Note: Highland Institute, located in the community of Guerrant, was one of about twenty schools established by religious bodies in Breathitt County near the turn of the present century. It was closed some fifty years ago. However its story lives on. Below are some items concerning the old school.

HIGHLAND INSTITUTE

At Guerrant, fifteen miles from Jackson on the Highland--Athol Road (State 52), is the "Berea of Breathitt." The plant, spread out over a seven-acre campus, is picturesquely set in a lovely hill-encircled valley on the north side of Puncheon Camp Creek. The institution's 600-acre farm, donated by the Glendale College Club of Cincinnati as a Christmas present in 1937, extends for about three miles along the creek. The main or "Rock Building" is a two-story structure of gray sandstone, quarried on the school farm. The infirmary, located in this building, has a capacity of six beds and is the only other hospital in Breathitt County besides the Bach Memorial in Jackson. Until 1938-39 Highland had a resident physician whose place has now been taken by a registered nurse. The institution's infirmary serves the students, staff, and the surrounding community, and conducts a Mother and Baby Health Clinic.

In the furniture shop the boys receive training in various types of woodworking. Many of the things which they make are of practical value, such as hoghouses, gates, watering troughs, and chicken feeders. They also make bookshelves, magazine racks, and tool boxes. The shop turns out hand looms, bedroom and dining-room suites, coffee tables, nut bowls, plates, and other odds and ends for sale. This furniture, principally solid black walnut, is exhibited at the annual Harvest Festival at Quicksand and at other fairs during the year.

Students, by working a specific number of hours for their tuition and board, perform most of the varied work which most of them will follow. Some of them take care of the Holstein dairy herd, others take care of the poultry, hogs, and do other work on the farm. The practice-home for the girls is a seven-room building where the girls learn through experience every phase of the art of home-making. In this respect Highland is performing a much needed service towards better homes in the mountains. The cannery and laundry, housed together in a brick and tile building, and the saw- and gristmills also give Highland pupils opportunities to learn varied and efficient methods in these industries. The other buildings on the campus are of frame construction. These include a school building containing eight classrooms, a library, gymnasium, the principal's office, and a chapel.

Highland Institute offers the principal studies of elementary, junior and senior high schools with emphasis on practical training. In 1939-40 the total enrollment at Highland was 166; of these 63 were high school, 35 junior high, and 68 elementary students. Pupils come from Breathitt and near-by counties and from Virginia and Ohio. The Highlander, a school paper published here, has a circulation of 1,500.

The history of Highland is one of the chapters in the career of Dr. E. O. Guerrant. In May, 1907, after two visits to Puncheon Camp Creek, and in response to many requests, he located two teachers here. They took up their residence in a shack, and started a school under a sycamore that still stands on the Highland campus. On May 18, 1907, Dr. and Mrs. E. O. Guerrant and Judge William Beckner came to Puncheon Camp Creek, and with the assistance of Proctor Bill Little, Breck Herald, and others put up a large tent in which to preach the next day. Sunday morning, May 19, was a beautiful day. There was a large crowd by 9:00 A.M. when Dr. Guerrant preached a short sermon. Judge Beckner then spoke on the value of church education. They then took a subscription of $531 to build the college and a chapel. Dr. Guerrant added $500 for a Mr. Hughes and Mr. Brewer. Mr. Breck Herald gave four acres of his land, all the lumber for the college, coal, and $100.

The Used Clothing Department of Highland twice a week holds "sales" of the clothing sent to the institution. Farm produce, including vegetables of all kinds, chickens, eggs, and fruit is exchanged by people in this and neighboring communities for clothing of all kinds. Some of the Highland pupils do extra work for clothing which they receive from this department.

(From the book "In The Land Of Breathitt," published in 1941.)

Note: The following interesting material is taken from The Highlander, Volume 9, Number 1. It was published by Highland Institution for December of 1938. The paper had a circulation of well over 1,000.

