REMEMBERING PLAINVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
BY
RICKEY ROBERTSON
Located in the south part of Sabine Parish in Ward 1 is the small community of Plainview. At one time this was a thriving community with a store, a school, and a church. But today the only public building in the community is Plainview Baptist Church. But up until 1965 Plainview was like many other communities in Sabine Parish in that it had a school. But in 1965 a new word came into being that effectively closed 6 schools in Sabine Parish with Plainview High School being one of them. The terrible word was CONSOLIDATION.
Plainview High School was formed in 1924 when two smaller schools, Gum Springs and Toro, were consolidated into this school. This school was located on the Mt. Carmel to Hornbeck Road and was located where school children from Plainview, Gum Springs, Toro Church, Cenchrea, and Peason Communities could attend. For 36 years Plainview High School had graduating classes. This school at Plainview became a high school under the leadership of its first principal, Mr. A.D. Lucius. The very first class to graduate from Plainview High School was in 1929 with Mr. Lucius as principal. The first graduating class included Otto Corley, Bonnie Dowden, Mildred Dowden, Loren Ellzey, Hazel Hardin, Clariece Lee, and Bessie Murray. Beginning in 1930, Plainview Baptist Church was organized and began its meetings in the school auditorium. These church meetings were held in the school auditorium until the church building was erected in 1935. Nothing like this is allowed anymore, is it ! God was in school's!
In its history Plainview High had had a total of 8 principals. The principals were A.D. Lucius, A. B. Rushing, Walter Powell, Henry Mims, Egbert Heard, Mrs. Willie Mae Britt, Mrs. Bessie Lang, and Richard Brown. Mr. Lucius served as principal the longest with 12 years total. Mr. Lucius was very special to my Dad and his family. Mr. Lucius had some veterinary training and my Dad always called him "Doctor Lucius" due to him tending to sick livestock throughout the community. Mr. Lucius would get my Dad, a country boy, to help him go out on the various farms while he doctored the sick stock. When they got finished he would bring my Dad home where he would sit and drink coffee on the porch with my Granddaddy and Mammaw Robertson.
In the 1953 school year tragedy struck. The school caught fire and began to burn. As the children were brought outside to safety, many of the older high school boys rushed in and saved the valuable school records. For many months classes were held in some small outbuildings and the lunch room till a new school could be built. Nothing stopped the school from operating. And during Exercise Sagebrush held in 1955 the roads were terrible due to heavy military traffic. The children who attended from the Peason Community and rode Marvin Brown's bus often had to get out and push the bus out of the ditch or deep muddy spots. But that was just the price of going to school in the country !
Throughout its history Plainview High had very good girls and boys basketball teams. For years they played on the dirt court and then in the new gym. Richard Brown, the principal in the 1964/1965 school year was also the coach of the Plainview Panthers . The boy's basketball team compiled a 20 win 12 loss season . A fitting tribute to the athletes of Plainview High School throughout the years who were always were winners. The Fighting Panthers of Plainview High !
The graduating classes had from 1 to 15 graduates. In 1949 Merle Brown was the only graduate due to the school system changing from 11 years to 12 years to graduate. The final graduating class at Plainview High School had 9 graduates. They were Randy Chance, Donald Daniel, Nathan J. Dowden, Carroll Ellzey, Bobby Masters, Wayne Maxie, Sherry Moorhead, Helen Thaxton, and Danielle Volk. The faculty the last year were Exie McInnis, Minnie Robertson, Carolyn Brown, Inez Dowden, cafeteria manager, Floyd Cabra, custodian, Richard Brown, principal, Lloyd Owens, and Lamar Salter. Only 3 faculty members are still with us, Inez Dowden, Carolyn Brown, and Minnie Robertson.
