The old school at Little Greenbrier (Great Smoky Mountains), built ca. 1880 by the community’s residents. The walls are made of hewn yellow poplar logs with dove-tail notches. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Do you recognize this structure? If you do it means you’ve been into the back side of the park near Metcalf Bottoms and have spent some time in Little Greenbrier School. Little Greenbrier School is where the kids from the area were taught how to read and write in the winters in the early 1900’s. I can’t imagine how difficult it would have been to get to the school, it was hard enough getting there in a car on roads provided by the park service!
You can find this little gem of a building by getting to Metcalf Bottoms in the park, and following the river road. Ask at the visitor’s center, they will know the best way into this area. Be prepared though, the gravel road is two-way but can only accommodate the width of one car, so you may have to back up if you meet another vehicle. Just one of those interesting things to talk about after your trip.
Notice the width of the boards used to build the schoolhouse. They were milled from nearby Tulip Poplar trees which can grow to be very large. There aren’t any trees this size in the park anymore, but they were put to good use by the area settlers.
In addition to the schoolhouse there is an old cemetery and a hiking trail to Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. Definitely worth the trip.
Useful Links:
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/picnic.htm
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/historyculture/winter-stories.htm
Southern Serenity - a Log Cabin in the Smokies 