The Shadow
The current Callaghan Elementary School held a celebration Thursday afternoon to commemorate its 50th birthday. The school opened in the fall of 1964. The three surviving Callaghan principals were in attendance Thursday. From left: David Peters, 1978-88; Dr. Paul Linkenhoker, 1988-93; Nancy Moga, 1993-present. The three are displaying a photo of the late R. Lynn Graham, the school’s first principal. He served from 1964-78. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
The current Callaghan Elementary School held a celebration Thursday afternoon to commemorate its 50th birthday. The school opened in the fall of 1964. The three surviving Callaghan principals were in attendance Thursday. From left: David Peters, 1978-88; Dr. Paul Linkenhoker, 1988-93; Nancy Moga, 1993-present. The three are displaying a photo of the late R. Lynn Graham, the school’s first principal. He served from 1964-78. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
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The current Callaghan Elementary School building has reached a milestone.
On Thursday students and teachers, as well as former staff members and principals, gathered to celebrate the 50th birthday of the building which opened in 1964.
The guest speaker for the celebration was Dr. Paul Linkenhoker, who was principal of Callaghan from 1988 to 1993. Linkenhoker emphasized to students that even though the current building is only 50 years old, there has been a school in the Callaghan community since before 1800.
According to Linkenhoker, the history of schools in the Callaghan area can be traced back to an Irish immigrant named Dennis O’Callaghan, who came to America in 1769 and eventually dropped the “O” from his name.
In 1786, Callaghan married Margaret Atkinson in Fredricksburg and in 1790, the couple moved west and opened a stagecoach tavern near the location of the present-day Milton Hall.
The Callaghans had 11 children, and they hired a man to educate them. “Dennis Callaghan is why we have Callaghan today,” said Dr. Linkenkoker. “It’s his name. He is responsible for the first school here.”
“So the first Alleghany School goes back to before 1800 when Callaghan’s children went to school, right in this neighborhood,” Dr. Linkenhoker added.
Dr. Linkenhoker also noted that one of the 11 Callaghan children, William, became a teacher himself.
He also showed the students several photographs of many of the previous school buildings in the county, most of which were one- and two-room buildings.
Photographs included buildings at Snake Run, Big Ridge, Blue Spring Run and Sweet Chalybeate. He also displayed a photo of a two-room schoolhouse located at the bottom of the hill where the current Callaghan Elementary School building is located.
“Schools didn’t get real modern until about the time this school was built,” said Dr. Linkenhoker. “Now you’re in a school that has air conditioning, and you have computers in classrooms,” he continued. “Schools weren’t always modern, but schools always taught students what they needed to be successful in life.
“If you want to be successful,” he added, “you have to go to school and pay attention.”
The current Callaghan Elementary School building opened for the 1964-65 school year. There were 416 students in grades 1-7 from the former Callaghan, Hunter, Boys’ Home and Dunlap attending.
The new building has 14 classrooms. A multipurpose room was used as a cafeteria, as well as for physical education activities and school programs.
In 1970, four additional classrooms were added to the building, and kindergarten was added during the 1975-76 year. That same year, a gymnasium was also built.
In attendance for Thursday’s celebration was David Peters, who was principal of Callaghan Elementary School from 1978 to 1988. The late R. Lynn Graham was the first principal of the current Callaghan School, serving from 1964 to 1978. The current principal, Nancy Moga, has been principal since 1993.
Following Dr. Linkenhoker’s presentation, students and staff were treated to refreshments provided by the Callaghan Parent-Teacher Organization.
