Farragut Schools: Early Years
The community raised $5,000 in case, pledges, and timber. This was matched by an equal amount by the General Education Board. Mr. W.A. Doughty gave 12 acres of land upon which the new school was placed. Mr. Charles E. Koon oversaw the building of the school and was appointed administrator until Amanda Stoltzfus became principal in 1904.
The school opened to pupils in 1904. The original building contained six class rooms and as assembly hall. The University of Tennessee Department of Education was particularly interested in the school, hoping to make it a model for southern rural communities and
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On the night of March 15, 1906, the building and its contents were destroyed by a fire. On the morning after the fire, the patrons of the school and other residents of the district held a mass meeting upon the grounds and unanimously agreed that the school must be rebuilt. Temporary quarters were arranged in an abandoned church in the neighborhood, where the year's work was completed.
The new two story brick school boasted two additional buildings, a barn and chicken house and sat on an additional eight acres. The school contained a basement, water system and study hall which would seat 300 people when arranged as an assembly hall. At the juncture of Kingston Pike and Concord Road, a concrete water box for horses and a public drinking fountain were erected. The money for the fountain was subscribed by the pupils, teachers and patrons of the school. On the water box
In 1915, the school received the silver medal and two certificates at the Panama Pacific International Expo held in San Francisco. Farragut High School received the award for the second best educational exhibit by the rural schools of the United States. When the University of Tennessee's Dr. Philander P. Claxton became the United States Commissioner for education in 1913, his admiration for Farragut led to the publication of Bulletin No. 49, entitled "The Farragut School, A Tennessee Country-Life School." This bulletin may have helped initiate the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, which provided funds for vocational high schools that would institute agricultural programs. Farragut was named the first Smith-Hughes School in the nation.
Erected by Farragut Museum.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee - History of the Farragut Area series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1902.
Location. 35° 53.233′ N,
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee and in Greater Knoxville. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Farragut Schools: Recent Years (within shouting distance of this marker); Town of Farragut & Farragut Folklife Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); The Battle of Campbell Station (within shouting distance of this marker); The Historic Village of Concord (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named The Historic Village of Concord (about 400 feet away); Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (about 500 feet away); Pleasant Forest Church & Cemetery (about 800 feet away); Native American Settlement (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Farragut.
Also see . . . The Farragut School: A Tennessee Country-Life High School. Bulletin, 1913, No. 49. Whole Number 560. (Submitted on January 16, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 18, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 653 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 16, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
