Buckingham Schools: Taggart
Unidentified photo, believed to be Taggart School, Ella Richardson Collection
During the 1920s, my cousins, Ella and Bessie (and, possibly, their sister Mary) Richardson, taught public school at Taggart, a spot in northeastern Buckingham County which was little more than a post office, a store, and a two-room schoolhouse. The site is marked today on Bridgeport Road, at Route 719, just south of the James River.
In 1898, Willie R. Taggart was the postmaster there and mail was collected at Taggart until October 12, 1933 when delivery was consolidated and Taggart’s mail moved to Arvonia. On the 1900 census, Willie R. Taggart is identified as a storekeeper. Likely, the post office and store were at the same place.
Goldie Boggs (1911-2011) attended school at Taggart for 2nd or 3rd grade and recalled that Minnie, Edna, and Virginia Davis taught there. Goldie also remembered Taggart as a two-room school house. The younger children studied on one side, the older children on the other. Goldie must have enjoyed her time in school, becoming a dedicated and beloved school teacher. See a tribute to Goldie at Thacker Brothers’ website: Goldie Ann Boggs Stargell.
If a Slate River Ramblings reader knows more about Taggart, especially Taggart School, please comment.
Special thanks to Peggy Moseley for sharing Goldie’s memories!
slate river ramblings . . . . 
Hello, my mothers friend used to live in the area which is called Taggart,she has family members that live where the school used to be located, the Taggart sign is located on the property right of Bridgeport road, where the school used to be there is now a house.
the Taggart cemetary is located on the property,visible from the road.
Bridgett, Thanks for your comment and for helping place the school in relation to the Taggart sign. Joanne
Willie Taggart was my grandfather!
Is there info or historical record of the school that was once on what is now Morgan’s Hill Rd in Arvonia (then Ore Bank)? My mother and her nine siblings attended there in the early 1900s. She used to show me the old steps and a few remains after it was destroyed by fire.
Jan, I might have something about the school at Ore Bank; I will do some digging. Joanne
A great photo! It is my understanding that the elder Taggart men were blacksmiths there on Rt 652 in the 19th century. Here’s a breakdown of the 19th-early 20th century family.
Patriarch Benjamin F Taggart (1808-1890) was born in Prince Edward County, to Martin Taggart and Sarah Hurt. He removed to Buckingham as a young man and married Buckingham native Mary Cobbs (1819-1898), the daughter of John Cobbs and Nancy Toney. Benjamin and Mary had two children, Robert Allen (1837-1916) and Sarah Catherine (1842-1901).
Robert, a CSA veteran, married Mary E Steger, daughter of William B Steger and Frances Sergeant. They had five sons. Martin removed to Amelia County, Philip Andrew removed to Beckley West Virginia, and Leneas Bolling removed to Fluvanna.
Willie R, discussed in your original post, married Mamie Harvey, and had five children. William is buried at the Taggart Cemetery on Rt 652, alongside his father and others.
John married Callie Williams Bolling, daughter of CSA vet William WIlliams Sr and Emily Guthrie and widow of Alexander Bolling. They are buried at the Bolling-Cook Cemetery on Rt 652.
Robert’s sister, Sarah, married William Lawson Steger, son of James Robert Steger and Clementine Hudnall. They had several children, but none remained in the county in adulthood. William and Sarah both died near the turn of the century at their home near Payne’s Mill in the northernmost part of the county.
Thanks for posting this in the comments! Joanne
Willie was my grandfather.
Willie R, discussed in your original post, married Mamie Harvey, and had five children; my mother, Mollie Lura Taggart Clatterbaugh, William (Bill) Taggart, Ethel Taggart Kidd, Benjamin (Ben) Taggart and Murriel Taggart Wright (only living child; lives in Unionville, VA).
William is buried at the Taggart Cemetery on Rt 652, alongside his father and others.
Ruth,
Many thanks for adding the information about your Taggart family.
Joanne