Legato School: A Centennial Souvenir
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2014 ReprintWith Permission By The Fairfax County History CommissionLibrary of Congress Catalog No.75-43450
LEGATO SCHOOL:A CENTENNIAL SOUVENIRTony P. Wrenn, Virginia B. Peters and Edith Moore Sprouse, EditorsJohn Gott, Kathryn S. Hogan and Robert N. McKenney, ContributorsWm. Edmund Barrett and Andy Wolfe, PhotographersPrinting funded by the Key Clubs ofMcLean, Mount Vernon, West Springfield and W. T. WoodsonandThe Prom Committee of Langley High SchoolsSponsored byThe Fairfax County History CommissionFairfax, VirginiaJanuary 1976
Page from McGuffy’s Reader, 1879, used in Fairfax County Public Schools,photographed by Wm. Edmund Barrett, 1972.- ii -
TABLE OF CONTENTSPageILLUSTRATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiNOTE TO THE READER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ixPREFACE by W. T. Woodson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1CHAPTER I.PROGRAM, PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY, AN INTRODUCTIONBy Virginia B. Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER II.FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL – A BRIEF HISTORYBy John K. Gott and Katherine S. Hogan . . . . . . . . . 15CHAPTER III.HISTORY OF THE LEGATO SCHOOLBy Virginia B. Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37CHAPTER IV.THE ARCHITECTURE OF ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSESBy Tony P. Wrenn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51CHAPTER V.RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESTORATION, USE AND UPKEEPBy Virginia B. Peters and Tony P. Wrenn . . . . . . . . 673APPENDICESI.PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOLCENTENNIAL AND LEGATO SCHOOL RESTORATION . . . . . . . . . . . 75II.GOALS AND GUIDELINES, Fairfax County Public SchoolsCentennial Committee, February 3, 1970 . . . . . . . . . . . . 79III.FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81IV.THE LEGATO SCHOOL – CHAIN OF TITLE AND LEGAL HISTORYBy John K. Gott and Robert N. McKenney . . . . . . . . . . . . 83V.LIST OF TEACHERS AT THE LEGATO SCHOOL (NO. 5)By Virginia B. Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87VI.EXPENSES FOR LEGATO SCHOOL AS RECORDED IN DISTRICTRECORDS WHICH SURVIVEBy Virginia B. Peters and Edith Moore Sprouse . . . . . . . . . 89VII.SOME EARLY FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOLS STANDING IN 1972By Edith Moore Sprouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91ARCHITECTURAL BIBLIOGRAPHY, by Tony P. Wrenn. . . . . . . . . . . . .101CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE BIBLIOGRAPHY, by Robert N. McKenney. . . . . . .103- iii -
ge from McGuffy’s Reader, 1879 . . . . . . . . . . . . . FrontispieceLegato School on its original site, 1969. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Hand-hewn timber above rear foundation of Legato SchoolWoodson High School students, Anita Wilburne and RianLiedelmeyer, during archaeological salvage program, 1970 . . . . . .4Woodson High School students restoring Legato School, 1972The school building and roof rejoined on the new site . . . . . . . .7Legato School is moved in two pieces to its new sitePast and Present. Legato School arrives at its new locationin front of the Massey Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Cover of Payson, Dunton and Scribner’s National System ofPenmanship, used in Fairfax CountyPage of writing completed on March 29, 1886 . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Teacher’s Certificate, Miss M. C. Millan, 1887 . . . . . . . . . . . 23Herndon School, built ca. 1875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28W. T. Woodson, Superintendent of Fairfax County Schools . . . . . . 31Centreville District No. 1 Map, Hopkins’ Atlas . . . . . . . . . . 38Boy’s outhouse, on original site of Legato School, 1970 . . . . . . 43Miss Lillian Millan, teacher at Legato SchoolMiss Mary Millan and class, Legato School, ca. 1920 . . . . . . . . 46Floor plan of Legato School, from Manual of School-houses andCottages for People of the South, 1868. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Blackboard, teacher’s platform and remnants of desks, Clifton School55Advertisement for desks, 1874 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Verona stove found in the Clifton School in 1972. . . . . . . . . . 59Rear of Public School No. 18, Fauquier County . . . . . . . . . . . 60Ink well of type used in Fairfax County Public Schools, 1868. . . . 66Public School No. 18, Marshall, Fauquier County . . . . . . . . . . 68Teacher’s platform, blackboard and interior, Clifton School . . . . 69Typical teacher’s desks and bookcase, 1868. . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Floor plans of the Legato School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Fairview School, ca. 1910 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Ash Grove School, now a private dwelling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Six Fairfax County School Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Legato School on its original site, 1969, rear view . . . . . . . . 82Idylwood School, ca. 1910 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Mountain Gap School, Route 15, Loudoun County in 1972 . . . . . . . 90Belle Aire School, built ca. 1894, photograph prior to 1908Belle Aire School, 1972 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Clifton School, built ca. 1912, as it appeared in 1968. . . . . . . 93Herndon School, early twentieth century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Money’s Corner School, Fox Mill Road and Reston Avenue, 1970. . . . 97Oakton School, built ca. 1897, as it appeared in 1968 . . . . . . . 99Sydenstricker School, built ca. 1927, photographed 1972 . . . . . .100- v -
