Arkansas was among the last states in the nation to create a public school system. While many early Arkansas leaders spoke of the need for one, the state was unwilling to spend the money.
It took the upheaval of the Civil War and Reconstruction to jolt the state into establishing a public school system, but implementing the new law was uneven, and as late as the 1920s many schools in the state did not offer classes beyond the eighth grade. Fortunately, some educators helped fill the void by opening subscription schools where students could study for a fee. Isaac A. Clarke of Carroll County was one of the most successful of these educators.
Isaac Asbury Clarke was born in Overton County, Tenn., on March 22, 1837. His father died when Isaac was 4 years of age, and a short time later his mother moved the family to Carroll County in northern Arkansas. Clarke attended Rhea's Academy in Berryville, followed by study at Cane Hill College near Fayetteville. He taught school for a time, then entered the University of Missouri.
Clarke's study was interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Though adamantly opposed to secession, Clarke ultimately joined the Confederate Army, serving in the Indian forces commanded by Cherokee Indian leader Gen. Stand Watie. Serving as a quartermaster on Watie's staff, Clarke saw action in both Arkansas and Oklahoma, rising to the rank of captain.
In a letter to his mother in May 1863, Clarke commented on his efforts to maintain his values and standards during war: "Just imagine me the same man unchanged, a little rougher in appearance perhaps, but not in manners. The demoralizing effects of war have not reached me. I have not learned to swear, chew tobacco, get drunk or steal."
Little was left standing in Berryville when Clarke returned there following hostilities. Rhea's Academy was in ruins, which left the town without a school. Though he had little funding, Clarke opened his own school on Jan. 14, 1867, naming it Clarke's Academy. A large frame building was constructed just west of Berryville. Although the school opened with only 25 students, it grew quickly. In 1873 a fire destroyed the school, but within two years Clarke had built a three-story brick school--this one being located in town near the courthouse in Berryville.
The school was coeducational, and students came from far and wide to study at Clarke's Academy. Tuition and fees were moderate, and Clarke seldom turned away a needy student. Tuition was sometimes paid in farm produce, livestock, or labor.
An 1870 newspaper advertisement reported that tuition for a five-month session was $10, with an additional fee of $12.50 for students taking Latin, Greek or French, and piano instruction was $20.
Clarke's Civil War commander, Stand Watie, sent one of his daughters, Jacqueline, to Clarke's Academy. Two letters, exchanged between Watie and his daughter in 1871, shed light on the school--and remind us that children have long known how to manipulate their parents. Jacqueline wrote: "Papa you must send me some money, if ... not but $5, for I need it very bad ... But if you have $25, send it." She concluded with a more nuanced appeal: "Well, Papa, I think this is a very cheap school and good too. I would like to come back here if posable [sic] next session; but if it is exposing your povity [poverty] I will not ask any more."
Watie, who was an older father, indulged his daughter, writing: "I am well acquainted with Capt. Clarke; he is a fine man ... I shall do my utmost to send you back again next term. I will try to send the money you require."
By 1886 Clarke was ready to "vary and enlarge my field of labor." He filed for the office of state superintendent of public instruction, which was held by W.E. Thompson. Although Clarke received endorsements from the Arkansas Democrat and several other newspapers, he was defeated.
Clarke's defeat at the polls was not the only setback in his life. In 1879, while vacationing in Eureka Springs, Clarke's wife, Virginia Layton Clarke, was killed by a falling tree limb. Isaac never remarried.
Professor Clarke died May 26, 1907, two years after he closed the academy due to failing health. He was buried in Berryville, with his grateful former students donating funds for a tombstone.
Tom Dillard is a historian and retired archivist living near Glen Rose in Hot Spring County. Email him at Arktopia.td@gmail.com.
Editorial on 06/25/2017