History of HES

Huddleston's name came from Henry Huttleston Rogers, who financed building the Virginia Railway from Deepwater, West Virginia to Norfolk, Virginia.

The story of the school(s) of Huddleston is an incomplete story. It is a story that began in the 1920's with a group of citizens who realized the need for a high school for the young men and women of Huddleston and surrounding county.

After many conferences between the patrons and the school board, it was found that the county was able to bear only half of the estimated $15,000 needed to finance the new building, according to the requirements for accredited high school work. Not to be daunted, this group began to work and after time the necessary $7,500 was raised, leaving nothing in the way of their goal.

By the spring of 1925, the architect's plan for six classrooms, library, and laboratory were completed and work was begun. The part of the building to be used for the high school classes was ready for the opening of the 1925-26 school term. The entire building was completed later the same year.

The consolidation of Leftwich and Horeb Schools marked the way for the consolidation of other schools with Huddleston. These schools were Glenwood, Brown, Cross Roads, Dunde, Ephesus, Ferrell, White Rock, South Bedford, Wade, Stone Road, Shepherd, Orrix, Mentow, Oakvale, Mountain Gape, Mount Pleasant Academy, Hill Crest, Fairview and Patmos. It was necessary for the program of building to be expanded with this increasing enrollment. In 1937, a new auditorium-gymnasium with a seating capacity of 500 was built.

In 1963, with the completion of Staunton River High School, the school of Huddleston became solely an elementary school. It served children in grades 1 through 7 only. Kindergarten classes were started with the 1974 school year.

The 1967-68 school term saw the completion of a new elementary school for the children of Huddleston. Built on the original site, all that remains of the original school are two classrooms, the vocational- agricultural building and the auditorium-gymnasium. The new facility houses ten modern classrooms, an office suite, a library and storage rooms, and a modern cafeteria-kitchen. The agriculture building was remodeled and used as a kindergarten facility from 1974-1982. For the school year 1987-88, the kindergarten facility was reopened to rehouse classes once again. Students attending during the 1997-98 school term had the use of the new gymnasium.

The school of Huddleston has undergone much change but the philosophy of education at Huddleston remains unchanged - that is, the fullest realization of the possibilities of the individual, not only for each student's own personal welfare, but also for their adaptation and contribution to an everchanging society. Now it houses grades PK-5.