About Us
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We are a small, charming., K-5 school nestled in the heart of
the
Blue Ridge Mountains. Founded in 1895, our stone building
stands
as the center of a close-knit, youth-oriented, and supportive
community.
Humble
Beginnings
The
importance of education has
long been present in the Bald Creek Community. This community
has
been an educational leader in many ways. The first schoolhouse in the
Bald Creek was built before the Civil War. Bald Creek proudly
hosted the first public high school in Yancey County, opening in 1907.
In 1895,
the community began a
movement to establish a larger, better facility than had ever been
possible. Mr. Thomas Ray gave land for the new
school.
Other community men cut trees from their land for lumber. A
united and determined community donated all materials and labor to help
establish a better educational facility. This new building
was
located just a few hundred feet from our present elementary school.
A
committee of interested citizens
secured two young, male college graduates (Mr. Hart and Mr. Elliott) as
teachers. They were very capable and ambitious.
They even
proposed to call the new school Mountain City College. While
the
new building was being built, classes were held in the old building and
the nearby Bald Creek Methodist church.
Even
before the new building was
completed, students sought out Bald Creek School from other places such
as Madison and McDowell Counties and at least one student from Del Rio,
Tennessee.
Mr. Hart
and Mr. Elliott gave up
their positions after two years. Mr. Oscar Sams was appointed
as
principal and teacher. He was assisted by Miss Georgia
Hampton,
who taught music as well. There was no graduating class at
the
time, but a three-day commencement was held hosting a prominent speaker
and a visiting minister to preach at the nearby Methodist Church.
At the end
of Mr. Sams’
tenure, the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist
Church assumed responsibility of the school and appointed Rev. Berge
Abernathy as principal and Rev. A.C. Kennedy as assistant
principal. This lasted for about three years and then the
community
again took over the operation of the school. Mr. John C.
McEwen
(a former teacher) was appointed principal. Mr. Edgar
Mallonee
followed him.
Some years
later, Mr. Charles R.
Hubbard became principal. He remained in his position for
twelve
years and the school grew and prospered.
During the
early twenties there
was a large number of boarding students from Madison County, Little
Switzerland, Relief, and other areas of the county. Another
building was soon added to house elementary students.
