TELLING THE STORY OF LOGANSPORT SCHOOLS

Mr. Will Price, Logansport Historian

TELLING THE STORY OF LOGANSPORT SCHOOLS

         The town of Logansport and the surrounding areas are fortunate that Mr. Will Price carefully, with understanding and humor, recorded the story of his town.  On this Tuesday, at 4:00 in the Logansport Library, his granddaughter, Mary Thompson, will share Mr. Will’s stories of the Logansport schools.  Her presentation will be the highlight of the first meeting of the Logansport Historical and Genealogical Society (LHGS).  The public is invited; refreshments will be served at 4:00 with the presentations to begin at 4:30 and end before 5:30.  The audience is invited to bring and share pictures and stories related to their “school days.”

Logansport School 1910

            Mr. Will, who was born in 1880, was the son of Logansport pioneer and first Mayor, Elijah Price and his wife Eliza.  Mr. Will attended the early Logansport schools and as a young man was hired by the T & NO (narrow gauge) Railroad.  For 51 years, he served as the Logansport Depot Agent.  Most travel was by train, and urgent news arrived through the telegraph, so Mr. Will was always at the center of Logansport life.  Over the course of both World Wars, Mr. Will received and delivered news and messages to the families of Logansport.  One could say he was both CNN and Face Book for his town.  Mr. Will kept letters, notes, and a journal, and toward the end of his long life, he wrote his memoirs.  Through his memories, we have valuable insights into life in Logansport from the late 19^th Century through the middle of the 20^th Century.  

            Many of Mr. Will’s memories involve the schools, which he and his siblings, his children, and grandchildren attended.   He remembers principals, teachers, buildings, board members, sports teams, coaches -- and escapades.  Today, we take for granted free public schools, available to all; but this was not always true.  As Mr. Will recounts, creating a system of free public schools, open to all children, was a gradual and difficult undertaking.  Mr. Will doesn’t take himself or his subject too seriously, and his account includes more than a few unlikely and comic episodes. 

            Mary Thompson, Mr. Will’s granddaughter, and noted Louisiana Educator, says that her informal presentation is a story, not a dry account.  She has encouraged those attending to bring photos and stories to share with the group.  The first project of the LHGS is to create a collection of images of School Days in Logansport to preserve and share this aspect of the town history.

Logansport High School for most of the 20th Century