HIGHLAND INSTITUTION -- A LIVING MONUMENT TO DR. EDWARD O. GUERRANT, D.D., M.D., 1838-1916

In the hills of Breathitt county, 15 miles from Jackson, where the Puncheon Camp Creek flows into the middle fork of the Kentucky River is located Highland Institution. This institution was founded in 1908 by Dr. E. O. Guerrant, later known among the mountain people as the "Old Doctor of the Hills."

From a day school, which had its beginning under a sycamore tree on the banks of the Puncheon Camp stream, it has grown into an institution with the following departments: school, infirmary, handicrafts, farm, and church.

We have enrolled in our school 118 boys and girls, about half of whom are in high school. The school has an "A" rating by the State Board of Education. From the first grade through the four years of high school, the Bible is taught to every student.

To teach these girls how to dress more attractively, to cook better meats and vegetables, and to bake better breads has always been the aim of the home economics teacher at Highland. Her classes were taught in the basement rooms, or wherever she could find room for that one stove, table, arid THE sewing machine! Today, endowed by the Auxiliary birthday fund, we have our home-making department, where the girls are given regular classes in cooking, done on a good stove, and sewing done on the SEVERAL sewing machines. In connection with this department we have our practice home, where six girls at a time are taken for a period of six weeks and given home training under the direct supervision of the Christian teacher of the home-making department.

If we will listen, we can always hear music of some kind at Highland, sometimes it is from the animal kingdom on the farm, but most of the time it is some of our boys and girls having a music lesson or practicing for some special program or music contests. Our Glee Club is taught to learn and appreciate good music and when it puts on an operetta, or gives us special music at Christmas and Easter time, we forget that they are the ones who sometimes entertain us by singing "Groun' Hog" or "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain When She Comes," or some other mountain "ballads."

Yes, that was one of our little boys in the home, who, after drinking a glass of milk the other day, said, "Well, there is only one fault I find with the cows, they add enough of everything when they make milk, except sugar." Can you tell me whether he is right or wrong? We do have some interesting children in our home department; some of them come from homes broken by the evils, which should not have been there, others are from homes broken by death.

Would you mind giving me enough of your time for me to tell you a true story, if I promise to make it short? Inside of a warm building one zero day in January, I looked out of my window and this was what I saw: a woman with four thinly clad small children making her way, through the worst snow storm of the season, to the door of our school.

Briefly, this is what she said: "My husband was killed several years ago, leaving me with six small children. I didn't want to give my children up and have my home broken, so I tried to keep them together. But life on a little mountain farm is a hard one, and when I was no longer able to keep the wolf from the door, I took my children to the factories in search of work. At the factories, I was told they could not employ me, because my eyes are almost blinded by trachoma. I've tried to find shelter, food, and clothing for my children so I could go to a hospital for free treatment, but no one has been able to help me. If you fail me, I don't know to whom I can go next." Fail her-we couldn't, so we took three of those children, though we realized our little boys were already crowded and we had no funds with which to care for these children. Could you have said no, and watched from the inside of a warm building, that mother with her children face a cold, and seemingly heartless world to follow the little path back over the hill to-they knew not where?

If we place an order with the handicrafts department at Highland, how long will it be before it is filled? Well, that depends, not only on whether or not we have seasoned wood of the right dimensions, and the amount of labor that goes into the making, but on how much rain "Mother Nature" has poured out upon the earth, and whether or not part of the mountainside between here and Jackson has decided to rest "by the side of the road and be a friend to man" (?) I passed by the wood shop yesterday morning and saw Mr. Combs really cooking wood. This wood is to be made into slats for camel-back and ladder-back chairs. The furniture is made mostly by hand from solid walnut and maple woods; we do make some furniture of cherry, but that is more expensive. If you are interested in seeing a Jenny Lind bed, a chest of drawers, or even a whole bedroom or dining room suite of furniture being made out of Breathitt county wood, we would invite you to visit our work shop. Sometimes the men there find buried in a piece of their wood one of those stray bullets, which used to be so bountiful in our section. However, a bullet didn't discourage the growth of that tree, and now it is made into a beautiful piece of furniture.

