Edgewater Alabama

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One thing very important to the miners was the education of their children.  To that end there was a school  system built for the children of Edgewater.  School began for Edgewater children in kindergarten which at that time was still rare.  The company built one large house to house the teachers.  The all female staff lived in this house which became known as the "teachers cottage".  The teachers were known to take immaculate care of the house and property.      The course work included the usual three "R"'s but also included shop for boys and home economics for girls.  There was a tooth brush drill conducted daily and occasional  teaching on  hygiene issues like  finger nail, head, ears, and eye checks.

The Teachers Cottage

Each Spring several events were held at a May day festival at the TCI stadium in Fairfield.  Trophies, ribbons, and prizes were awarded to winners of each event.  One of the most popular was the May Pole Dance.      In the basement of the school was  an area called the community room.  There a  "game hour" was held by the company social worker on Thursday nights.  There the young people of the village could play pool,  ping pong, dominoes and even dance