School and Community History
The 1700's to 1900's
In 1745, a man named William Mack came to this region and settled the land in eastern Wythe County. With a combination of the early settler's name and the composition of the land, the name Max Meadows was derived.
The roots of education are planted deeply in the soil of Max Meadows. As early as 1794, the Anchor and Hope Academy was established in a log building, which also served as a church. In the following years, one and two-room schools were scattered throughout various small communities in the Max Meadows area. Little is known about the town in the early 1800's. During the 1890's, Max Meadows was the center of land development with the construction of a hot blast furnace aiding in the development. In 1893, economic failure throughout the area caused a halt in the development.
Little is known about the development of the schools in the Max Meadows area between 1890 and 1920, except that there were numerous small schools throughout Wythe County.
The 1950's
By the 1950's, schools such as Conner's Valley, Lick Mountain, Locust Hill, and Gunton Park were all closed, and their pupils were transported to Max Meadows Elementary School.
Max Meadows Elementary School, a public school for grades K-7, is located in a small, rural community in the eastern end of Wythe County. The original portion of the school was built in 1951. This school contained seven classrooms, a library, clinic, office, music room, and cafeteria. In 1957, two additions were connected to the original building to facilitate increasing enrollment.
The 1990's
During the 1990's the main building housed 15 classrooms, a gymnasium, cafeteria, library media center, speech therapy room, school nurse's office, the main office for the secretary and principal, and two smaller offices. To accommodate the enrollment during the 1990's, five mobile units were added.
The 2000's
With the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, Max Meadows became a K-5 school. Wythe County added three new middle schools to the district, so our sixth and seventh-grade students were transferred to the new Fort Chiswell Middle School. The 2004-05 school year also brought changes to our school with the addition of a pre-kindergarten classroom, making Max Meadows Elementary School a Pre-K through 5th-grade school.
In May 2005, Max Meadows Elementary School began a remodeling and renovation project, and it was completed the fall of 2006. The New additions to Max Meadows Elementary School were a library media center, two kindergarten classrooms, a reading recovery classroom, and a conference room. The gym area was renovated to include the stage area which also houses the art and music room. Several classrooms were relocated. All remaining classrooms were remodeled, a computer lab was added, and the cafeteria was updated and remodeled. The old office complex was renovated to accommodate a teacher workroom area with a kitchen. A new office complex replaced part of the primary wing. The entire school was centrally air-conditioned.
Our Principals Through the Years