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn the production of this report, the material gathered by Robert N.McKenney, Chairman of the Centennial Research and Publication Committee,his committee (Elizabeth Burke, Emma Ellmore, Lonnie Hinkle, Kathryn S.Hogan, Edith Moore Sprouse) and by M. Patricia Carey of the Fairfax CountyPublic Library, was heavily relied upon.Writing and additional research were accomplished by John Gott,Kathryn Hogan, Robert McKenney, Virginia Peters, Edith Moore Sprouse, andTony P. Wrenn. Documentary photographs are from those gathered by Mr.McKenney’s committee. Additional photographs and copy work were providedby Wm. Edmund Barrett, Lee Hubbard and Andy Wolfe. Diane Early, PaulErlenborn, David Givens, Walter Gomez and Wendy Nicholas, all studentsor former students at Woodson High School aided immeasurably in research,organizing material and other related activities.Virginia B. Peters and Tony P. Wrenn supervised the overallproduction and edited the report. Typing and editorial assistance wereprovided by the Department of School-Community Relations, Fairfax CountyPublic Schools and by the Office of Comprehensive Planning.All work by the editors, photographers and writers of this reportwas done without payment or reimbursement for expenses.We wish to thank the many interested persons who contributed theirtime, materials, knowledge or work to the Legato Restoration and to thisreport.The Editors- vii -
NOTE TO THE READERThe intent of this report, written in early 1972, is to providebasic architectural, archaeological and historical information on theLegato School, and the context in which it was built, operated, andphased out as a school. It should not be viewed as a definitive historyof the Legato School or of Public Education in Fairfax County. Theeditors feel that the information presented here is the minimum whichought to be available to those planning the restoration of the buildingwhich was the Legato School. Based on this information, we haveformulated recommendations for accomplishing restoration and upkeep andfor developing use programs.Unless based on fact, restoration programs have little chanceof presenting a viable historical and architectural project to thepublic. All restoration programs should involve an intensive programof documenting, in drawings and photographs, the structure as itstands when acquired, as well as a search of both historical andarchitectural material on the structure to be restored before plansare made for restoration.Tony P. WrennVirginia B. PetersOctober, 1975- ix -
PREFACEWhile there had been some small and scattered free schools inVirginia, primarily for children of the poor, the first Public FreeSchool System in Virginia was not established until 1870. Since 1970was the Centennial Year, the Fairfax County School Board in 1969appointed a Centennial Committee to plan and conduct appropriateactivities to commemorate this noteworthy event.In its early meetings the committee cast about in search ofworthwhile projects. Speakers appeared on many public programs in theCounty. Releases were given the press. In many schools teachers andpupils did research and prepared and presented programs using books andother teaching materials which had been used in early publicschools. The pupils acting the parts of teachers and pupils of thatday with the aid of parents, who cooperated wholeheartedly, found ormade appropriate clothing to create the atmosphere of the old one-roomschool. These programs were shown to pupils in the schools and to theirPTAs and were well received.The committee felt that, in addition to these activities, itshould undertake a more material and lasting memorial to the one-roomschool of yesteryear. It decided to undertake to have the old Legatoschool house moved from its original site on Lee Highway betweenFairfax and Centreville to the Court House grounds in the City ofFairfax. The Board of Supervisors was found to be most receptive to theproposal and granted the committee’s request to have the building solocated. Sufficient funds were received from interested citizens, PTAsand other groups to purchase the building from its private owner andmove it to its new site. It now stands on its new fieldstone foundationon the southeast corner of the Court House grounds facing Route 123.Available records pertaining to one-room schools and particularlythose pertaining to Legato have been searched. Building materials,furniture and school equipment of that era are being sought and, asfound, incorporated in the building to recreate the Legato of 1876 in anew setting.It is the desire of the committee that this building and itscontents serve as a memorial to the early and difficult struggles ofthe people of war-devastated Fairfax County to bring educationalopportunity to all its children and its children’s children. It isexpected that it will serve not only as a memorial but also a museumso that our people may see and better understand the rather primitivebeginnings of the excellent public school system of today.W. T. WoodsonSuperintendent EmeritusFairfax County Public Schools- 1 -
- 2 Legato School on its original site, 1969, photograph by Wm. Edmund Barrett.
