The Barkerville School house was near Hough Springs, southeast of Bartlett Springs. It was established in 1934 to accomodate the families of Seaton and Ephrim Barker who had enough children to require a school. There was a small flat one mile upstream from Indian Valley on the north side of the North fork of Cache Creek. It was the toll gate for the Epperson Toll Road, which is now the Barlett Springs road. Seaton settled about one mile downstream while Ephrim moved to the old toll house site. This later became known as Barkerville. The school was discontinued in 1949.




Lake County Bee, November 15, 1934

NEW LAKE FAMILY HAS 14 CHILDREN; SCHOOL IS NEEDED

When Ephraim Barker and his wife Mary moved into Lake county a few weeks ago, bringing their 14 children, of whom eight are of school age, county officials would have appreciated it if they had brought with them a school building and a private tutor.

As it is, the authorities face the legal requirement of constructing a new family edifice and hiring a special instructor, for the Barkers have settled in Indian valley, which is not part of any school district.

When the Barker family are all together on the eight acres which they are clearing for a future farm, they number besides the parents, Jack and Jimmie, 3-mon-old twins, Gloria, 2 years old, Paul 3, Darlene, 4; Bennie, 6; Junior, 7; Pat, 8; Teddy, 9; Bobbie, 11; John, 12; Edith, 14; Earl, 15; and Elden, 16;. Two other sons are dead. Mrs. Barker, the mother of the 16, the eldest of whom would be 19 years old were he living, is 36 years old.

Under the compulsory education law, Bennie and Junior and Pat and Teddy and Bobbie and John and Edith and Earl must attend school. The same law imposes upon county officials the responsibility of providing school facilities where there are eight or more children of school age. Mr. Barker anticipated adding a room to his new home and renting it to the county as a classroom. He expects to be chairman of a school board, of which the other member, his wife, will act as secretary. In a few years Edith may be the school teacher, and as fast as one child "graduates" another will have come along to fill the needed number. The Barkers were originally from Virginia, moving here from Colusa County.

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Anita Crabtree anitajc@pacific.net Last Updated 01/4/2022

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