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- [S106] The Mountain Press, 16 Oct 2012.
Upland Chronicles: County's first public high school opened over 90 years ago
By JO HARRIS
The county’s first public high school, Sevier County High, opened on Sept. 5, 1921. It signaled a major shift in Sevier County’s educational system.
In the early 20th century, the majority of schools in Sevier County were one-room affairs. In 1900 the county had 79 elementary schools scattered over its various communities. These schools were heated primarily by wood-burning stoves, a single dipper served as a drinking vessel for all students, and recess usually included a trip to the outhouse.
Inadequate though many of these schools were, they were important centers of learning, recreation and amusement for both students and community members. Teachers were the heart of these schools, but often their moral character carried more weight than academic qualifications. Many teachers had completed eighth grade and passed a state examination, and in some cases were allowed to teach any class they themselves had passed.
Even with the number of schools in the county nearing 100, most children didn’t attend school beyond fifth grade. In 1900 only 16 students were enrolled in eighth grade. By 1920 that number had climbed to 585, but it would decline in the 1930s due to the exodus of families being displaced by the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
By the mid-1900s there was still no public high school. Those wishing to continue their education beyond eighth grade, and could afford the tuition, did so at private institutions such as Murphy College. In 1918, only 2 percent of Sevier County students were enrolled in high school.
In the early 1920s the county had 99 schools: 63 one-teacher schools, 26 two-teacher schools, and 10 three-or-more teacher schools. These were a combination of public, private, religion-affiliated “mission” schools, and subscription schools that originated to take over after the regular three-month school year had ended.
With increased state and county funding, gradual improvements were made in buildings, teacher training, and education in general. By 1926 the school year had been increased to five months.
The Tennessee Legislature had passed the General Education Bill in 1909 that required counties to establish at least one public high school, but it was 1916 before Sevier County began raising funds for that purpose. A year later, the county issued high school bonds in the amount of $20,000 for the construction of its first public high school. The county court approved the project with one dissenting vote and the building was completed in time for the 1921-22 school year.
Sevier County High School was located on High Street in Sevierville on 10 acres near the present King Family Library. There were 13 teachers on staff, serving as both an elementary and high school for the first nine years.
The exterior of the three-story, neo-classical style building was made of brick, fired in a nearby kiln and laid by brick masons at J. F.&N. McMahan Co.. The McMahans were highly skilled African American craftsmen and grandsons of famed local brick mason Isaac Dockery.
The interior woodwork, especially the staircases and floors, was a highlight of the building. The numerous windows — there was no air conditioning — provided ventilation, but that came at a price; sawdust from the adjacent A.J. King Lumber Co. often found its way into the classrooms through those open windows.
At a cost of nearly $50,000 the new school boasted electricity, indoor plumbing and steam heat emitted by what would become some very noisy radiators. The building had a library and large auditorium that became the site of weekly chapel programs, organized events such as concerts, talent shows, lectures and the annual senior class play. In later years, movies in the auditorium were appreciated, especially by sweethearts hoping to steal a kiss or two.
The curriculum was typical of the time and included foreign languages, rhetoric, home economics and agriculture. There were two literary societies, one for each gender, and the ever important athletics — baseball, basketball, track and football — complemented the school’s academic program. Lights were installed at the football field in 1938. The first night game was on Oct. 28, 1938; Sevier County defeated Karns 40-18.
Several buildings, including a cafeteria, machine shop and gymnasium, as well as buildings for home economics and agricultural studies, were added to the campus in the early 1950s.
Some sources indicate the first graduating class of Sevier County High in 1922 consisted of just six individuals. However, David Lee Sims’ book, “In the Forks of the Little Pigeon River,” says the first class consisted of 12 students. Assuming this is correct, it could be surmised that a picture showing six graduates, when there were actually 12, could have led to the contradiction.
Those six graduates pictured were Fred Lawson, Rusha Davis, Sam Huffaker, Kate Allen, George Ballard and Edna Enloe. The last class to graduate from the building was the Class of 1968; it consisted of some 200 students.
