The white building that currently houses Tharptown Elementary School turns 75 years old this year. However, in 75 years, the school has grown from one building to several.
In 1886, Tharptown School began in an old church house located at present-day Tharptown Baptist Church. The school taught 40 students. Later, the school moved to the Smith House located across the road from the old Tharp’s store. Around 40 to 50 students attended school at the house, and grades one through seven were taught. Again, the school moved to the hill where Curtis Patton’s house sits before building the 75-year-old white building in 1939.
In 1936, the Tharptown Junior High School building’s bid was around $32,900. Later on, an old school building was moved onto the school’s property to serve as a lunchroom. Lunch around that time cost 10 cents, and the food came from local vendors. Having researched some of the history, current Tharptown Elementary principal Ann Scott found some old school receipts, and it appears that the milk came from Waco Dairy because the school paid them weekly.
The old building is said to be haunted, according to past and present teachers. Many of the retired teachers told tales of seeing a little boy walking down the halls. The current teachers in the building have heard noises from their classrooms.
“It is cool to hear the folklore that has been said over the years,” said Scott.
In 1955, a brick building was added to the school that included a new lunchroom, bathrooms and classrooms. A gym was added in the mid-1960s. In 1999, a new cafeteria and classrooms building was built for the growing student body.
However, the biggest change in the school happened on October 1, 2007, when the school was officially divided into Tharptown Elementary School and Tharptown High School. A new building and gym was built for the high school. This new transition started the 2006-2007 school year when the 10th grade was added. Every year another grade was added, and now the schools now teach kindergarten through the 12th grade. Even now, the school is expanding with the addition of a new library, computer lab and classroom space.
In 75 years, the only changes that have been made to the original white building were added partitions to divide classroom and office space. Even the original wooden floors can be found in the classrooms, and the old basketball court lines from the old gym in the new offices.
The changes the school has seen in these seven-and-a-half decades are the result of the vision the community, faculty and students have had for the school.
The first principal at the school was McKinnley Dailey, who served from 1939 to 1942. He was succeeded by the school’s first female principal, Estelle Floyd, who was principal for more than 20 years.
“This was astounding that the school had a woman principal from the 1940s to the 60s,” said Barry Laster, the current principal at Tharptown High School and former principal of Tharptown Elementary School from 2009-2013. “To be a women and a principal during that time for so long was odd.”
After Floyd, Wallace Wimberly became principal and served until Sherman Bates took office in 1963. Bates was principal until 1965 and later returned in 1976-1981. After Bates' first term, Peter O. Hall became principal, followed by Fletcher Sissions, O.J. McBrayer and A.C. Yielding. Mike Graham served from 1982 to 1987. He worked for the central office before retiring last year. Then Gary Smith became principal, and Donald Borden, current Franklin County assistant superintendent, took over from 1991-1993. He was followed by Jeff Wooten from 1993 to 1995.
Sandra Stone served as principal from 1995 to 1997, and then David Hogan took office from 1998 to 2005. He was followed by Laster, and then Scott in 2013 to the present.
“The first school started with nine teachers,” said Scott. “Today we have 28 faculty members at the elementary school and 21 faculty members at the high school.”
Some of these teachers actually went to Tharptown as students before coming back home to teach, including third-grade teacher Suzanne (Fisher) Borden, kindergarten teacher Susie (Hallmark) Sellers and third-grade teacher Chasti Clement.
Even Nashville Star contestant Zack Hacker attended Tharptown.
“Tharptown is a great community,” said Scott. “The people and churches here are very supportive. Our students are well-behaved and sweet, and the faculty is very close like a family.”
The school will hold an open house and birthday celebration on Thursday, April 30 from 5-7 p.m. All schools and building will be open for tours.
“We want to invite everyone to come to this event,” said Susie Stockton, TES reading specialist. “Please bring memorabilia from the school. We will have tables set up to share with everyone in the gym.”
The students will also celebrate that day during school. TES students will have a birthday party, cake, and dance to music from all the decades the school has seen. THS students will enjoy birthday cake during lunch.
