Council in Buchanan County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Buchanan Mission School
1910 - 1931
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In memory of:
John 15:13,
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Erected by former teachers and students.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures.
Location. 37° 4.733′ N, 82° 4.134′ W. Marker is in Council, Virginia, in Buchanan County. It is at the intersection of Council Mountain Road and Ball Branch Road (Virginia Route 80), on the right when traveling north on Council Mountain Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4033 Council Mountain Rd, Rowe VA 24646, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Helen Timmons Henderson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Buchanan County / Russell County (approx. 2½ miles away); The Home and Grave of David Musick (approx. 4½ miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 6.8 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 6.8 miles away); Elk Garden Fort (approx. 11.4 miles away); Buchanan County / Tazewell County (approx. 11.8 miles away); Charlie Fields (approx. 11.9 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. The Buchanan Mission School and Helen Timmons Henderson. Article by Bonnie Ball
The one factor responsible for the tardy development in the county was the great lack of educational facilities. The raw material was there and the great progress made in education during the last half century is ample proof that this material was rich and(Submitted on July 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)ripe for harvest. A few schools in dilapidated vacant houses, or rude schoolhouses, were taught for about five months of each year by poorly paid teachers....
Some time prior to 1900 a Missionary Baptist Church was organized near Council, at Hale's Schoolhouse.
In May, 1906 the Baptist State Mission Board of Virginia sent the Rev. Walter A. Hash, of Grayson County, Virginia, into the community, but the work did not prosper. Rev. Hash was convinced that the solution lay in schools and education. The Virginia Women's Union gave the initial sum of $2000 to begin the erection of the first building.
According to the manuscript of Mrs. Grace Mays Hale, Reverend Hash, Mr. J. M. McFarland, and Lazarus Hale were the first to break ground and start the building of the Buchanan Mission School at Council.
The school opened on January 16, 1911, with two teachers: Mrs. J. W. Reams, and a Miss Yates. The first session had an enrollment of 72 day students. No dormitories had yet been built. (Mrs. Reams was Martha Ford Reams, the wife of a Baptist minister of Southhampton County, Virginia).
The mission board began seeking for a qualified person to assume charge of the new school. They heard of Professor Henderson's fine work at Franklin, Virginia, and his wife's ability and interest in mission work. So they offered the job to the Hendersons.
Helen Timmons Henderson was born May 21, 1877, in Cass County, Missouri, a daughter of George S. Timmons and Martha Welby Rhoten, who were temporarily living in Missouri, but who returned soon afterward to their home in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
...[B]ringing the opportunity for education to those thirsty for learning was the crowning effort in the life work of the Hendersons. The Buchanan Mission began its first session under the guidance of the Hendersons in August, 1911, with an enrollment of 105 pupils. At that time the plant consisted of a two-story school house, and a three-story dormitory. Since that time there has been erected from native sandstone, a schoolhouse and dormitory. Practically every cent of the many thousands cost came from people far away from Council.
Some students boarded at the school dormitory; some stayed with relatives living in the area; others rode horseback, or walked many miles over rough trails, and through deep mud. They needed no compulsory school laws, but came with a determined purpose to learn. Buchanan Mission School turned out into the busy world scores of students equipped to lead useful lives, and to help their neighbors.
2. Council Elementary/Middle School History.
ne of the early educational establishments was the Baptist Mission School of Council. Reverend Walter A. Hash, sent by the Baptist Mission Board to organize churches at Council in 1906, was the originator of the idea for a school.(Submitted on July 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
In August 1911, Professor Robert A. Henderson, his wife, Helen, and children arrived to take charge of the new school. Under their leadership a two-room, wooden-frame school opened on January 16, 1911 with an enrollment of one hundred and five (105) students. At that time two additional buildings had been erected from native sandstone: a school classroom unit and a dormitory. In later years these buildings became known as the Big building and the Little building[.]
The Buchanan County Public School System acquired the Buchanan Mission School in 1931 and began operating the school as a combined elementary and high school.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