As we look at our little church standing in the middle of our campus. it is a constant reminder of the primary purpose of all Highland Institution that no boy or girl should pass our way non-Christian. Through our Sunday school, church services, young people of the church organizations, and mid-week prayer meetings, these boys and girls are taught the fundamentals of Christian living, and that the greatest gift to man is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Do you feel that the long rides of Dr. Guerrant through the hills of Kentucky years ago were worthwhile? Would you have liked to have had a part with him? It is not too late, the good he did lives today in the hearts of our mountain men, women, boys and girls. Highland is a living monument to him and other great leaders who have shared their lives with those who needed them. Like those followers of Christ, are we willing to share, and how much?

"OUR FARM"

Glendale College Club of Cincinnati has helped Highland in many ways. One is the 600- acre farm they have made possible for Highland to own. This farm is our pride and joy and we are trying to meet the challenge to build it up-as an example to our good Kentucky neighbors, for we live in a community of farms, among people who as tillers of the soil should be close to God and be taught to earn the most from their land.

We are fortunate to have as a farmer a man who lived near the state experiment station at Quicksand and often worked with them and was recommended by them to us. We are 17 miles from this station and the superintendent and other representatives of the station come to our campus and give us helpful aid.

Old Kate's name always brings back many memories to those who know her best, and she and Molly and Matt have long been faithful servants on our farm, but we need a tractor to help our competent farmer.

As we walk along the road leaving the campus we see on one side a small chicken house. In the spring we hope to build a modern poultry house and secure three or four hundred White Leghorn chicks so we can have eggs for breakfast NEXT winter.

Across from this chicken house we see the barn. We have only six cows-a small dairy to supply our dining room. We usually have milk with two of our meals each day, but we have no milk for our churn.

Many of our boys come from the farm and many go back to the farm. They should learn to work in a modern dairy, in a well planned poultry house, and on a well managed farm with the proper equipment and supervision.

Along with our dairy we need a silo, our present one is a pit silo, which we must use for it is the best we have. Much of our ensilage is unavoidably wasted. It is our hope that in the near future we can have an upright silo.

Last week our farmer butchered a hog. The temperature has been hovering around zero and that is fortunate for we do not have refrigeration. Only when the weather is cold can we properly take care of a large amount of meat. We hope to have adequate refrigeration when we get proper and adequate electrical power and we hope that day is not far away.

We have canned our vegetables in an open vat for several years. This vat will have to be replaced before we can do our canning another year. We are hoping we can replace this with modern canning equipment.

We hope to have more vegetables, meat, eggs, and milk produced on our farm to feed all the young men and women who are growing up on our campus, learning to lead a Christian and useful life. They need this food to have healthy bodies and minds. Our friends in the Glendale Club have given us a good basis to produce these things. Will YOU help us carry on.

Y.M. JACKSON HEADS STAFF

On June 1, Mr. and Mrs. York M. Jackson arrived on the Highland campus to take up the work laid down January, 1938, by Dr. and Mrs. Cary R. Blain.

Mr. Jackson comes to us from Buffalo, Mo., where he served as superintendent of city schools for two years.

Born on a farm in Missouri, Mr. Jackson remained there until he entered the eighth grade at the School of the Ozarks, Hollister, Mo., where he stayed five years. Here, in addition to the regular academic work, he received instruction and practical training in carpentry and other mechanical work.

Throughout his high school course he earned money for books, clothing, and other essentials and incidentals by working in the wheat harvest in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Mr. Jackson received his bachelor of science degree from Southwest State Teachers' College, Springfield, Mo., and his master's degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, Mo. His graduate work was done in school administration.

Previous to his work at Buffalo, he was superintendent of schools at Crane, Mo., where for four years he served as elder in the Presbyterian Church.

During his college career, he was closely affiliated with young people's work in the church, in the Sunday school, and in the Y. M. C. A. He has had 12 years' experience teaching young men in Sunday school.

Mrs. Jackson, who is teaching in the junior high school, was born in Higginsville, Mo., where she received her grammar and high school education. She graduated from Stephens College at Columbia, Mo., and received her bachelor of education degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. She has taught both grades and high school work in Missouri and California.

