FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Jeff Muir
Blount Partnership
(865) 983.2241
Jennifer Wiggins
AkinsCrisp Public Strategies
(865) 680.1457
Tennessee’s Oldest One-Room Log Schoolhouse
Embodies Education of Yesteryear
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. – Tucked away in the foothills of East Tennessee is the oldest school in the state. Built two years before Tennessee became a state, the one-room log schoolhouse in Blount County is named for Sam Houston, a statesman and pioneer from East Tennessee.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, the Sam Houston School House was built in Maryville by two local families. Students paid eight dollars to attend classes, and this tuition was payable in 1/3 in corn, 1/3 in calico and 1/3 in cash. Classes were in session according to a farmer's calendar, where classes began after corn planting in the spring and ended at harvest time in the fall.
The schoolhouse is typical of others built in the 1700s. Desks are cleverly converted from the windows apertures, and a seven-foot ceiling hovers over hewn log seats.
“The school is a tribute to Sam Houston, who was not only an exceptional teacher, but also a very interesting man. Born in Virginia, he left home, and at age 16, he was adopted by the Cherokee Indians. By age 18, he was hired as a teacher at the schoolhouse where he taught pupils ranging in age from six to 60,” said Mary Lynne Bell, co-manager and curator of the museum.
Houston then joined the army in Maryville and later became a practicing attorney, and then the Attorney General of the State of Tennessee. Houston served as governor of Tennessee, two terms as a U.S. Congressman and Commander-in-Chief of the Army. After playing an important role in liberating Texas from Mexican rule, he served three terms as President of the Republic.
“He was instrumental in annexing Texas to the United States and served as U.S. Senator from Texas for 14 years. He then became Governor of the State of Texas,” said Bell. “He is the only individual who has served as governor of two states.”
Despite his honorable service to the United States in numerous capacities, when talking about his teaching experience, Houston once said he had a “higher feeling of dignity and self-satisfaction than from any office or honor which I have held since.”
Visitors to Sam Houston School House can also see a number of reading materials from the 19th century, including books of the Iliad, which Houston used to educate himself.
“The schoolhouse is still in its original location and contains many of the original logs,” said Bell. “Visitors can really step back in time when they see the benches used by the students, the teacher's desk and the fireplace used to warm the room.”
A museum is also included on the grounds displaying items used during Houston's time when he taught there in the early 1800s.
The Sam Houston School House sees thousands of visitors each year; and Raven Hall, named for Houston's Cherokee Indian name, provides a pavilion facility for picnics and other social gatherings adjacent to the log cabin structure.
For more information about the Sam Houston School House, please contact (865) 983-1550.
About Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County, Tennessee is located just south of Knoxville at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The communities that make up Blount County—Townsend, Maryville, Alcoa, Friendsville, Louisville and Rockford – provide visitors with an abundance of outdoor activities, attractions and regular celebrations of the region’s rich Appalachian heritage and culture. Blount County is also home to the nation’s most visited national park—the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For more information about Blount County, please contact the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at (800) 525.6834 or visit www.SmokyMountains.org. Follow the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at www.Facebook.com/PeacefulSide and Twitter.com/PeacefulSmokies.
If you are in the area, please stop in to the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Townsend, located at 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, or the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Maryville, located at 201 South Washington Street, for more information. (January 2013)
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