History of Schools in Southern Brown County, Ohio

Ohio has a long history of supporting public education. This holds true for the communities and townships currently contained in the Ripley Union Lewis Huntington Local School District.According to Mr. Charles Robinson who compiled a history chronicling public education in Brown County, Ohio, one of the oldest schoolhouses in Ohio was built in 1805 or 1806 in Huntington Township. In 1807, a school house was built in Higginsport.The first school in Ripley, taught by Zaccheus Martin in 1816, was built of logs. A frame building was erected when the original log building burned. Teaching occurred for three months out of the year under the "Free School System." This was replaced in 1849 with the Union School. During this period, the curriculum included reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic. Later, grammar, geography, and history were added. A drop in rural population after World War I resulted in many small schools being closed.

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    Years 1925-1936

    Around 1925, the Ripley and Union districts consolidated into the Ripley-Union District. The Aberdeen and Huntington Districts consolidated in 1934. As last as 1936-1937, the Aberdeen-Huntington District still operated a one-room school.The Great Depression caused a drop in property evaluation that closed many of these one-room schools. Also, their small student enrollments made them ineligible to participate in the early state aid programs. According to Mr. Robinson, the following districts existed in the current Ripley Union Lewis Huntington School District in 1935-1936: Aberdeen-Huntington School District, Higginsport, and the Ripley-Union School District.

    Years 1956 - Today

    In 1956, Higginsport and Ripley-Union consolidated to form the Ripley Union Lewis Local School District.In 1963, the Brown County Board of Education voted to allow the Aberdeen-Huntington School District to join the Adams County School System. Students in the Aberdeen and Huntington Township communities joined the Ripley Union Lewis District in the 1990-1991 school year. The name was formally changed to the Ripley Union Lewis Huntington School District in 1991.

    The RULH Community

    With the addition of Aberdeen and Huntington Township, the Ripley Union Lewis Huntington Local School District extends along the entire southern border of Brown County along the Ohio River, encompassing approximately 99 square miles.The community has shown great support for the school district over the years which has resulted in state-of-the-art facilities for students, as well as a variety of learning opportunities.