Mrs. Annie M. Nichols, R.N., comes to us from Baltimore, Md. She received her training at the Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore and did post-graduate work at John Hopkins. After her graduation Mrs. Nichols did institutional work at Franklin Square Hospital and John Hopkins. On a Merchant and Miners' boat where the average term of service for nurses is three months, she stayed a year. For two years Mrs. Nichols did institutional nursing at Dupont's rayon plant in Richmond, Va. She gave up this position to go home to be with her father in his declining years. Since his death last May, she is privileged to take up again her much loved work.

It is rather remarkable that after her husband's death Mrs. Nichols put her children in boarding school and took up the study of nursing.

Mrs. Armina Napier of Hazard, Ky., came in August to fill the laundry matron's place. She has had five years' experience in the Hazard laundry. Her two children, Patrick and Christine, have been in school here for four years.

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Frazier come to us from Quicksand, Ky., where Mr. Frazier had been connected with the University of Kentucky experiment station. He has always lived on a farm and now has charge of the farm at Highland.

In addition to these there are 12 other members of the staff whose term of service ranges anywhere from three to 23 years.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving morning at Highland dawned with our world blanketed in snow. The snow continued to fall until it was from eight to ten inches deep. Everyone was surprised and delighted. We were scheduled for the Thanksgiving service at 9:00 o'clock. The time came and everyone thought surely Mr. Bemiss, our pastor, could not get to us over 15 miles of mountain road, but again we were surprised. He came arid we had our service. Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Moore, former workers of Highland, now on the Stuart Robinson staff, came over on Wednesday to be with us with their jolly year-old son, Tommy Churchill. We had lunch at noon and about 4:30 o'clock we had our dinner. The dietitian and cooks had done their best, and some of the children say it was the best Thanksgiving dinner they ever ate.

It was a happy day for all of us and we felt thankful for all God's goodness to us in food, health, clothing, and comfortable home, church, and school, but above all His marvelous love as expressed in Christ.

THE PURPOSE OF HIGHLAND

Highland has many purposes, but its primary purpose is to educate. The term education at Highland means learning to grow physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. There are several fields of study which may be pursued at Highland, such as agriculture, home economics, music, public speaking, folk games, etc., but the subject which is put first and studied most is the Bible. Highland believes that through purposeful study of the Bible and earnest prayer the boys and girls of Highland will become better citizens of tomorrow and their lives will count for more in the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Why I Attend Highland

I attend Highland because it offers educational, social, and spiritual privileges.

Highland is a splendid mountain school of whose student body I am happy to be a member. Highland is an A-grade school which offers a full course of study. Among the extra-curricular activities are: literary society, 4-H club, glee club, and public speaking. In these each girl and boy gets practice in appearing before an audience, which will enable him or her to do better work in the world. In 4-H club each one has a splendid opportunity to learn to make good use of his time, and to "make the best better." Four-H club work requires a great deal of time and effort, but the benefit received and the good times a member has in 4-H club work more than pays for the work required. My home economics course has helped me more in 4-H club than anyone can guess. I have learned to cook, sew, mend, darn, can, and do a thousand odd jobs that go to make life happy. I throughly enjoy 4-H club and feel that I have gotten more from it than I can ever give back. Four-H club develops personality, makes one want to live up to high ideals and make everyone in the world happy.

In literary society there are many points to gain. If you are an officer the practice helps you more than you can realize. The parts on the program are interesting and helpful. They give information that is not received in the other courses. The co-operation of the sponsors and students make this helpful organization possible.

Highland has an unusually good glee club director and everyone thinks it's because of her that the glee club is such a success. She teaches much in glee club that is worthwhile and many events are enhanced by the music furnished by this group. Any student in high school may belong to the glee club.

Public speaking is given without extra charge and is very worthwhile. The person with the poorest sort of voice can at least improve it. Until recently I was always frightened when I spoke before an audience, but now I have learned to control that feeling and also my voice. I feel that Highland offers this because training of this sort is such an important part of anyone's education today.

