There’s no denying that Arkansans from the early 1900s had a completely different lifestyle than we do today. Part of that may have something to do with walking uphill both ways to go to school. Let’s take a scroll through history to see what school life was like for these young Arkansans.

1. The Arkansas schools of the 1900s were a mix of styles.
Facebook/UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture
Some had the classic schoolhouse look like this one in Rison.
2. Some had multiple uses.
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Like the school and community building in Lakeview.
3. Others broke from the standard one-story pretty early on in the century.
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Here's a two-story schoolhouse at Vilonia in 1904.
4. Some of the schools remind us how different the times were.
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This one's the Grady Colored School in the 1930s.
5. But others just look like a school you may see today.
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Like the Gravette High School in 1910.
6. The buildings may look timeless but the transportation may be a giveaway.
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Carpooling was a bit different at the Rector High School back in 1931.
7. Peeping into these old places also reminds us how different student life was back then.
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Here's the inside of the Hulsey Bend School around Oil Trough.

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8. It's safe to say the class sizes were a little smaller.
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Here's the whole student body at the public school in Lowell.
9. Students still had fun during the holidays.
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Here's some Halloween dress up at the Lightcap School in the 1950s.
10. Some of the standards may have altered over time...
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These senior girls are making their graduation clothes for the Fort Smith High School 1914 commencement. The board has instructions reading, "Test for length; lay all the pattern on; cut; trace seams and cut notches; baste matching notches and tracings; stitch; take filled seams—turn toward front; [obstructed] neck and sleeves; [obstructed] around the bottom."
11. ...but students still have the same knack for shenanigans.
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Like the students at the Jacksonville schoolhouse in 1900.
12. What was then state of the art additions, are now historic campus buildings.
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Here's Carnall Hall at the University of Arkansas. Constructed in 1906, it's the second-oldest building on campus.
13. The diversity of students has certainly changed over time.
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Here's a class at what is now the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock in 1908.
14. No matter the time period, we can still take pride in our Arkansas schools.
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This 1902 flag raising is over the Campus of Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia.

Which photo was your favorite? Did you attend one of these schools? Share with us in the comments below!

For another history lesson, learn about Arkansas’ other diamond mine. Or, for more neat photos, check out what Arkansas life looked like in 1935.

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