Not so long ago I had a conversation with Union County Mayor Dr. Jason Bailey.
His Honor and I were discussing his late grandfather Elmer Bailey, who was the son of a good friend of my father, Jim Bailey. I was aware that Elmer lived in the old Rose Hill School.
Jason offered me the opportunity to visit the old school—a thrilling venture for me—as there are very few of the old one- and two-room schoolhouses left.
I was surprised to learn that the school itself was, according to Dr. Bailey, just the one room located at the left side of Elmer Bailey’s former home. Jason said his grandfather adjoined his house to the right side of the stone school building but did not actually live in any part of the school itself.
The earliest register on file at the Union County Board of Education is for school year 1938-39 and records that Rose Hill School was a stone building constructed in 1939. It was heated with an ordinary stove.
To Jason's and my delight, what is surely the last Warm Morning stove that heated the school is still in the 946-square-foot building. Water was provided by a spring on the grounds. There were two sanitary toilets for the one-teacher school, taught in the year 1938-39 by Sam Harless.
I was delighted to learn that one of my sixth grade teachers, Marie McPhetridge (later wife of Charles H. Lynch, Jr., my first school principal at Maynardville Elementary), taught at Rose Hill in 1939-40. She had previously taught in four locations for a total of seven years and five months, though she was not yet married. In 1940-41, Rose Hill had two teachers: Joe Davis and Atta McDowell.
In 1941-42, McDowell was joined by another of my former teachers, the legendary Hazel D. Walters (later the wife of longtime chair of the Union County Board of Education Cecil H. Butcher, Sr.). Prior to her time of service at Rose Hill, Hazel (whose paddle, incidentally, can now be found at the Union County Historical Society building) had taught at three locations for six years. She attended the State Teachers College at Johnson City for a total of 94 college credits and held a permanent teacher certificate issued on July 25, 1938.
Other teachers were to serve at Rose Hill for school term 1942-43—Ina Hendrix and Carl Nicely. In 1943-44, Hendrix was joined by Frank Carter, grandfather of the present Director of the Union County Public Schools, Dr. James E. (Jimmy) Carter. Frank Carter was born January 31, 1903, and was principal of Rose Hill.
Prior to his tenure at Rose Hill, Carter had taught seven years in four different locations. He was an elementary school graduate, had attended two years of high school, and taught on a permit. He was joined at Rose Hill by Helen Myers. They both continued at Rose Hill through school year 1945-46, though Ina Hendrix returned to replace Helen Myers for 1946-47.
In 1947-48, Mr. Carter left Rose Hill and was replaced by the lady who in the future would be my elementary school librarian, Betty L. Huddleston (later wife of Hollis Johnson). Betty was born May 21, 1926. Prior to teaching at Rose Hill, she taught for three years at one other location. She was a high school graduate and attended the University of Tennessee for six weeks, receiving nine hours of college credit, all of which were education credits.
Frank Carter returned to Rose Hill in 1948, joined by Billy Sexton. The school year of 1949-50 saw two new teachers for Rose Hill: Mary Lou Buckner, and another of my former sixth and seventh grade teachers at Maynardville Elementary, Sara Buckner.
Buckner was born on January 9, 1921. She held a permanent teaching certificate issued on August 25, 1941. She had attended the University of Tennessee for eight quarters from fall term 1939 through the summer of 1941. She had five years teaching experience at three different locations prior to serving at Rose Hill. Frank Carter returned once again to Rose Hill for school year 1950-51.
Two new teachers were found at Rose Hill for 1951-52, and I would know both later in their lives—Vada Lynch Monroe (mother of former Union County school bus contractor and prominent Republican L. D. Monroe) and Mossie Lou Gilbert Buckner, who served as a substitute teacher for me in elementary school.
Vada first taught at Mossy Springs in 1928-29, then returned to Maynardville in 1942-43, then to Hubbs Grove, Nave Hill for four years, and Brocks for one year prior to teaching at Rose Hill. She attended Lincoln Memorial University for one quarter in 1947, then attended the University of Tennessee from 1947-51. She was born on July 1, 1911.
Mossie was born on May 11, 1909. She began teaching in 1930 at Privett Flatts, then moved to Oakland, Hickory Valley, Central View, Raccoon Valley, then served at Cedar Grove for eight years before coming to Rose Hill.
Vada was replaced by Gawain Houston in 1952-53. Many students will remember Houston as a health and driver education teacher at Horace Maynard High School in his later career.
I knew Houston as a substitute teacher when I was an eighth grader. Houston liked to teach about “initiative”—doing something before being asked just because it was the right thing to do. He was a kind gentleman.
I remember he once substituted for Geneva Ailor. It was on Friday, and Ailor had left a spelling test. Houston liked to talk, and it took him a long time to get a short distance.
After about 45 minutes, with about ten minutes left in class, he asked, “What number are we on?” I think the answer was number ten, with about fifteen to go, and he said, “Boys, we’z a getting’ somewheres now!”
Houston taught from 1933-34 at Capps Creek, followed by four years at Walkers, then Big Sinks and four years at Rush Strong.
Houston was joined by Helen Whited in 1953-54, and she was joined by Faye McBee in 1954-55 and Clarence Nicely in 1955-56.
Nicely was joined by Betty Clarkson in 1956-57. I was to know Betty later in her life when she worked at the Union County Health Department.
Betty was joined by Ms. Ella Jane Nicely Lay at Rose Hill in 1957-58. I remember Ella Jane as a second grade teacher at Maynardville Elementary when I was a student there. She was in poor health, so she was on leave when I was in second grade. She was sister to legendary Union County elementary basketball coach Robert Glenn (Bulldog) Nicely.
I presently live next door to Ella’s house, now owned by her sister Pat Nicely Thomas. Ella Jane was born on October 4, 1937. She attended the University of Tennessee from 1955-57 and taught at Lay’s School in Grainger County for one year prior to teaching at Rose Hill.
Another teacher I was to know later in her life taught at Rose Hill in 1958-59, Bloma Rush.
Bloma is probably the oldest living Union County public school teacher. She was born on June 31, 1926. I remember Bloma teaching at Maynardville Elementary when I was a student.
Prior to Rose Hill, Bloma taught at Brocks and later taught at Nave Hill. Bloma was a neighbor to my mother Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Sampson when her mother Margaret Raby “Tiny” (Mrs. Charlie Sampson) passed away.
My mother thought highly of Bloma and her husband for their many kindnesses. Bloma substituted for a teacher who was on maternity leave for part of the one year I served as principal at Luttrell Elementary—I fondly remember her kindness to me as we worked through that somewhat challenging year.
Betty Clarkson was joined at Rose Hill for school year 1959-60 by Joe Davis, who returned to Rose Hill after having spent most of his teaching career at Wood Dale School.
The last year Rose Hill School appears to have been in service was school year 1960-61, as that is the final register on file at the Union County Board of Education.
In its final year, only one teacher, Louisa B. Riley, was on staff. I was to know her when I was principal of Sharps Chapel Elementary School and she was serving as an assistant to the Bible Lady and took students to a local church for release time.
Several of the names of students recorded in registers throughout the years I was privileged to know, and I will share memories of some of those fine folks in future articles.
My good friend Jason Bailey became an even better friend when he gave me copies of some of the old books still at Rose Hill School. One of those is "Kids Say the Darndest Things!" by Art Linkletter (© 1957, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ), illustrated by the great Charles Schulz (of Peanuts comic strip fame) with an introduction by Walt Disney. I will have more to say about this book in other future articles.