The course in folk-games is beneficial also. I enjoy the games to the fullest extent. To use one 5 brain as well as one's body is a difficult thing for some to do, but folk games develop this habit to such an extent that it becomes natural.

Each day is a day of happiness at Highland. Hours pass away rapidly because the students seem to enjoy every minute. The boys and girls here represent homes of different types and are from different counties and states, but that doesn't matter, for everyone is friendly and these differences are not noticed. Friends become so near and dear that they seem almost like sisters and brothers.

The teachers are good examples of Christian living that will do for anyone to model his life by. They represent the best Christian ideals and always give the student the highest and best attitude toward life. They bear no grudges and are impartial in all their dealings with the students. One student is given as much help as another and extra help is given anybody at any time that it is sought. To do your best is always stressed. Work while you work. .. play while you play, is another rule we follow here. At Highland the students are taught to be courteous, kind, and thoughtful.

To use time wisely is a difficult problem for many of the human family. Time is the only thing God gives us free, without work, so we may use it wisely or unwisely. Whatever way we use it will influence the world, but if one has attended Highland and learned to use time wisely, the citizen he becomes will be a better one than many students make because he has learned the value of time.

Spirituality is taught at Highland by both precept and examples. The Bible course, the daily chapel exercises, the Sunday school, the church, and young people's organizations all give experience in working in the Kingdom. We can each make our love shine. The lessons in Bible each day give more knowledge to give to the world. The teachers of Bible are sincere Christians and help us with any problems that may arise, give us advice and try to get us to live for Jesus. How much we can profit by these if we only listen! So many schools do not offer Bible but I feel that Bible is a course worth taking and that anyone can be helped by its influence.

Everyone who wishes to live better can find help at Highland because the daily life and work of those on the campus will lead you to a higher and better life.-Naomi Gabbard, a Junior.

THE HIGHLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

The Highland church is on the campus of Highland Institution. Dr. Blain served as pastor as long as he served as superintendent of the institution, which was ten years. His moving to Levi, Ky., left us without a pastor. This fall the church called the Rev. J. M. Berniss of Jackson, Ky., adding this church to his work at Jackson. Mr. Bemiss preaches at 9:00 o'clock at Highland, and goes back to Jackson for his 11 :00 o'clock service there. When the road is impassable, Rev. H. N. Etheridge, a local preacher, fills the pulpit. After church services we have our Sunday school. Miss Mabel Hall, director of religious education, has charge of the Sunday school, which has three departments: primary, junior, and adult, each with its own director and corps of teachers. There are two outpost Sunday schools conducted by the church: Puncheon Camp, conducted in one of the homes on Puncheon Camp Creek; and the Turkey Creek Sunday school, conducted in the Turkey Creek school house.

On Sunday evening, the young people of the church hold their meeting and in using the Kingdom Highway programs have had some interesting programs. They have been well prepared and well delivered. These young people are just now working at getting some better hymn books for their meetings.

The junior boys and girls are organized into the Pioneer Group and meet each Sunday evening with well planned programs. They have as their project the plan to help a child in Africa go to school. They bring their pennies each meeting and drop them into an improvised bank-a peanut butter glass with a slit in the top.

The Women's Auxiliary hold their regular meetings. They have recently held an all day meeting for the purpose of discussing the Home Mission book, "City Shadows." The book had been passed around and read previous to this meeting.

At a congregational meeting recently held for the purpose of electing officers to fill the vacancies made by graduation of our junior deacons, Mr. Jackson, our superintendent, was elected to the Eldership. Seaber Callahan of the senior class, and Isom Terry of the junior class, were elected to the Deaconic. These officers have been installed. Mr. Jackson had been ordained elder in his home church. The young men were ordained.

During this school year four of our girls came into the church by baptism, one of our Seniors and three Freshmen. Mr. Bemiss comes on Tuesday and visits in the community. He holds the prayer meeting service on Tuesday evening.

The Auxiliary gave the pastor a Thanksgiving "pounding' except there was in the pounding a quilt and a blanket woven from the wool sheared from the sheep on the donor's farm.

The last report showed quite a number of visits made by the pastor and members of the Highland staff.