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Mr. James Webb stands beside his
beloved Long Rock School.
By Ernie Smothers
smothers@mckenziebanner.com |
First impressions are often quite revealing. Observing
James Webb stretch to measure steel sections while
standing ten feet above his shop floor on scaffolding,
one couldn’t help but be impressed. More impressive
still was witnessing the spry 78-year-old stoop, turn,
and quickly dismount the structure. Introducing himself,
Webb’s enthusiasm and zest for life was instantly
evident and contagious.
Born on December 7, 1928, the same year of the United
States stock market crash and onset of the great
depression, Webb’s “can-do” demeanor reflects back to an
era when hard work was not feared but embraced as a
literal means of survival.
Roots
Stepping from his shop and surveying his property in the
mid-afternoon sunshine, Webb smiled and said, “I’ve
lived here most of my life. This land is home to me.”
He noted that in 1934, at the age of six, his family
moved from Benton County to the Long Rock community
located near highway 77 (Browning Highway) to reside in
the home of his grandparents, Alvin and Rinda Cole.
Located a short distance from the residence stood Long
Rock School, a one-room brick building that taught
children grades one through eight, and Long Rock
Methodist Church.
“At the time, my daddy, a disabled WWI veteran, was
drawing a government check of $18 a month. He died the
next year, on Christmas day in 1935.”
He noted that his mother had also died in the same home
51 years later, on New Year’s Day in 1986.
School Days
Webb stated that he had attended Long Rock School from
first through eight grades and that his teacher at the
time of his graduation in 1943 was Irene Parrott.
He laughed, “I always tell folks that I graduated at the
head of my class. There were only three of us in my
class during my eight grade year-Glenn Byars, Mildred
Arnold and me.
He recalled, “During revival at Long Rock Methodist
Church, they always turned school out. The students
would line up single file and the teacher would walk us
over there. I remember Mrs. Clara Harrington was my
teacher during those times.”
In winter months, James noted that his teacher would pay
him a small amount each day to bring in firewood to
place inside the pot-bellied stove to heat the room.
After graduation from Long Rock, Webb began his freshman
year of high school at Huntingdon. He said, “I wasn’t a
city boy, and back then I only went into town once or
twice a year. I went to school at Huntingdon for about
two months and quit.”
After Long Rock School was closed in the mid-1950s after
60 years of being utilized to teach the youth of the
community, the building was purchased by Webb’s uncle
Lester and aunt Maggie Cole for $99. He stated that the
couple renovated the interior of the former school
building and lived there for a while.
Long Rock School
Restoring a Dream
Webb stated that when he originally purchased the 5,200
square foot tract of land the school stands upon on June
24, 2004, the building could not be seen from the road
due to the plat being completely covered by a dense
growth of trees and vegetation.
He noted that clearing the land of trees and trash was a
monumental undertaking.
He estimated that he and friend and former classmate Leo
Britt hauled away in excess of 30 dump truck loads of
garbage, debris and over 200 old tires from the site.
“There were mounds of garbage back behind the school
building, and it was an awful mess. We spent a lot of
time just cleaning the area up. You just wouldn’t
believe the amount of debris that was there,” he said.
Webb stated that he initially gutted the structure from
ceiling to ground level in order to properly restore the
building’s interior.
He added, “I tore out all the flooring and dug down deep
enough to provide at least 18 inches of clearance from
the ground level up to the flooring joists. I cut an
access hole in the wall near ground level at the back of
the building and laid plastic down under the building to
serve as a moisture barrier against mildew or rot.” Webb
noted that prior to restoration; the building had only
12 inches of ground clearance beneath it, with some
areas being even closer to the ground.
Webb stated that prior to placing the new floor joists,
he installed rows of substantial and sturdy block piers
to rest the foundation on. He said, “The flooring is
also nailed to the surrounding walls, which greatly
improves the structures overall stability. Before, the
outer edges of the floor sat on block but were not tied
into the walls. They are now.”
Webb stated that he was not sure how much money he had
spent clearing the site and restoring the building. He
laughed, “Honestly, I probably don’t want to know. A lot
of folks might view my efforts to restore the old school
house as a waste of time and money. I guess it all comes
down to what something means to someone. I’ve lived in
this area most of my life and all of the education I
ever received was taught to me inside those school
walls. A lot of memories were made at that place…it’s
special to me. Doing this has been a labor of love.”
He added, “It is my belief that the Long Rock School was
the only one-room brick school building in the county. I
haven’t heard of any other ones.”
Webb noted that Jake Yoder had installed the building’s
new metal roofing and Jim Holt had helped with the brick
work.
Educational Intentions
Webb stated that he did not want to open the school
house up to community activities, meetings or dances.
