Tennessee Town Home to State's Oldest One-Room Schoolhouse Named for State's 7th Governor

Monday March 01, 2004

MARYVILLE, Tenn. - Tucked away amid the foothills of East Tennessee is the oldest one-room log schoolhouse in the state. Built two years before Tennessee became a state, the schoolhouse in Blount County is named for former Tennessee Gov. Sam Houston who opened the choolhouse and served as one of its instructors. "Teaching at the little on-room schoohouse gave Gov. Houston the greatest satisfaction more than anything else he had done," said Maxine Flynn Davis, secretary of the Sam Houston Schoolhouse Guild. "He added so much to Tennessee. he was before his time." Listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, the Sam Houston Schoolhouse was built in Maryville, Tenn., in 1794 by two local families. Students, ranging in age from 6 to 60, paid $8 to attend classes that were in session according to a farmer's calendar. Classes began after com-planting in the spring and ended at harvest time in the fall. "The schoolhouse is an honor to Houston's teaching ability," said Ralph Grindstaff, manager of the Sam Houston Schoolhouse. Housed in this structure are a number of reading materials from the 19th century, including books of the Lliad, which Houston used to educate himself. Visitors also will find benches for students, the teacher's desk and a fireplace used to warm the room. Included on the grounds is a museum displaying items used during Houston's time when he taught there in the early 1800s. "What seems to get the greatest notice is the genealogy of Sam Houston," Grindstaff said. "one complete wall (of the museum) is devoted to this." Another interesting item is a pair of brass knuckles with Sam Houston's name inscribed on it. We found it over the doorway of the schoolhouse, but we don't know much about it," Grindstaff said. Born in Virginia, Houston and his family moved to the Maryville area in 1808 when he was 15. After his teaching stint at the local schoolhouse, he studied law in Nashville. Houston was highly active in both the military and politics. "He's accomplished things in his life that have never been duplicated," Grindstaff said. "He ranks high on the list of important people." Houston was attorney general and a two-term congressman while in Tennessee. years later, after relocating to Texas, he became governor and president of the Republic of Texas, making hiim the only individual serving as governor of two states. Houston left his mark in Texas by liberating it from Mexican rule and annexing it to the United States. People believe that had Houston run the country, students would be learning a differnet American history in the classroom. "Had the South followed Sam Houston," Davis said, "he would've been president over Lincoln in 1861, and chances are, there would've been no Civil War between the states." The Sam Houston Schoolhouse sees approximately 1,500 visitors each year. Its grounds provide a peaceful setting for gatherings. Raven Hall, named for Houston's Cherokee Indian nickname when he briefly lived with that tribe, provides a pavilion facility for picnics and other social gatherings adjacent to the log cabin structure. The schoolhouse continues to cater to students. One of its annual events devotes a day in May to neighboring Porter School. Houston attended what was Porter Academy in his day, which was the forerunner to Porter High School and now Maryville College. The "Sam Houston era" (which actually spanned 70 years) ended in Huntsville, Texas, in 1863. To learn more about Sam Houston, Grindstaff refers adult readers to The Raven by Marquis James (a biography of Sam Houston) and The Eagle and The Raven by James Michener. Younger readers will enjoy Sam Houston published by Cobblestone Press and Jesse Chisholm: Trail Blazer and Peacemaker by Sybil O'Rear. The Sam Houston Schoolhouse is open year-round Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $.50 for adults. Children are free. To find the Sam Houston Schoolhouse coming from Knoxville, take Highway 33 South toward Maryville and turn left onto Sam Houston Schoolhouse Road. Follow Sam Houston Schoolhouse signage. For additional information and about the schoolhouse, please call (865) 983-1550. For more information on Blount County, please contact the Smoky Mountain Vistiors Bureau at 1-800-525-6834 or visit its Web site at http://chamber.blount.tn.us./smokymvb.

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