Meadows School reunion held

On Saturday, September 28, a reunion was held at the Meadows Schoolhouse on Round Mountain Road in Taney County, in the area of Walnut Shade once known as Bluff, Missouri. Approximately 70 attendees with family ties to the schoolhouse came from around the local area as well as from Arizona, Washington, California, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. The oldest attendee, and only actual alumni present on Saturday, was Betty Bilyeu Costas, age 90, who flew from Sacramento, California. Costas attended the school from grades one through five. 

The Meadows School was built in 1906 on property donated in 1891 in a trust by the Meadows family. It served children of all grades in one room from 1906 until 1949, when the students were sent to larger school districts in the area. Over the years, the building also served the community for other purposes, including church services. The IMAX movie, “Ozarks Legacy and Legend,” was filmed in front of the schoolhouse. 

A reunion is held every two years. The gatherings started soon after the school’s closure, slacked off as people moved out of the area or got busier, and picked up pace again when a Meadows family descendant organized a centennial gathering in 2006. School attendees and their descendants meet on site, enjoy lunch together, and reminisce about days gone by. Elane Bilyeu Crum, whose father started attending Meadows School in 1932, serves as caretaker and leads the Cemetery Association for Meadows Cemetery adjacent to the schoolhouse. As part of Saturday’s gathering, Crum shared a financial report including the need for renovations to the building itself; while the building was open during the reunion for attendees to view the vintage desks and fixtures, along with historical photos on display, it will need repairs and structural upgrades to be used for community purposes again. As a Missouri 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the association is currently looking at options, including possible fundraisers. 

During the reunion, it was apparent that the famous Meadows-Bilyeu feud, detailed in descendant Randy Pace’s book, “Blood Feud on Bull Creek,” was no longer an issue as descendants of both families mingled over conversation, food and hymn singing led by Mark and Cindy Bilyeu, who perform locally as “The Creek Rocks.” Along with Pace, other family members including Roger Meadows and Mark Meadows have either shared memories or created fiction about the area and were on hand with copies of their books. 

“This was such a fun reunion, with tons of memories made,” shared Elane Crum, echoing the sentiment of those in attendance. The group is hopeful that fundraising and preservation efforts will mean such gatherings can be enjoyed for many years to come.