Little Greenbrier School

Construction was begun on Little Greenbrier School and Church in January 1882. The first classes were held in the fall of that same year, and continuously held, except for 1900, until 1936.

The land on which the school stood was donated by Gilbert Abbott, and the poplar logs for the walls were donated by another member of the community, Ephraim Ogle. The logs were chosen so they could be split, and two logs thus made. They were hauled by oxen to the building site. Shingles for the roof were rived from oak, and when materials had been assembled, a date for a house raising was set. The date of the raising is unknown, but four of the participants were John N. Walker, Ephraim Ogle, John Abbott, who was also the local preacher, and his brother Gilbert Abbott.

The first classes started in the fall of 1882. The teacher was Richard Ferryman, a Primitive Baptist preacher. Since neither the county or the state of Tennessee provided any assistance to the school, the teacher's salary had to be paid by the community. Since money was almost nonexistent in the mountains of Tennessee in the late 1800's, he was paid by whatever commodity was at hand, or by boarding with families having children in school. It was a hard life, but he made a living which was about all anyone managed in the area.

All told, 39 teachers kept school in Little Greenbrier, for a total of 52 school years. The qualifications of the teachers often left much to be desired, but generally they could provide the rudiments of reading, arithmetic, spelling, and religion.

No school was held in the building in 1900. Due to an error in the deed, the land on which the school stood was found to be someone else's property and a year went by with no school before the matter could be settled. Finally Sevier County came to the community's aid and purchased the land, and school was resumed in 1901.

The children who attended the school came not only from the Greenbrier section, but also from Meigs Mountain, nine miles away. They either walked or rode horseback over muddy, narrow trails and roads to reach the school, and then retraced the journey in the evenings. When they reached home they might be required to assist with the many chores around the mountain farm before they could rest or study. Since the work to be done demanded all the hands a family could muster, often the children were kept out of school to help. This, coupled with the isolation of the families tended to shorten the school terms. Some years classes lasted only six weeks.

The last school held in the building was in 1935. It was taught by Herman Matthews, who like Richard Ferryman, the first teacher, was a Primitive Baptist preacher.

Little Greenbrier School
About 9 mi. W of Gatlinburg off Little River Rd, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
For more information call 1-888-482-7829