Little Greenbrier School

Little Greenbrier School is a log schoolhouse built from yellow poplar wood on stone foundations, located in the mountains of Tennessee. The structure features a gabled roof covered in oak shingles and a brick chimney for heating.

The schoolhouse was built in 1882 after mountain residents requested educational facilities for their children. It operated continuously for 54 years until closure in 1936 as the local population shifted and changed.

The building served dual purposes as a classroom and meeting place for a Primitive Baptist congregation, with a burial ground on the property. This combination of school and church was common in isolated mountain settlements where one structure had to serve the community in multiple ways.

The schoolhouse is located in the Metcalf Bottoms area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and can be reached by hiking through the park. The setting is accessible to visitors interested in walking through wooded terrain to explore historic structures.

Students from across Little River Valley traveled long distances daily to attend classes at this mountain schoolhouse, which was taught by 39 different teachers over its years of operation. This high turnover of instructors reflects how challenging it was to recruit and retain qualified teachers in such a remote mountain location.