The year 2025 promises to be a historic one for the Berryville Public library and, by extension, for the town of Berryville. We broke ground on the new library in April, so the library should be finished in the spring of 2026. Preparation for the new building has made us at the Berryville Library nostalgic and reflective, not just about the library’s history but also about the town’s history. Other seminal moments in Berryville Library history occurred in 1938 and 1978, so we’ll be looking back this year on what Berryville was like then, as well as what it is like now, as we also look to the future.
For November, we’re looking at where Berryville learns.
In the 1800s, Carroll County education was dominated by private academies. Clark Academy was a well-known example of this type of school, and the building that housed it still stands as a private home in Berryville.
From 1867-1905, students from a wide area could attend the school. It is estimated that during that time some 5,000 to 10,000 students attended Clarke’s Academy. In 1879, basic tuition was $10, with an additional $12.50 required for instruction in Latin and Greek. That may not sound like a lot, but in today’s money that was over $300 and $400, respectively. Clarke’s Academy, however, was well known for not turning down motivated students who wanted to learn and frequently allowed families to barter products from the farm or work in exchange for tuition.
By 1938, when our Celebrate Berryville project really starts its focus, there were dozens of small one-room schoolhouses across the county. You can see a great example of one of these schoolhouses in Pioneer Park behind the library. But other buildings across the county still remain in their original locations. For students who lived in the rural areas of the county, they walked to these schools when the weather was still good.
Students who lived in Berryville itself attended the Berryville school district, which expanded considerably in the 1930s. The original Gymnasium building, which still stands, was newly built in 1937, having been completed as a Depression-era New Deal project. Plans were also in the works for a building for vocational education, though the funding didn’t come through right away. In 1940, as German forces invaded France across the Atlantic during World War II, the stone for the Agricultural Building was finally being quarried north of town. By the end of the year, the building was complete, and like the Gymnasium, it still stands on the Berryville campus. Both buildings became part of the National Register of Historical Places in 1992.
For students in 1978 Berryville, the days of the one-room schoolhouses were no more. What had once been 100 small local school districts throughout the county had been consolidated into 3–Berryville, Green Forest, and Eureka Springs. Students in 2025 are still attending those same school districts, as well as some smaller private schools.
We want to know where you went to school!
You can answer the prompts at any of our collection stations at the library, the community center, and the historical society. Also feel free to email us your responses and any pictures you have from the 1930s, 1970s, and now at celebrateberryville@gmail.com.
Everyone who fills out the prompt is eligible for our prize drawing. Each month up to five lucky people will win small prizes that celebrate fun things to do, fun places to eat, fun things made–you get the idea–all in Berryville! Responses and photos are also eligible for inclusion in our commemorative book at the end of this project.
Learn more about Celebrate Berryville on our landing page!
The following sources were especially helpful for researching this article:
“Berryville Agricultural Building.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/berryville-agricultural-building-14826/
“Berryville Agriculture Building.” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/CR1079-pdf
“Berryville Gymnasium.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/berryville-gymnasium-14825/
“Berryville Gymnasium” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/CR1078-pdf
“Carroll County.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/carroll-county-752/
“Clarke’s Academy.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/clarkes-academy-5616/
Shiloh Museum of History. “Scenes of Carroll County.” Online Exhibit. https://shilohmuseum.org/project/scenes-of-carroll-county/
Berryville Book Buzz 