—it was the social and cultural heart of Dallas Village. Plays, community meetings, youth programs, and holiday events filled its halls. Generations of families passed through its doors, creating a shared identity that extended far beyond the classroom. Students remember the long hallways, the smell of chalk dust, and the sense that Rison was a safe haven in a working class world. Fain’s motto, “Discipline Comes From Within,” shaped the school’s culture and left a lasting impression on the children who learned there.

The school was also part of a broader educational movement among Huntsville’s mill villages. Dallas, Lincoln, Merrimack, and West Huntsville all faced the same challenge: elementary schools with no path forward. Fain and other educators advocated for mill funded junior and senior high schools so children could continue their education without city fees. Rison became the model for this effort. Eventually, Dallas Manufacturing Company sold the school to the Madison County Board of Education—reportedly for a symbolic amount—ensuring its continued operation as a public school.

Rison School served the Dallas Village community until 1964, educating four generations of mill families. But as the Dallas Mill closed in 1949 and the village was annexed into Huntsville in 1955, the school’s role gradually diminished. By the 1970s, the building was used by various organizations. When plans for Interstate 565 took shape in the early 1990s, the aging structure stood in the path of progress. Renovation was deemed too costly, and the building was demolished. Today, a historical marker stands at Oakwood Avenue NE and Lee High Drive NE, marking the spot where Rison once stood.

32Rison School’s legacy endures as a symbol of Huntsville’s industrial roots and the resilience of its working families. It represents a fight for accessible education, a community’s determination to give its children a future beyond the mill, and a pioneering spirit that helped shape Huntsville’s broader school system. For many former students and families, Rison is remembered not just as a school, but as the place where hope for a better life began.

LEE LUNCH BUNCH

For Classes of ’64, ’65, ‘66

Thursday, October 22, 2026

11:00 am

Logan’s Roadhouse

Balmoral Dr. Huntsville, AL

Lee High School classmates from ’64, ’65, ’66, please save the date for our fall luncheon. 

Also, please remember to send your RSVP to one of the two cell numbers listed below. 

Limited seating so reservations are a must!

Thanks!

Looking forward to seeing you then.

Patsy Hughes Oldroyd ’65 (256) 431-3396

Judy Fedrowisch Kincaid ’66 (256) 656-3667

I'm still featuring some Huntsville articles which are not Lee-specific. To be honest, I don't know how they are being received as something you enjoy reading or not. I wish one of you would let me know. Until then I will continue with a few more I have created and just hope it is interesting to you.

It said that Pinhook joined the Dallas Branch, which those who lived close to Lee might know about. When my family lived on Halsey and I was a first grader at Rison, we used to play the equivalent of "Pooh Sticks" on a bridge crossing there. We would drop objects on one side of the bridge and race across the bridge to see which one came out the other side first. One day when we were playing, one of the young girls playing with us ran right out in front of a pickup truck and was hit. I still have visions of her rolling down the road. I was only six years old and it scared me so bad I ran home without seeing how she was. I was so afraid I would be getting in trouble for playing that game with her. I still don't know what became of her.

The Wayback Machine

"School Days"

Chuck Berry

1957

"School Days" (also known as "School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)") is a rock-and-roll song written and recorded by Chuck Berry and released by Chess Records as a single in March 1957 and on the LP After School Session two months later (see 1957 in music). It is one of his best-known songs and is often considered a rock-and-roll anthem. Berry recorded the song on January 21, 1957, at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago, Illinois.

The last verse of the song contains the lyrics "Hail, hail rock and roll / Deliver me from the days of old." Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll became the title of a 1987 concert film and documentary about Berry; the song itself is also commonly mistitled as Hail Hail Rock and Roll.

Berry's record peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (his third highest-ranked pop hit) and hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, And Comments

Jimmy Bannister, LHS ‘66, "In 1965 Randy Goodpasture and I went to the Firecracker 400 Race in Daytona. We stayed in a little BNB on US1. The lady that owned the place would not allow any alcohol or girls in our room. The race was great and we had a good time.Spring break 1966, Randy Johnson, Randy Goodpasture, Roger Rozell and I went to Daytona. This time we had a motel on the beach and by chance Barbara and Carol Rousseau and Sylvia Boyd were staying in the same place. I don't remember much about it but I'm sure we drove them crazy. The only souvenir that I brought home was a Smirnoff bottle full of beach sand."