Clarksburg C-2 School District is located
primarily in Moniteau county, but also covers a portion of
Cooper county in central Missouri. The area is primarily
farm land, and the principal crops grown are soy beans and
corn. Cattle, horses, hogs, and turkeys are also raised. The
town of Clarksburg was once a thriving railroad town and
educational center, but the changing economy and relocation
of the highway brought about a steep decline. The town
population is now about 385.
Clarksburg C-2 School plays an important
role in the community. It provides activities and
cohesiveness to the community. The fact that the school has
retained its identity is due to the citizens' desire and
effort to keep the school in the community. During the 1940s
several plans for reorganization of Moniteau County schools
were formulated by the state. Clarksburg citizens feared
that they would lose local control and possibly lose their
school entirely, so they initiated petitions for
consolidation of districts surrounding the town prior to the
special reorganization election called for by the state. On
May 28, 1949, voters of Clarksburg School District and ten
neighboring three-director districts approved the formation
of Consolidated School District No. 2 of Moniteau County.
(Clarksburg C-2 means that it is a consolidated district
rather than a reorganized district which would be R-#) The
patrons of the district had shown their desire to determine
the destiny of the local district. Despite predictions that
that the district would not last 5 years, the district has
in fact remained strong and made many improvements. However,
the high school was discontinued in 1955, and the district
has been an elementary one since.
Town and School History
The history of Clarksburg schools goes
back many years. The first school in Moniteau County was
established near Clarksburg in 1825. The Reverend David
Allee, a Baptist minister erected the log cabin school and
conducted the school mostly at his own expense until 1831.
When Moniteau County was officially created in 1845, sixteen
township school districts were established including
Township 45, Range 16 in the vicinity of Clarksburg. County
histories show funds being regularly distributed to the
district and notations through the years from County School
Commissioners finding the "teacher well qualified and
endeavoring to impart instruction."
Private schools and academics played a
part in Clarksburg's history. According to the Moniteau
County Schools History by Larry Fletcher, from 1878 to 1912,
Clarksburg was known throughout Missouri for its superior
and enterprising schools. Hooper Institute and Clarksburg
College were private colleges which experienced peaks and
valleys during their years of existence, but during the
1890-91 school year, Hooper Institute was recognized by the
State University of Missouri at Columbia as an approved
school which permitted Hooper graduates to enter the
University without examination. After Professor Hooper's
untimely death, Hooper Institute gradually merged with
Clarksburg College, and Clarksburg College was purchased by
the Baptist Association and became known as Clarksburg
Baptist College. It was closed in 1912, and the public high
school moved into the building. Although fire destroyed the
Hooper Institute and Clarksburg College buildings, these
institutions are fondly remembered, and every June
Clarksburg residents celebrate Hooper Days in honor of
Professor Hooper who had a dream of making Clarksburg the
Athens of Moniteau County.
The present school building was
built in 1928. The picture below is one of the earliest
surviving pictures.
