The current brick structure “consolidated” elementary school at Star in Carter County was constructed and first used for the 1957-1958 school year. This brick structure has been expanded since 1958. This “consolidated” school replaced several smaller one room schools at Geigerville, Music, Norton Branch, and Star.
The previous one room schools at Star were located very near the site of the Star Furnace beside Star Creek (AKA Rachel Branch) about 0.4 miles due west along US 60 from the current brick school at Star. There were two small one room school buildings there. One served grades 1 to 4 and the other grades 5 to 8. Sometime in the early 1950’s the slightly larger upper grades building burned. A replacement for the burned upper grades, a one room cement block building, was built on the same lot and behind the later constructed brick “consolidated” Star Elementary school.
The building for grades 1-4 remains and is now a private residence. Obviously the building used for grades 5-8 that burned is gone. But, the cement block replacement behind the larger brick consolidated school remains and is used for various purposes by the current Star Elementary.
Click on this link for the location of the structure currently used as a house, but previously was a one room school serving grades 1 to 4 at the red teardrop marker (GPS 38.35235, -82.79834). The slightly larger building that served grades 5 to 8 that burned was located nearby.
Click on this link for the location of the one room cement block building that replaced the 5-8 grade building that burned at the red teardrop marker (GPS 38.35276, -82.79170).
Below is a photograph of the 1947-1948 Star School Class for grades 1 to 4.
Top Row – Left to Right – Teacher Nell Hereford, George Reeves, Sue Rigsby, Jimmy Holly, Shirley Hall, & Larry “Bub” Thomas
2nd Row – Left to Right – James Caudill, Jo Ann Wilburn, Robert Hutchinson, & Paula Stanley
3rd Row – Left to Right – Juanita Rigsby, Lester Rucker, Irene Berry, & Charles Gullett
4rd Row – Left to Right – Alan Wetzel Haney, Judy Hutchinson, Joe Hutchinson, Imogene Berry, Ralph Scott, & Phyllis Gullett
5th Row – Left to Right – Wanda Prater, Paul Allen Burton, Katy Holly, Joe Conley, Carolyn Thomas, & George Whitlock.
6th Row – Left to Right – Joyce Prater, Rosanna Polly Ruth Justice, Charlie Wilburn, James Wilburn, Jesse Hutchinson, & Geraldine Hall
A big thanks to Harold Bates for providing the 1947-1948 photograph. Steve Wolfe provided info about the one room cement school building. James Wilburn, JoAnn Wilburn Fannin, and Lydia Justice Edwards were also very kind and helpful in identifying the students in the photograph.
Enjoy! Lon
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