I.PROGRAM, PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY, AN INTRODUCTIONBy Virginia B. PetersIn March, 1969, the Fairfax County School Board established acommittee to make plans for the proper observance of the one hundredthanniversary of public education in the state of Virginia. W. T.Woodson, superintendent of Fairfax County Schools from 1929 to 1961,and Mrs. John E. Onesty, former school board member, were named cochairmen. With the rest of the Centennial Committee, they set ninegoals (see Appendix II). The first was “to establish a school museumin a restored and refurbished building centrally located, and underconstant surveillance to prevent vandalism.” The Legato School onRoute 29-211 between Fairfax and Centreville was chosen as the mostdesirable since it was one of the few remaining complete schoolstructures of the 1870’s still standing. The building was purchasedfor 2000, moved from its original location, and placed at the junctionof Route 123 and the access road to the Massey Building in the Cityof Fairfax.The Legato “Dig” and Subsequent Student ResearchIn August, 1970, Robert McKenney, who had been collecting materialfor a history of education in Fairfax County, approached me abouttaking a group of students to the original site to do an archaeologicalsurvey before the building was moved. With a core of seniors who hadworked with me on the Dranesville Tavern dig three years earlier and afew new recruits (see Appendix I), we undertook an examination of thearea surrounding the school.Both Donald Early, father of one of the students and an amateurarchaeologist of wide experience, and my husband were as faithful asthe students in their attendance each weekend that we worked and bothshared the responsibility of adult supervisor with me. Ray Strang,now an architecture student at the University of Virginia, took hissurveying equipment to the site and established a datum point or benchmark by which the location of any finds could be established. AndyWolfe, yearbook photographer at Woodson High School, photographed theexterior of the building as it appeared when we began the work.Other students, with scythes and rakes, cleared the ground aroundthe building so that work could begin. A great many items of recentorigin were lying on the surface. Since these were objects obviouslyleft by persons who had lived in the house after it was changed into afamily dwelling, they added nothing to our knowledge of the buildingas a school. Likewise, a trash pile behind the outhouse yielded greatnumbers of bottles, tin cans, plastic and ceramic remains of veryrecent origin. Automobile license plates dated the trash pile fromthe 1950’s.- 3 -
Hand-hewn timber above rear foundation of Legato School, photograph by Andy Wolfe.Woodson High School students, Anita Wilburne and Rian Liedelmeyer, during archaeological salvageprogram, 1970, photograph by Andy Wolfe, Woodson High School.- 4 -
Trenches were dug from the front corners of the building outwardabout 10 feet (level with the bench mark) and from points A and B –positions corresponding with piles of rock, brick, and rubble whichhad apparently served as foundations of a porch. It now seems highlyprobable that those foundations upheld the original, low, woodenstoop. A picture taken in 1923 partially confirms this. No artifactsof value were found in the ground. In fact, although the entire areain front of the building was uncovered, it proved to be sterile. Aninterview with Earl Brown, a student at the school when it closed,revealed that the era of the Legato School was one of extremeausterity. There was no playground equipment to deteriorate on thegrounds, no abandoned toys or sports equipment, no lost coins droppedby a careless child. The students who attended the school had nosuch luxuries.Other Sources of Historical InformationSince the digging process brought few tangible rewards, thestudents sought other sources of information. The finding of one suchsource occurred quite by accident. The Legato School was located onRoute 29-211 directly across the highway from a small restaurant.One warm September day, Alex Cramer and Paul Davis crossed the streetto buy refreshments. The woman behind the counter knew the name andaddress of a woman who had been a student at Legato – Mrs. AlvinSherwood who lives on Lee Highway. She directed us to Mary ElizabethBalderson who also attended the school. The two of them in separateinterviews reconstructed a fairly complete picture of the building– inside and out – as it existed from 1916 to 1929. Earl Brown,subsequently taped by a group of students at Woodson High School, alsocontributed details.Our best source of information about the one-room school wasW. T. Woodson, who became