Vardy Community School, Presbyterian mission school in Hancock County, United States
Vardy Community School is a school complex in Hancock County near the Tennessee-Virginia border that includes multiple educational buildings, a church, a manse, and a library. The main structure, a three-story schoolhouse built in 1929, provided instruction from first through eighth grade and contained living quarters for teachers and students.
The school was founded in 1892 by the Holston Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church. It remained active until 1955, when it became part of the public school system in Hancock County.
The school served children from Melungeon communities, a multiracial group living in remote mountain regions of Tennessee and Virginia. It provided educational access to these young people during a period when such opportunities were scarce.
The complex sits along Blackwater Road in a rural area with hilly terrain. Visitors should expect unpaved ground and limited on-site visitor information, so checking access details beforehand is wise.
In 2000, the 19th-century log cabin of Melungeon moonshiner Mahala Mullins was relocated near the school grounds. The structure stands as a reminder of the area's inhabitants and their economic lives during that era.
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