Beginning in the January 1965 Sabine Parish School Board meeting it was voted on to CONSOLIDATE Plainview, Pisgah, Mt. Carmel, Belmont, Oak Grove, and Noble schools. After the shock of the vote wore off, people began trying to save their beloved community schools. My uncle and several other men went to the school board in an attempt to keep Mt. Carmel school operating so that students from Plainview High could merge there. There was a hot and heavy debate over this matter. It had good measure since Mt. Carmel was about the newest school in south Sabine Parish and it could accommodate the students from Plainview. This debate went all the way to the Louisiana Legislature but it was finally turned down. So the smaller schools of Sabine Parish were to close in 1965.
Even today 50 years later there is discussion and arguments over this closing of the schools. In many ways it was the right thing to do. Would it help overall because the school was the most important place in a community. And when they closed the schools in every community the community actually died off. Plainview had 87 total students, Pisgah had 54, and Mt. Carmel had 107. This would greatly enlarge Florien High School . But after closing many of the Plainvew families refused to let their children go to Florien High. Their children would attend Hornbeck High located in Vernon Parish. There was much confusion and disruption. The children who went to Hornbeck had no bus since it crossed the parish line. These kids had to ride in the back of a pickup truck with a homemade camper type cover over the back to get to school. Finally in July 1965 the School Board agreed to let students go to whatever school they wanted to attend and also to provide transportation for the school children. Classes were split apart by the consolidation. In my class at Plainview we had a total of 8 members. When the school closed 5 of my classmates went to Hornbeck and 3 of us went to Florien High. And when the kids from the country schools arrived at Florien High it was a shock. A big 2 story school with many classrooms and even upstairs for the high school. And to get upstairs the boys and girls went up different flights of stairs. It was a melting pot of students from 4 schools and it was ironic to see upperclassmen who were in the FFA wearing their beloved jackets with the names of Pisgah, Plainview, Mt. Carmel, and Florien on the back. But by 1970 all these upper classmen had graduated. And by 1977/1978 the last of the children involved in the consolidation had graduated. So the consolidation came and went and school kids at present day Florien High don't even know that it took place. All we have to hold on to is our memories of our school at Plainview. And every other year in even numbered years we still continue to hold reunions of graduates and attendees of Plainview High at Plainview Baptist Church. If you ever attended or were a graduate we invite you to attend in 2016 as old friends and classmates come together and have a great reunion. I am proud to have attended this great school even though I did not get to graduate there. And as you read this story, remember Plainview High and the memories we have!
The very first Plainview High School building and auditorium in the background. (Robertson Collection)
Mr. and Mrs. A.D. L:ucius pictured at Plainview High School. Mr Lucius was the first principal at Plainview High and served there 12 years. (Robertson Collection)
1929 photograph of all the students attending Plainview High School. (Robertson Collection)
1929 Plainview High School Girls Basketball team. (Robertson Collection)
Plainview High graduating Class of 1930. Left to right Fourthie Jones, Edna Sandel, Elmer Brown, Edna Dowden, and Thelma Hardin . (Cole/Robertson Collection)
The last school building located at Plainview High School. This building was built after the fire of 1953. (Brown/Robertson Collection)
Plainview Panther's Boys Basketball Team 1952. Left to right Red Jones, James Hilton, Tom Jones, Victor Ellzey, and Billie Dowden. (Robertson Collection)
Plainview Panther Girls Basketball team 1954-1955 school year. (Robertson Collection)
Mr. Egbert Heard was principal and coach at Plainview High School for a total of 7 years. (Brown/Robertson Collection)
Mrs. Exie McInnis and her elementary school class at Plainview High School in 1956. (Brown/Robertson Collection)
Plainview Class of 1942. Bobbie Robertson, first boy on front row, was killed in action in 1944 during World War II. Last boy on front row is Hester Sales and last girl on second row is Clydell Dowden. (Kile/Robertson Collection)
The final year in 1965 the Panther Yearbook was published and is a cherished item by those who attended Plainview High School. (Robertson Collection)
Plainview Reunion 2014. Members of the 1965 graduating class who attended the reunion were Helen Thaxton Ellzey, Bobby Masters, and Carroll Ellzey are pictured. (Robertson Collection)