It is every interesting how the first public school in Bentonville came to be.  After the Civil War  the population and wealth in Bentonville increase and it was decided it was time to build a public school. But some contention arose over the location  of the school. A good generous mam, James W. Clarke, offered to donate several acres in a beautiful grove on the west part of town. Mr. Josiah Claypool a merchant, was equally generous and offered a few acres in a nice grove east of the main part of town. The people on the west side of town desired its location on the Clark site., while the people living in the east part of town desired the location of the Claypool site, and in order to decide the location it was mutually agreed that each subscriber should be entitled to one vote for each dollar subscribed for the location. When the time came to decide the location, subscribers met in a room when Dr. C. D. Taliafero was called as the chair and F. T. Reynolds and S. W. Peel selected as clerks to add up the votes cast. The contest became quite spirited ; many raising their subscriptions but when all the voting was over it was decided that the Clark location had won. When all was done there were no hard feeling and everyone paid their subscription. The town prepared to build its first public school    The first public non-subscription school in Bentonville was located just south of the corner of S. W. 4th St. and S. W. E St. The building sat in the middle of where Southwest E Street runs today. At the time is was built in 1870, the building sat in the middle of two blocks.  It was a two story building containing seven class rooms, a hallway and cloak rooms. The building housed all grades of students in one public school building. It burned down in 1877 or 1878. After the school burned, classes were held in private homes or churches until it could be replaced. In 1881, the school was rebuilt at a cost of $10,000. It was used for five of six years but was then torn down. The north part of the grade school was then built in 1888, and by that time had an enrollment of 326 students.

                 1913-14  Manual for Bentonville Public Schools