History Of The Schoolhouse

In the early part of the twentieth century, mountain mission schools proved to be a vital force in the progressive life of the Presbyterian Church in Virginia. Over seventy percent of the people were living in rural areas; many of them shut off from schools and churches. The mountain mission schools were the very best way to reach the people of these areas and their work proved invaluable. As the Rev. R. Gamble See stated, "Each school is doing all that the public schools do and more. Each one is a community center, a religious lighthouse and a regular preaching point."

The Buffalo Mountain Mission School was completed in 1923 and was a tremendous success from the very beginning. Although it was the youngest of the schools, its enrollment soon grew to be the largest. In addition to the regular day school, a night school was established for a number of young men who could not attend during the day.

The need at Buffalo Mountain was great. A report of the Home Missions Committee in April of 1926 contained the following: "There are at least two hundred children of school age within easy radius, and there is not an evangelical church of any description within six miles of the school building. Unusually successful work has been done at the school. We have felt keenly the need of a resident pastor at Buffalo; for Rev. See, tireless and devoted as he is has far too wide a territory to cover. Previous efforts have been made to secure a pastor, but came to naught. Recently there came to the Superintendent an opportunity to secure a man peculiarly fitted by training and experience for work in the mountains, Mr. R.W. Childress, who is just completing his course at Union Theological Seminary. The opportunity seemed too providential to be lost."

Later that year, Bob Childress and his family moved to the Buffalo Mountain area. As the new pastor walked around the schoolhouse for the first time, he felt his spirits soar. "This is where we’ll start," he said. Thus the Buffalo Mountain School became the springboard from which the fruitful ministry of Bob Childress, "The Man Who Moved A Mountain," was launched.