One of the school’s long-standing, annual traditions was the presentation of a gift to the school on behalf of the entire graduating class. Perhaps the most notable of those was the giant black bear gifted by the Class of 1965.
The bear stood sentinel over the school’s main entrance until it was moved to the replacement high school, which had become necessary due to overcrowding and mounting maintenance costs on the almost 50-year-old building on High Street.
The new high school, located on Dolly Parton Parkway in Sevierville, opened in the fall of 1968. This state-of-the-art, one-level building has an inverted circular academic wing and circular gymnasium. The 132,000-square-foot school was built by King Brothers Building Contractors of Gatlinburg at a cost of approximately $1.75 million. The architect, Joe M. Cox Sr. of Johnson City, literally left his mark on the building — if viewed from the air, the architect’s last name can be seen in the building’s design.
Features included air conditioning, an up-to-date cafeteria, 19 regular classrooms, 24 special classrooms, theater with a seating capacity of approximately 350, and a gym/auditorium that could seat nearly 2,500.
Staff and students chose purple as the school’s color in 1922. The alma mater was written by students Reese Marshall and Ernestine McMahan in 1940, and the first yearbook, known as the Sevierian, came along in 1946. Three years later, the Smoky Bear was chosen as the school’s mascot.
Sevier County High’s official seal was created in 1946 and updated by the Class of 1965. The seal incorporates a line drawing of John Sevier, a black bear, and drawings that highlight the county’s agricultural heritage and the importance of tourism.
The original Sevier County High School building burned in the mid-1970s with arson being suspected. The oil-based cleaning products used on the wood floors for half a century intensified the fire, making it impossible to extinguish. The firefighters concentrated on protecting the nearby A.J. King Lumber Co., the middle school, and other surrounding buildings.
The opening of Sevier County High in 1921 ultimately led to the demise of private high schools, and with improved infrastructure and transportation, especially free bus transportation, many community schools were closed or consolidated. Today, Sevier County serves approximately 14,000 students in 25 schools.
— Jo Harris is a local free-lance writer residing in Kodak. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for 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, 1920.
name: George M Ballard
residence: , Sevier, Tennessee
estimated birth year: 1906
age: 14
birthplace: Tennessee
relationship to head of household: Son
gender: Male
race: White
marital status: Single
father's birthplace: Tennessee
mother's birthplace: Tennessee
film number: 1821762
digital folder number: 4390948
image number: 00249
sheet number: 7
Household Gender Age Birthplace
self John S Ballard M 47y Tennessee
wife Magnolia Ballard F 46y Tennessee
dau Blanch M Ballard F 23y Tennessee
son J Clifford Ballard M 21y Tennessee
son Clyde A Ballard M 19y Tennessee
dau Ann E Ballard F 17y Tennessee
son George M Ballard M 14y Tennessee
son Claude H Ballard M 12y Tennessee
dau Grace T Ballard F 10y Tennessee
dau Nelle H Ballard F 8y Tennessee
dau Johnnie D Ballard F 7y Tennessee
- [S112] Census, 1940.
name: George M Ballard
titles & terms:
event: Census
event year: 1940
event place: Ward 1, Harriman, Civil District 1, Roane, Tennessee, United States
gender: Male
age: 34
marital status: Married
race (original):
race (standardized): White
relationship to head of household (original):
relationship to head of household (standardized): Head
birthplace: Tennessee
estimated birth year: 1906
residence in 1935: Same Place
enumeration district number: 73-3
family number: 314
sheet number and letter: 17A
line number: 13
nara publication number: T627
nara roll number: 3929
digital folder number: 005461371
image number: 00544
Household Gender Age Birthplace
head George M Ballard M 34 Tennessee
wife Ella Savage Ballard F 32 North Carolina
daughter Norma Jean Ballard F 8 Tennessee
son John Leroy Ballard M 6 Tennessee
- [S87] Death Certificate.
Name Date of Death / Age County of Death County / State of Residence Marital Status Gender Race File #
BALLARD GEORGE M 05-09-1993 / 87 KNOX ROANE / TN MARRIED M WHITE 17020
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 341.
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