Sylvania, Missouri facts for kids
Sylvania is a small, unincorporated community located in the northwest part of Dade County, Missouri, in the United States. It's found where Missouri routes D and E meet, just south of a town called Jerico Springs. If you travel north along Route D, you'll find the Stony Point Prairie Conservation Area nearby.
A Bit of History
Sylvania once had its own post office. This post office opened in 1869 and served the community until 1907. The name "Sylvania" actually comes from the state of Pennsylvania. A coal company that operated in the area had its main base in Pennsylvania, and that's how the community got its name.
Schools in Sylvania
Around 1952, a big change happened for schools in Missouri. Many small, local schools in rural areas started to combine into larger school districts. This was called "rural school consolidation." In Dade County, most of the smaller school areas joined four bigger systems, including those centered in Greenfield, Lockwood, Dadeville, and Everton.
The Sylvania area became part of the new Lockwood R-I school district. Even though Sylvania was quite a distance from the main Lockwood school, it was included in that district. Originally, state education officials thought students from Sylvania might go to the Jerico Springs school district in Cedar County. However, the high school in Jerico Springs had closed during World War II.
The Sylvania Elementary School
Because of the distance, a compromise was reached. It was decided that elementary students living in the northern part of the new Lockwood R-I School District would attend a new elementary school built right in Sylvania. This new school was finished in 1954.
However, the Sylvania school only stayed open for a short time, closing around 1962. The Lockwood R-I district passed a plan to build a new high school in Lockwood and make their elementary school bigger. This meant all students, including those from Sylvania, could go to school in Lockwood.
Some residents in the Sylvania area were not happy about their local school closing. They even filed a lawsuit to try and keep the Sylvania school open. However, the court dismissed their case, and the decision was upheld on appeal in 1960.