Superintendent of Fairfax County PublicSchools in 1929. Prior to that he had been one of two County schoolsupervisors whose responsibility was to visit schools, so he had beenin most of the one-room schools in the County while they were still inoperation.Another source of information about the Legato School was theSchool Board minutes. These are not complete, but seem to have beenscattered among the personal effects of various school board members.Some were turned over to the County, but some have never been recovered.Diane Early, Paul Erlenborn and Walter Gomez assisted me in reading allof those available and in abstracting references to the Legato School.Information from other Centreville records was gathered and suppliedto the committee by Edith Moore Sprouse. From these records, we piecedtogether a list of teachers at the school (see Appendix V). The list isfairly complete from 1906 until 1922 when the School Board minutes stoplisting the appointment of teachers. The central files of the FairfaxCounty School Board go back only to 1929 in this matter, leaving atwentieth century gap of seven years – 1922 to 1929 – for which thereis no documentary material. Students who attended the school think- 5 -
that the teacher at Legato for this period was alternately either MissMary or Miss Lillian Millan. Records covering teachers at the schoolduring the nineteenth century could not be located.Basic to much of this report and highly valuable in giving apicture of the typical one-room school and the process of educationthat went on in these buildings, was the material collected byRobert McKenney, Kathryn S. Hogan and others (see Appendix I). Thisdata consisted of newspaper clippings, deeds and other photostateddocuments; pertinent books, magazines, and printed matter; lettersand oral interviews with people who either taught in or attended oneroom schools; and a bibliography of sources pertaining to education inFairfax County. Many of the old photographs used in this report werecollected by this group.Sources of Architectural InformationFinally, the building itself and the few others remaining in theCounty were studied to gain knowledge about the one-room school. Inthe fall of 1971 Tony Wrenn met me and the remnants of the archaeologygroup not already in college and went over the building with us. Hediscussed architectural features of the structure from the roof to thefoundation. He also spoke to vocational students at Woodson High Schooland their teacher, Oscar Baughan, as well as to members of the LegatoSchool Subcommittee about the process of restoring old buildings. Forthis purpose he used his experience and the pictorial record made whilestudying the Dranesville Tavern.One of the most pleasant parts of the research involved drivingabout the back roads of Northern Virginia looking for other schoolsof the Legato vintage. My husband and I visited the little redschool-house* on Route 15 which has been restored and furnished inan appropriate manner by Wilbur Hall of Leesburg, Virginia. DavidGivens spent one day directing us to old schools in Loudoun, Fauquierand Fairfax Counties and finally, Diane Early, David Givens, TonyWrenn and I visited a number of these schools. At each one, wetook photographs and made notes on architectural features of thebuildings. It was through this survey that we discovered the basicpattern for the one-room school. Marshall School on Route 55 is inthe best condition; Belle Aire has been gutted by fire; the outlinesof Oakton must be extracted from the general store which has beenbuilt around it; and Navy is now a family home. But all of them sharemany basic elements. Based on the study of Legato and other one-roomschools in the area, Tony and I made a list of recommendations forthe restoration of the school.*The Mountain Gap School at Oatlands is now owned by the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation and listed in the National Register ofHistoric Places.- 6 -
Woodson High School students working on restoration ofLegato School, 1972, photographs by George Hamel.The school building and roof are rejoined on the new site.- 7 -
Guidelines of the Centennial CommitteeOne of the guidelines of the Centennial Committee was to involvestudents as much as possible in centennial activities. It was becauseof my deep interest in this aspect of education that I agre
While there had been some small and scattered free schools in . Virginia, primarily for children of the poor, the first Public Free. School System in Virginia was not established until 1870. Since 1970 was the Centennial Year, the Fairfax County School Board in 1969 appointed a Centennial Committee to plan and conduct appropriate
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