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- [S106] The Mountain Press, 15 Aug 2011.
Upland Chronicles: Roseville Mission school has colorful history
by CARROLL McMAHAN
Aura Lawson, left, (future wife of Grady Fox), Lee Fox, Vera Williams (future wife of Lee Fox) and Grady Fox in 1921.
A picture taken of Roseville Mission schoolhouse from the porch of Rose Hill Cottage.
The white house located on a hill overlooking Roseville Mission. Vera Williams and Aura Lawson lived in the house which they called Rose Hill Cottage while teaching at Roseville Mission. Later, Aura Lawson lived there with her husband, Grady Fox, and their four children.
On a hot summer evening in the early 1930s, a severe thunderstorm accompanied by high winds hit Sevier County.
In the area commonly called Possum Hollow, where the Sevier County Solid Waste facility is currently located, the forceful windstorm literally lifted Roseville Mission schoolhouse, slightly rotated the frame building and dropped the structure on its foundation. Luckily, no one was injured.
However, the damage was such the vacant building was sold and dismantled piece by piece.
Roseville Mission School began when Rev. John H. Wright, a missionary with the Presbyterian National Board of Missions, organized a Sunday school four miles from Sevierville in 1911 on property donated by Mr. and Mrs. M.C. Carr. To honor his wife Rose, Rev. Wright named the mission Roseville.
A church and community school evolved, and teachers were supplied by the Presbyterian mission board.
Sunday school was held in the little white building every week. One Sunday each month, Rev. Wright drove from Maryville to conduct worship services while weekday classes were held for children living in the area that did not have access to public schools.
In 1916, Sara Cochrane was appointed director of Roseville. At the time, Miss Cochrane was also in charge of operations at Juniper Mission School, which was located near the Sevier-Cocke County line and later became known as Sunset Gap.
In the summer of 1921, 23-year-old Vera Williams of Jamestown, N.D., who had just completed her first year teaching math and English at Rugby (North Dakota) High School, accepted an invitation from the Presbyterian Board of Missions to assist at Roseville Mission during the summer.
Miss Williams joined Aura Lawson from Wears Valley, who was a full-time teacher at Roseville Mission School. After attending Maryville College, Miss Lawson had begun her teaching career a few years earlier at Juniper Mission School.
Along with Miss Cochrane, the single ladies rented a white frame house located on a hill just north of the school owned by brothers Lee and Grady Fox. They called the place Rose Hill Cottage.
When Vera Williams arrived at the Sevierville train depot, she was greeted by a hack driver arranged by Miss Cochrane to transport her to Roseville Mission. Although she was not familiar with the area, Miss Williams soon realized they had traveled more than the 4-mile distance she had been informed lay between Sevierville and Roseville Mission.
Somehow the driver misunderstood his instructions and headed toward Juniper Mission with the frightened young teacher. Unable to convince the driver he was going to the wrong place, Miss Williams had no choice but ride the exhausting 14-mile excursion to Juniper School, where the situation was finally resolved. Much later than anticipated, she arrived safely at Roseville Mission.
Before the summer of 1921 ended, the young teachers were well acquainted with their landlords. As a matter of fact, Aura Lawson was dating Grady Fox, and Lee Fox was escorting Vera Williams to church and social events. Aura Lawson and Grady Fox married later that year.
Before Vera Williams had to leave for North Dakota, she accepted a marriage proposal from Lee Fox, with the understanding she’d return home to teach another year at Rugby. The following year, Lee Fox traveled to Jamestown, N.D., and returned to Tennessee with his bride.
The Fox brothers owned and operated a big farm producing corn, wheat, hay and oats. They specialized in raising Shropshire sheep and Berkshire hogs, which were sold and shipped throughout the Southeast. The two brothers entered livestock in state fairs around the country, where they won numerous blue ribbons.
Lee and Grady were sons of Tilman Grady Fox and Martha Lawson Fox. When Tilman Fox died in 1900, the young brothers took on the responsibility of operating the family farm while their mother, Martha, filled the vacancy created by her husband’s death, assuming the role as postmistress of Middle Creek.
While focusing on raising their families, both Aura and Vera abandoned teaching careers. Aura and Grady were the parents of four children: Grady Bascom Jr., Eileen, Carroll and Dale. The three children of Lee and Vera Fox are Jean (Rawlings), Mary Claire (Morton) and James Lee Fox.
After devoting years to domestic responsibilities both women perused active careers. Once her youngest child started high school, Vera Fox obtained a teaching assignment at Middle Creek School which led to a position at Sevier County High School.
At Sevier County High School, Vera taught English and geometry and was instrumental in the establishment of the school band. Later she taught at Roberts School on Jayell Road and finally at Phi Beta Phi High School in Gatlinburg.
Meanwhile Aura Fox put her artistic talents to use painting the famous dogwood design on pottery produced by Douglas Ferguson at Pigeon Forge Pottery in the early years of the legendary institution. She remained on the staff for several years.
Both Aura and Vera participated in church activities and were members of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, a national women’s advocacy organization.
Due to increased availability of public schools by the late 1920s, it was no longer necessary for the Presbyterian Board of Missions to maintain Roseville Mission School. Although the schoolhouse had been gone almost 60 years, Rose Hill Cottage, which became the home of Aura and Grady Fox, stood until 1991 when the old house was demolished to make way for a new solid waste facility.
Not only the buildings, but also the people connected with them, are gone as well. Vera Williams Fox suffered a stroke and died in 1955 at age 57. Aura Lawson Fox was 80 when she passed away in 1977.
The two young teachers who once taught at Roseville Mission School made a lasting impact on their community and left a legacy that will last for generations.
Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; please contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or email to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or email to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name Lura Fox
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Pigeon Forge, Civil District 4, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender Female
Age 42
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Wife
Relationship to Head of Household Wife
Birthplace Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated) 1898
Last Place of Residence Same House
Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Gready B Fox Head M 47 Tennessee
Lura Fox Wife F 42 Tennessee
Bascom Fox Son M 17 Tennessee
Eileen Fox Daughter F 15 Tennessee
Carroll Fox Son M 14 Tennessee
Dale Fox Son M 10 Tennessee
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 12 Jun 1977.
Fox, Flura Rebecca Dec 11, 1897 Tn June 12, 1977
Spouse: Fox, Grady B.
Father: Lawson, West
Mother: King, Mary
Sons: Bascom, Carroll, Dale
Cemetery: Middle Creek
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 301.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name Grady Bascom Fox
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 22 Dec 1921
Event Place Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender Male
Spouse's Name Aura Rebecca Lawson
Spouse's Gender Female
"Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93F-59ZZ?cc=1619127&wc=Q63S-1N8%3A1589264711%2C1589374583 : 23 December 2016), Sevier > image 44 of 643; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties.
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