Fox Creek/Hollow School

History

This rural school, located in far west St. Louis County along Manchester Road, was incorporated in 1869 and began serving the community a year later. Sitting on Fox Creek near what was then the hamlet of Hollow, the school eventually lost its original name and took on the name of the town it served. As with most rural schools, the children’s ages ranged from five through twenty, and, although there were African Americans living in this part of west St. Louis County, they did not attend Hollow School.

The original building was wood, twenty by twenty-four feet with a ten-foot ceiling. It was constructed on land owned by Henry Henkens “where he and Judge Reber join at or near the Manchester Road.” Most of the students who would attend were from German immigrant families, which is evident when looking at the surviving records.

The school continued to serve the children of several generations, finally closing in 1943. Some of the remaining students then attended classes in Eureka, but eventually they were transferred into the Rockwood School District.

Genealogical Data

Thanks to StLGS volunteer Joyce Mercer we have information on the children and many of the adults from Fox Creek/Hollow School. Much of what we know about the school and the residents of the community over time comes from some ledgers that have been preserved and an article Joyce wrote for the StLGS Quarterly for the winter 1996 issue, volume XXIX, no. 4, pages 108–112.

Names of students, 1877–1883

Attendance records, 1934–1937

“That a School House Schale Be Build,” article in the StLGS Quarterly

Fox Creek/Hollow School
Township 44, Range 3, St. Louis County
image from Plat Book of St. Louis County, Missouri, 1909; public domain