Albert Pike (1809-1891) is remembered as a Confederate general, leader in Freemasonry and writer, but before he became any of these he was a teacher at a little one-room school in Crawford County, Arkansas.
The carefully preserved school now stands on the grounds of the historic Crawford County Courthouse in Van Buren.
Born in Massachusetts in 1809, Pike was accepted at Harvard University, but never attended. Instead he began a career as a school teacher and spent time in several communities in the Northeast before joining the great American push West in 1831. He stopped first in St. Louis but then pushed on to Independence, Missouri. From there he joined several hunting, trapping and trading expeditions into New Mexico, Texas. On one of these he walked more than 500 miles and on another more than 650.
In 1833, Pike settled in western Arkansas and began teaching at the little one-room school that stands today.
http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pikeschoolhouse
The carefully preserved school now stands on the grounds of the historic Crawford County Courthouse in Van Buren.
Born in Massachusetts in 1809, Pike was accepted at Harvard University, but never attended. Instead he began a career as a school teacher and spent time in several communities in the Northeast before joining the great American push West in 1831. He stopped first in St. Louis but then pushed on to Independence, Missouri. From there he joined several hunting, trapping and trading expeditions into New Mexico, Texas. On one of these he walked more than 500 miles and on another more than 650.
In 1833, Pike settled in western Arkansas and began teaching at the little one-room school that stands today.
http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pikeschoolhouse