THE HISTORY OF VANLEER SCHOOL

 

            The present Vanleer School is located in the third district of Dickson County in the town of Vanleer on Highway 49.  There were several schools in the Vanleer area for which some records were found: two Ebenezer Schools, Antioch School, a Scription School, the school that was located on the present Vanleer Church of Christ's lot, Clover Dale College, the old Vanleer School and the present Vanleer School. We begin our history of Vanleer School with a well known landmark, Clover Dale, for this college shows the intense desire of the residents of the area for good schools. 

            Clover Dale College was located in Bell Hollow approximately three miles from the town of Vanleer.  The ancestral home of the late Dr. Walter A. Bell, Jr. was established when his  great-grandfather moved there from Virginia in 1818.  Clover Dale College was established by the Bell ladies in 1840 and continued in operation until 1899.

            The first Ebenezer School was located on the Oscar Bull homeplace on Vanleer-Dry Hollow Road.  It was a log building put together using wooden pegs instead of nails.  The school included a fire place, long wooden benches and crude wooden tables for study.  The building was used as a church on Sunday and as a stable when school was no longer held there.  The building no longer exist.

            The second Ebenezer School was built on Highway 49 next to Hamilton Cemetery near the present home of Billy McGee. It was a one-room log building.  Some of the teachers were Mr. Joe Greer and Mr. Clifton.  Some students were Mrs. Bertha Wall Stokes and Mrs. Dottie Pancher Ragan.

            Antioch School was a one-room frame building built across the road from Hamilton Cemetery on the Victor Wall farm.  The building was also used as a church.  Among the teachers that taught there were: Claude Slayden  @1910, Mrs. Lula Loggins Anderson 1916, Excel Loggins, Mary Belle Bryant, and Magalene Mathis Parcher.  Some of the pupils were the children of Allen Wall and the Walter Lee children.  After the school closed, the building was used as a church for several more years before being torn down.

            The old Vanleer Jr. High School was built on the Outlaw farm on Highway 49 at the intersection of Cedar Creek Road and Highway 49.  Beatrice Hassell's home is on this property today.  The two story building had a classroom upstairs with two classrooms, and auditorium, and stage downstairs. Some of the classrooms were partitioned for extra room. During hot weather, classes were often held under the trees outside. For the first time a school lunch program was begun.  Lunches were cooked on a large pot-bellied stove in the classroom until the addition of a small shed for this purpose.  Until this time, students had had to provide their own lunch, often brought to school in a small bucket. The student population gladly welcomed the addition of the hot School Lunch Program.

            Following is a list of the principals and teachers at the old Vanleer School:

                                                            Principals

 

                        Mr. Monroe Allison                              Mr. Barrett

                        Mr. J. D. Conwell                                 Mr. Oliver Cunningham (1939-1941)

                        Mr. Edwards                                        Mr. Leslie Houston (1936-1939)

                        Mr. Alvin Jackson (1932-1934)           Mr. Minor Stuart (1926-1930)

                                                           

                                                             Teachers

 

                        Charlie Baker               Verble Bell                   Marvin Choate

                        Mable Coleman            Oliver Cunningham       Sibyl Deason

                        Nell Freeman                Lucy Leech                  Lola Miller

                        Bertha Oakley              Alvie Payne                  Ruth Pentecost

                        Pearl Roth                    Etta Kate Scott Mary Alice Sensing

                        Hazel Smith                  Edna S. Stuart              Mary Stuart

                        Jewell Suggs                 Pauline Weakley Wall

 

            The old Vanleer Jr. High building was condemned by the state in 1941 and school could no longer be held there.  The building continued to be used for a Lodge Hall until it burned in the winter of 1950.

            Our present building, "The New Vanleer Jr. High School". was built in 1940-1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt's work program (N.Y.A.) under the supervision of Mr. Sam Lowe.  The land was purchased from Mr. Charlie Burton and located on the north side of town on Highway 49.  The brick building consisted of four classrooms, an auditorium with stage, an office, a library and a cafeteria in the basement.  On March 30, 1944, the first community organization was held for the purpose of building a community cannery.  The residents of the community could can produce for their own use and also to subsidize the School Lunch Program.  Four more classrooms and restrooms were completed in 1950-1951.  Also built that year were the gymnasium and the G. I. Workshop.  Mr. Oliver Cunningham,  Mr. Jim Cooksey, and Mr. Billy Averitte taught some of the G. I. classes.  A Principal's Home was built in 1950 on the school grounds by community and county labor.  The first principal to live in the new house was Mr. Tom Riley and his wife Mary.  Mr. Jesse Fiser and his family were the last principal to live there. The Principal's Home was later sold as most principals preferred to live in their own home as they were from the community.

            When some Dickson County schools were consolidated in 1954, Vanleer became an elementary school with grades one through eight.  The ninth and tenth grade students were sent to Charlotte High School and students from Woods Valley, Slayden and Stoney Point were transferred to Vanleer School. Kindergarten was added to the curriculum in 1972.  The seventh and eighth grades were removed to Charlotte Jr. High when Dickson County High School opened in 1972. Vanleer Elementary became a K-6 school and so remained until the county schools were again revamped in the1999-2000 school year. At that time Vanleer Elementary became a K-5 school. On October 28, 2001, Vanleer Elementary celebrated 60 years in its present building with a community-wide Birthday Party.  All alumni and faculty were invited and over 2000 were in attendance.   

The old building was deconsecrated on June 2, 2003, as students, faculty, and community celebrated “Aloha Day.”  After the deconsecration, those in attendance then walked about 1 mile to the new Vanleer Elementary school for a consecration and tree planting event. The new Vanleer Elementary School opened its doors on August 4, 2003.  The building is located on what was once known as the “Peach Orchard” one hundred years ago.  The land was purchased from Homer and Helen Barbee.  Open House for the community was held September 7, 2003.  At that time, the gymnasium was dedicated the  Dr. Walter, A. Bell, Jr. Memorial Gym in memory of a local Vanleer physician. The library was dedicated to the memory of Mr. Ray Edgin and Mr. Billy Averitte, The Averitte-Edgin Library.

           

                This history was gathered by Mrs. Catherine Hamilton, a former teacher at Vanleer Elementary. and others who shared their fond memories of Vanleer School.  The Homecoming Committee would like to thank them for their love and commitment to the school and community.  We will be forever indebted to them