{"product_id":"vanishing-schools-of-franklin-county-a-history-of-public-education-in-rural-virginia-paperback","title":"Vanishing Schools of Franklin County: A History of Public Education in Rural Virginia - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eWilliam B. Gibson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eAbraham H. Gibson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn in-depth history that assesses the price of progress and the legacy of lost rural American communities\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNestled among the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia, Franklin County is the undisputed \"Moonshine Capital of the World.\" But Franklin County was not as lawless as its reputation would suggest. In addition to making moonshine, the citizens of Franklin County also made a monumental effort to educate their children. In the early twentieth century, Franklin County had more schools than any other locality in the state, per capita. Today, they have all but vanished.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost of these schools were simple one-room buildings located in abandoned fields. Their foundations were built with local stones, and their walls were built with local timber. Most did not have electricity, running water, or indoor bathrooms. These schools were once vital to life in Franklin County. In this book, a father and son with deep roots in the community set out to recover the history of these long-forgotten schools. They have combed through the archives and trekked through the woods in their efforts to identify, map, and photograph every single school in the historical record. Along the way, they have learned valuable lessons that extend well beyond the Appalachian foothills and into the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam B. Gibson\u003c\/b\u003e is the retired Principal of Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount, Virginia, and the author of \u003ci\u003eA History of Franklin County High School\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cb\u003eAbraham H. Gibson\u003c\/b\u003e is Associate Professor of History at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the author of \u003ci\u003eFeral Animals in the American South: An Evolutionary History\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 174\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.4 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 22, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46314998726700,"sku":"9780813955681","price":38.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/6260\/8940\/files\/61II7anVjZ9780813955681.webp?v=1790790698","url":"https:\/\/littleredgeneralstore.com\/products\/vanishing-schools-of-franklin-county-a-history-of-public-education-in-rural-virginia-paperback","provider":"Little Red General Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}