He said, “My true intent is to go to the Carroll County
Board of Education and work with them in securing copies
of as many photos of former Long Rock School teachers as
possible. I would like to place their photos on the wall
for display along with securing some vintage-era
two-seat desks like we sat in during school. I also want
to incorporate a teacher’s desk in order to make the
room look like it did when classes were being taught
here. That is my true intention-to restore a part of the
past.” He added, “My intention is to never sell it. I
just want it to remain like it was intentionally built
long ago.”
Exposed section of “Long Rock.”
Shop of Dreams
Walking from the school building into Webb’s 30-by-40
foot square foot shop, one becomes immediately aware of
the vast number of work projects lying about, most in
varying states of completion. Webb is a tinkerer of the
highest order, perpetually enamored in the inner
workings of countless mechanical apparatus.
Smiling, he said, “A person can usually find me here
inside the shop each morning around 6 to 6:30 a.m. I
like to work and stay busy.”
“I’ve done about everything in my life-carpentry,
electrical, metal, plumbing. Basically, I guess I am
just of a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. I
usually have something going on all the time.”
Staring at an old tractor, he noted, “I was never
interested in horses. I was always fascinated with how
mechanical things worked. People often ask me why I try
to repair all the features and functions of machines.
They’ll say, “You don’t even have to have that part of
the machine to work to have it perform what you want it
to. Why bother with it?” He laughed, “I always want the
entire machine to work like it was intended to. That’s
just how I am. When it comes to machinery and equipment,
I want it to work completely, just like when it was
originally built.”
Looking at a pair of antique shaping tools, he said, “It
is amazing to me the quality of furniture craftsman were
able to create back then using basic, simple tools. That
goes to show what can be done if a person has skill and
imagination.”
He said, “I’ve never let not knowing how to do something
stop me from trying. I learned how to make the
replacement windows in the school by using cutting and
planing tools. I even converted an old dentist’s chair
that my son was going to throw away into a moveable desk
to glaze windows. It comes in handy.”
Webb stated that he constantly looks for new projects to
work on. Smiling, he noted, “I figure it this way… for
me to be able to fix everything that I want to fix, I’ll
have to live to be at least 150 years-old. That is the
key. Always have something to do. I’m not one of these
people who sit around and watch television all day long.
I like to get out and do-always have been that way,
too.”
Generations
Regarding the current generation of kids in America,
Webb stated, “I get so tired of hearing people talk
about kids being so bad. Truthfully, the responsibility
for how a child acts falls squarely on the shoulders of
the parents. Kids should not have to try to raise
themselves.” He continued, “One thing that is for
certain is that you have to gain a child’s respect. I
have never believed in beating a child, but I believe
that if you spare the rod you will spoil the child. If
your son or daughter doesn’t have respect for you, they
will never listen to you. But, if they respect you and
will listen to you, you can talk things through.”
A Continuing Legacy
Webb noted his pleasure in having his daughter Gail and
son-in-law Steve, owners of West and West Law Firm in
McKenzie and Huntingdon, as his next door neighbors.
He said, “I could have sold the land they built their
home on and made a profit of it, but it has meant far
more to me to have them live here so close to my wife
and me.” He continued, “I could not ask for a better
son-in-law than Steve. He does for me just the same as
he did for his parents. We have been blessed.”
Laughing, he added, “Steve and Gail sure do keep a check
on me and my wife. They always want to know where I’m at
or where I’m going.”
He added with a smile, “Their children think that their
granddaddy can build just about anything. It touches my
heart to know my granddaughters think of me like that.”
James, along with wife Bonnie, are the proud parents of
three children, Gail, an attorney, Randy, retired from
Norandal and resident of McKenzie, and Billy, a dentist,
who resides in Trezevant. The Webb’s have been married
for 57 years.
Perseverance and Pride
As the conversation concluded, Webb said, “The one thing
I really want to say to parents is that they never need
to sell their children’s dreams and aspirations short.
If your child comes to you someday and tells you they
want to be a doctor, teacher or whatever, stand behind
them. Don’t worry about whether you can afford it or how
it can be done. There are all kinds of grants and
scholarships available. Always encourage your children
and believe in them. Things will work out fine.”
He added, “When Gail decided to go to college, she
attended Murray State and planned to get a degree in
accounting. A few years into her studies, she told her
mother that she was thinking of changing her major. I
asked her later why she was thinking of doing something
else, and she told me-daddy, accounting is just too
hard. I thought about it a while and then told her that
I wanted her to finish her degree in accounting. I told
her that just because something was difficult was not a
sufficient reason not to do it. She went back to school
and got her degree in accounting before continuing on
and attaining her law degree.” He concluded, “I don’t
believe in quitting anything because it’s hard to do or
difficult. The only way to do anything in this life is
to do it the right way. Take pride in your efforts and
your work- It’s something we all need to do.”
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