Documenting the evolution of the public school system in central West Virginia, this book examines the history of Webster Springs High School, a small rural school. The social and economic history of West Virginia mountain people emerges as the history of this school is traced from its inception in 1910 through consolidation (Webster County High School) in 1972 to the present (1975). With emphasis on the founding years, the development of this institution is presented to facilitate understand of priorities involved in errecting high schools, community attitudes and aspirations, industrial growth, highway improvements, influences of war and peace, political maneuvers, and a variety of other factors that comprise the history of a region. Documentation includes the patterns of State and National trends in educational theory, consolidation, graduation, taxation, and the attitudes of youth as educational opportunities became increasingly abundant. Relying heavily upon events recorded in the Webster Echo and the Webster Republican newspapers, the book also derives material from the West Virginia Collection in the Library of West Virginia University, the Department of Archives and History in Charleston, and personal interviews and experiences. (JC)