WEST PLAINS, MO — Renowned regional photographer and author Robert A. McCormick will present his latest work, Abandoned Ozarks II: Forgotten Schoolhouses, during a special event at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at the Garnett Library. The presentation is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.
An eighth-generation Ozarks native from Aurora, Missouri, McCormick has spent years documenting the fading remnants of rural history through his evocative photography. His latest volume builds upon his celebrated first book, Abandoned Ozarks, which was featured in the “America Through Time” series by Font Hill Publishing. His work has also appeared in regional publications, including Ozarks Watch Magazine.
In Abandoned Ozarks II: Forgotten Schoolhouses, McCormick turns his lens toward abandoned schoolhouses across Missouri and Arkansas, offering both a visual and historical journey through early education in the Ozark Mountains. The book explores the cultural and sociological impact of these once-vital community structures—places that served not just as classrooms, but as social centers for remote rural families.
The presentation will include expertly rendered photographs of these decaying buildings, ranging from log cabins and giraffe-stone structures to sturdy stone schools constructed under the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. Each image is paired with research and narrative that reflect the challenges and resilience of mountain communities, where education was often a hard-earned privilege.
McCormick, a long-time resident of Forsyth, Missouri, studied at Southwest Missouri State University and is widely recognized for his efforts to preserve the visual history of the Ozarks through photography.
For those interested in Ozarks history, early education, rural sociology, or architectural preservation, this event provides a unique opportunity to engage with McCormick’s work and the stories behind these forgotten landmarks.
