Lillian Moore, interviewer: Virginia, when and where were you born?
Virginia Barnhill: I was born on October 27, 1915 in Sayers, Texas, which is a few miles east of Boldtville. The house where I lived as a child is now underwater at Calaveras Lake as of 1968. The house was built in 1847 on land that had been in the family since the 1880s.

LM: Did you ever live in Boldtville?
VB: No, but my husband, Ed Barnhill, grew up in Boldtville.

LM: What are the geographical boundaries for the community of Boldtville?
VB: There are no boundaries that I know of, but the East Central Independent School District covers 264 square miles. The old Goebel School was the northeast boundary.

LM: Before the Boldtville School was built in 1919, students attended the Calaveras School. Where was it located?
VB: It was located a few miles away on Lodi Road. It was torn down after the new school was built.

LM: Did you attend school here at Boldtville?
VB: No, I attended school at Sayers.

LM: Did you ever teach school here at Boldtville?
VB: Yes, I taught here from 1946-1947. Then I went and taught in the Harlandale School District for two times for a total of 11 years, and then the San Antonio Independent School District for 26 years. In all, I taught for a total of 41 years.

LM: The Boldtville School was a two-room schoolhouse. I read somewhere that another classroom was built on this land. Where was it located, and what happened to it?
VB: That is where I taught grades 5, 6, 8 and nine. The building was moved to the land where the high school is located, east of here.

LM: Did Boldtville operate as a school continuously from 1919 to 1960?
Did it ever close for any period of time, such as during WWII?
VB: No, it never closed. Only for bad weather.

LM: I see where the museum was awarded the San Antonio Conservation Society Building Preservation Citation. Where is it located?
VB: It is outside on the wall. We also have a State historical marker.

LM: The museum received a mini grant from the Texas Committee for the Humanities. How much did it receive and how was it used?
VB: To start the museum, we received $2,000, and the money was used for supplies to get the museum contents documented and recorded.

LM: Did the school flood during the big flood in September, 1946?
VB: No, the school didn’t flood. But, when I came back to school after the waters had receded enough, I found that my classroom had been used to store two drowning victims on cots. I could see the muddy leg prints of the cots. Mrs. Dolly Blandford Duke and her 21-year old son had been trapped in the flood waters and were holding onto a pole when Dolly’s son was swept away. Dolly let go and went after him. Their bodies were recovered after the water receded.

LM: Did you ever attend church across the street at Boldtville Presbyterian Church?
VB: No, I was raised a Methodist, but my husband was a Presbyterian. We attended Highland Park Presbyterian Church where I taught Sunday School.

LM: Do you remember any serious crimes that happened in this area?
VB: Mrs. Ruby Avery was beaten during a robbery at Avery’s General Store. That’s probably the worst thing that ever happened.

LM: Do you remember any racial events that happened here?
VB: Yes. Due to the Supreme Court ruling in 1954, schools were forced to integrate. Mrs. Lulu Bell McIntyre, a black teacher at Rock Springs School, was forced to go teach in a white school where she was not welcomed. She was forced to quit. The black students from Rock Springs were bused to the white schools and the Rock Springs School was closed.

LM: Whose idea was it the restore the old Boldtville School and turn it into a museum?
VB: The museum started in 1982. Mary Lee (Blandford) Toothman decided to have a Boldtville Reunion at Mesquite Hall and invited former teachers and students. Everyone was asked to bring pictures to show and to share stories of the old days. Jackie Christenson gathered these items and published them in the School Bell Times. Then the group started collecting more things. We formed a group to start an historical association and met two times at John Glenn Elementary School. People took their old pictures and stories. We brought these items to the newly renovated school and put them in boxes and folders. We had many donations made in the memory of people who went to school here at Boldtville or at the other rural schools around here. We held a fundraiser at Christmas, 1984, and brought in over $1,100. Also, in December, 1984, the official East Central Historical Group started. The grand opening of the museum was in January, 1986, and it was the first official event of the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration.

LM: How is the group funded today?
VB: We rely on donations of money and historical artifacts from the community. We were also recently visited by a delegation from the Northside Independent School District. They came to see our museum, and may use Boldtville as a model for their own museum.

LM: Virginia, do you have anything else to share about this area?
VB: Well, the father of our County Commissioner, Tommy Adkisson, was the first principal at East Central High School. Also, many of the members of our founding families, including the Boldts, Blandfords, Dukes, Ueckers and Champagnes, are buried at the Cover Cemetery a few miles east of here.

LM: Virginia, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate the time you spent with me here at the museum today.
VB: You’re welcome.