Inspiration and a skeleton outline for this project was 
taken from a small booklet published by the Claxton Community Club
and the Claxton Homemaker's Club in the fall of 1987.  It was 
researched by Hazel Crittenden Ball with sketches by Etta Floyd.
It was dedicated to Mrs. John (Nettie Cantrell) Bigham  "A lady 
who loved Claxton community and thought it important to preserve
it's history for future generations."  Five Gospel Groups, games, 
and a craft show were all enjoyed at the Claxton School building for
two days.

CLAXTON SCHOOL
1921-1978

Claxton is located in the south central section of McMinn Co.
on County Road 750 where 757 intersects. 
 It was named for J.P. Claxton, TN State Commissioner of 
Edcation at the time. A couple influential school board members who
helped get the school were Dawson McMahan and Bill Henderson. 

Claxton was one of the first consolidated schools in the
county. It was sort of a community effort at it's construction.
Although the brick was hauled in on wagons the sand for the mortar
was hauled in locally.  The local citizens of the community lent their 
skills and labor to complete the well deserved project.  Meigs J.
Brewer, a local carpenter and saw miller, led in the supervision 
of the  local workers in it's construction.

 Later the flat roof began to leak and a pitched roof was
added and the bell was moved from ground level to the bell tower
where it was also used to summons locals of any drastic occurrances
like a death, fire, etc.

 There were about four large classrooms to start  boasting of
over 200 students. An opening day photo is available showing all
students from the feeder communities. 

A huge auditorium and two small dressing rooms were added later
behind and on each side of the stage. Two other classrooms were added
when the east wing was built. Overflow classes were always held in 
the auditorium around a pot bellied stove. Coal was used later in all 
classrooms as well. A dynamo was installed on the east side in a 
separate little building before electricity was available. It was 
also used at night time activities like pie suppers, singing schools, 
and other community projects.

The first principal was a woman named Cora Cotter from Calhoun.
Other first teachers were Roy Calhoun, Johnny Watts, 
"Cripple"  Frank Rowland and Hattie Suttereth. 
Johnny Watts, the last to survive, died a few years ago.
A zerox picture is available of these first teachers.
Also a [list] of most all of the teachers and principals is available.

A good description of this early school can be found from the
McMinn County Heritage Book, McMinn and It's People, family #358 of
John Bigham being interviewed by Cynthia Bigham:

 “I was the basketball coach the first year Claxton won the county
tournament. Who were some players on your teams? In 1926-27 the 
players were Chester Lingerfelt, Wimp Barker, Brownie Clark, Jack 
Smith, Lester Harris, Buster Clark and Olen Ware.  The grammar school
boys were Parker Rowland, Ralph Lattimore, C.A. Barker, Ted Carver,
Spence McDonald, Ted Long, J.K. Pickens, and Paul Lattimore.

Who were on the teams when you played? The first team was
in 1921-22.  The coaches were Roy Calhoun and Frank Rowland.
The first year there was  only one class of high schoolers.  The 9th 
graders were Des Bigham, Ott Harrison, Ross Reed, Charlie Perkins,
Hazel White, Hubert Partain, Ross Davis, and Spence Pickens. I was
still in elementary but they let me play with the 9th graders. What
about the next few years? Jim Millard was a player-coach. He would
play whenever we played a 4 year team.
Some of the other players were Lake Davis, Dovie Jenkins, Tom Carr,
Leonard  Carver, John  Smith, and Charles "Spoonie" Leslie.

Did you sing or know anyone who did or played an instrument?
Nearly everyone sang hymns in church. I was song leader at Jones Chapel
from 1956-80. Some of the old timers who sang were Tom and Frank
Rowland, Lawrence Shamblin, and Oscar Swafford. 
Charlie Dodson and my brother Pooch played the fiddle.
Brisco Davis was good on the banjo."

ANOTHER COACH IN THE LATE '30'S WAS 
CLARENCE "SHACK" ALLEN. 
HIS STORY IS ALSO IN THE 
McMINN CO HERITAGE BOOK; FAMILY # 305:

 "I coached both boys and girls basketball. The uniforms were 
quite ragged and ill fitting. One day about the end of school we went
to McMinn High to play in the tournament. One of the boys didn't have 
a suit. I happened to have a bathing suit in my car so I sent for it
and told him to put it on. When I arrived later the boy had somehow put 
his head through the jockey of the bathing suit using it as suspenders. 
We still have a good laugh even now when some of my former students
come by to see me.

Another time Breezy Wynn, a former UT fullback, heard of our
athletic problems and gave us a good deal on some new uniforms of which
he was affiliated. Those uniforms served for a couple decades! We won
the tournament the three years I coached there."
 

Update:

Clarence died this summer at age 85. 
Dillard Barnett was undoubtedly the longest serving principal 
and coach of the school, famous for many tournament wins. Mention 
should be made of the girls athletic abilities too. Both girls and 
boys were exceptionally large for their age it seems which lent to 
many successful seasons.

The building was leased out to the Claxton Community Club 
for several years while it still functioned, and used as a voting
place as well.

The building fell into disrepair after the demise of the club.
After several unsuccessful attempts at burning the building  by 
vandals it finally succomed in the early '90's. A Volunteer Fire Hall
and EMS was erected later carrying out other functions as voting and
reunions and projects.  Pictures of the school and it's activities 
can be viewed in the fire hall.

