Folks have been gathering for "jam sessions" at Rush Strong School in Sharps Chapel for so long that Lea Ogle can't tell you precisely when they started, but it's been years and years. And it's easy to see why. The warm, wood walls of the old schoolrooms have perfect acoustics for the bluegrass and gospel played there. Plus, there's just something musical in the blood of so many Union Countians that the jam sessions are as much for fellowship as they are for music.

"Some really good pickers have played here," said Ogle, who himself plays mandolin.

The late Bit Rouse, known as the one-armed fiddle player of Sharps Chapel, was the driving force behind the jam sessions until his passing several years ago. Ogle and other volunteers kept the jam sessions going in his honor.

"We loved Bit," said Ogle. "Out of respect for him, we're doing our best."

However, just about everyone who volunteers with the jam sessions is retired or disabled or both, said Ogle. While they've kept the building up for years, they welcomed the help when Union County government took over care of the building eight months ago. When repairs were needed, Ogle said Mayor Mike Williams made sure they get done before the next jam session.

And Ogle is excited to hear that Williams is seeking grant funds to restore the school in the same manner that Preservation Union County has restored Oak Grove School, also in Sharps Chapel.

"It was great. We were happy about it," said Ogle.

The two schools are similar, both Rosenwald designs built by the WPA. According to Union County Historian Bonnie Peters, the two schools opened in the same year, 1935. Rush Strong School was originally built lower down in the flood plain and was moved to higher ground, where it now stands under a stately oak tree. It has two classrooms that can be separated by a divider, plus another classroom, a kitchen, and cloak rooms. Today, the school doesn't have running water, and heat is provided by the original coal-burning stoves.

Rush Strong School was closed in the mid-1960s when Sharps Chapel Elementary School opened. It is named for Rush Strong, a Knoxville merchant whose estate funded schools in his name in several East Tennessee counties, including Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox and Sevier.

Ogle said the school building is still sound. The roof needs painting, but it doesn't leak. Rouse had replaced broken windows over the years, and the group pays to keep the schoolyard mowed out of donations taken up at the monthly jam sessions. The building is also used for monthly meetings of a beagle hunting dog society.

Jam sessions are held every fourth Saturday except December, with four to 10 musicians playing and anywhere from two to 30 people in the audience, and newcomers always welcome.

"We have a lot of fun," said Ogle. "Just show up with your instrument or your voice. We just pass it around in a rotation. We welcome everyone."