When Silverhill was founded in 1896, immediate plans were made to build a school as enough families with children had purchased land in the community. Two years later, a building was erected and used until 1903 when a larger building was needed. The old building was used as the land office by the founder, Mr. Oscar Johnson, and now is the town library.
School was conducted in the local Baptist Church while a new two-story building was constructed. The Land Company paid the first two teachers, Miss Millie Anderson and Miss Sarah Carlson. The third teacher and the first male teacher was Mr. Owens. As the enrollment grew, two teachers were hired from Bay Minette: Miss Pearl Campbell and Miss Mary Feminear who taught several years. During this time the School Improvement Association was organized by Mrs. T.A. Johnson, Mesdames Oscar Johnson, O.P. Forsman, Alfred Carlson, Charles Lyrene, Mr. Oscar Johnson and Dr. O.F.E. Winberg as charter members.
Miss Evelyn Wilkes, a gifted young lady who came to Silverhill from Terre Haute, Indiana, with her parents and sister, would substitute and assist the teachers. Later, she became a teacher in the school as well as the county. After she joined Superintendent Tharp's office, her knowledge was shared with larger education circles in the southeastern U.S. Other early teachers were Mildred Hall, Xeripha Bryars, Ella White and Lilla Simmons. Miss Hall organized the Non Pareil Club that sponsored the town library since 1906.
Miss Agnes Johnson became an assistant to Miss Pearl Campbell about 1914 and ultimately became principal. Evelyn Wilkes and Louise Johnson assised her until her resignation in 1921. Lucy Thompson became principal with Miss Irby and Miss Harris as assistants until 1923 when Miss Lillie Belle Emmons became principal of the school assisted by Miss Winifred Cherry and Mrs. Lundberg. The school now had four teachers with the addition of Fannie Lane Emmons, who replaced Miss Cherry, and Essie Garrett. Other techers during this time included Misses Julia Mathers and Lena Ferguson of Stockton and Little River. Mrs. Lundberg introduced basketball to the school and the community about this time.
The Silverhill Community and Fair Association, organized in 1921, used the colony-owned two-room school building for its annual fairs and evening performances. The large crowds attending these events led to the addition of two additional rooms to the school. In 1924, the association and community patrons built the Community Hall for such functions.
The first public school was built by the state in 1928-29. The new school, located directly across the road to the south of the original building, had six classrooms, a large auditorium, office and kitchen. The Bohemia School was consolidated with Silverhill this same year and the first school bus carried the grade school children into Silverhill and the high school students to Robertsdale. Mr. Dave Forsman was the first school bus driver. Teachers that year were: Mrs Lundberg, principal; Misses Genie Ora Tharp of Grove Hill; Irene Young of Bay Minette; and Frances Williamson of Ashland, Alabama.
Principals from 1929 to 1953 were: Mr. James Dailey, Martin Simmons, Dupree Mason, F.D. Moore, M. Phillips, R. Gate, Mrs. Rosa McCloud, W. Wingard, Gerald Robinson and David Petty. Teachers during this time included A. Pepper, Bernice Miller, Alice Mannich, Theresa Guarisco, Evelyn Nelson, Margaret Huggins, Marjorie Jewell, Lillie Belle Emmons, Earline Moore, Evelyn Correll, Mildred Havel, Glady Rogers, and W. Kirkland. Other names of teachers remembered by former students are Donham, Smart, Aiken, Greene, Reding, Eastburn, Blackburn, Meredith Hichs and Eckerholm.
The PTA Founders Day Dinner was begun while Mrs. Wingard was principal and is still a major fund raising activity. The food and dress of the servers represents the community's early heritage from Sweden and Czechoslovakia.
In 1953, the school campus had ten acres with pine trees, azaleas, ample playground areas and a well kept lawn. The building was heated by butane gas, had a well equipped kitchen where meals were prepared and taken to the classrooms and the teachers had access to a movie projector, record player and piano. Various sports equipment was available for the very active physical education classes.
Six classrooms were built in 1956 to replace those lost in a fire the previous year and a cafeteria was added in 1958. Additional classrooms were added in 1963, 1973, 1974 and 1976 to accommodate the increasing enrollment. Five classrooms and restrooms were added in 1986 and a band room and gymnasium were built in 1988. A wing containing six classrooms, library and restrooms were added in 1998.
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade now attend the school. Silverhill's founders were great supporters of education for their children and history attests to the fact that some of the best schools in the county were in the community.