Claxton has it's reunions on the Saturday closest to the 4th
of July every year. The early spirit of this prominent community still
shows in the exhuberance of it's slowly demishing body.
It was a great school!!

By Bill Bigham.
Sources: Personal recollections of myself and other students,
the booklet "Claxton and the Surrounding  Area."

BAKER'S STORE

This general merchandise two story building stood near 
the South Liberty Baptist Church is now.  It was painted yellow with
a  full front porch and a single front door.

Source: "Claxton and the Surrounding Area".

BIG FOOT SCHOOL 
OR
SCYBERTS' CHAPEL
 

Big Foot is thought to have been built in the early 1900's 
and joined the Wilson and Dodd Farms. It was about a couple miles 
north or behind Trew's Store up Co. Rd. 783 to Co Rd 782. It stood 
on the SE corner of this intersection.  The Love Cemetery is on the 
same hill above.

Some teachers were John Denton, Ellie Hicks, John Rymer, 
Flora McGee in 1904, Martye Melton 1907, Denyer Smith 1908, and 1910,
W.B. Melton in 1909. In 1913 Mr. Charlie Haun was the teacher.  It 
was called Scyberts Chapel by the school commissioner, Lake Gentry
from 1903-1911 in his record book.  It was used as a church also. 
It is noted for the big revival held in 1922.  There was a second
building in front of the old one. All this being on a hill. 

The McMinn Co Heritage Book, McMinn and It's People, gives
this account: "The school was a frame structure, and as there was no
water close by the students had to carry water from Bob Dodd's house
which was up the road.  They used a dipper to drink or a folding metal
cup. A pot bellied stove provided heat in the winter. According to 
Irene Posey Newberry, she walked 2 1/2 miles to school everyday. 
If the weather was bad her father took her in a buggy.  School was 
dismissed when it was cotton and pea-picking time, so the children 
could help harvest the crops.

All the students brought their lunches consisting of biscuits
with meat (ham or sausage) or a biscuit with jelley.  Boiled corn in
the summer and homade sweets.
 

Some teachers Irene remembers were: Mrs. Webb, Edith Moses,
Spurgeon Simpson, Eb Simpson, and John Lattimore.
Fellow Classmates were John Smith, Mildred and Gladys Trew,
Kelvia Barker, Nina Akins, Edna and Ruby Carver, Roy and Lawrence
Wilson and Evelyn Truelove." 

Two other earlier teachers were John Denton and Ella Hicks.
The school merged with Claxton in 1921.
Personal comments: Since there were two different buildings at 
one time, I’m not sure if anyone knows just how old the first one
is.  I remember reading that the school was on the East side of the
Pickens and Wilson line.  If this is the line of John and Nancy 
Bower Pickens who came to the Jones Chapel Community, McMinn Co. 
in 1820, then the school is much older than some think. There could
have been a third school that nobody can remember! 

Sources: McMinn and It's People: Pickens Family Article is # 935.
Big Foot School Article # 149, and # 209.
Edited by: Bill Bigham

CLEAR SPRINGS CUMBERLAND
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
Formerly
PLEASANT HILL

"At the spring session of the Hiwassee Presbytery, in the year
1843, after prayer and preaching, twenty three people with letters
presented themselves from the Spring Creek Church to unite with 
the Pleasant Hill Church. They were Anderson Clark, Isabella Clark,
John Clark, William Scarbrough, Emely Dillon, Emeline Willson,
Pressley Longly, Mary Hambright, Melissa Hambright, Madison Ham-
bright, Deniza Hambright, George McConnell, Lane McConnell,John 
Armstrong, Nancy Armstrong, Bryant Manker, Abraham Michaels, Allison
Templeton, John Hampton, John Camp, Mary Camp, James S. Liner and
Nancy Coughman." There are no records  known showing how far back 
Pleasant Hill Church goes back at the present. One can rightly 
suspect it was a close rival to Hiwassee Baptist Church which has
minutes in 1812. There is no recorded evidence of any school being 
held in Pleasant Hill Church but one can suspect there was. The large
numbers of it's tombstones in the two cemeteries lend evidence to 
the fact that this community has been flourishing for many more years
than is given credit.

The movement for a second building was started in 1851,
being finished in April 1860. The Elders then were: "Anderson Clark,
John Clark, Thomas Bishop, Wade Hampton, William Porter and William 
Scarbrough" who sold the two acres for the church for $12.50.

Members of the congregation did most of the work and
furnished most of the materials. It is a one room sactuary with
a pot bellied stove in the center at it's early beginning.

The name was changed to Clear Springs Cumberland Presby-
terian Church possibly because a large spring is at the north end
which still issues crystal clear water.

Clear Springs is known for it's early camp meetings, it's
famous singing schools and the male gospel quartet composed of
Tom Bishop, Fletcher Melton, John McDonald and Allen McDonald. 
(A zerox picture of one singing school is available upon request
listing about three dozen students.) One correction to the Heritage 
Book is the school was held in a separate building up the hill
from the church and across the road.

Today the church is only used for an occassional funeral 
and the annual homecomeing on the second Sundays in June.

The bell from it's belfry no longer tolls as it once did 
beconning the faithful to come and worship in this historical church
which lies down an embankment off county road 956 leading in from 750.

Source: McMinn Co. and It's People, pp 71,72.
Edited by: Bill Bigham
 
 
 

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