ore than 100 old friends and former staff came together last month during the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center’s “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture Speaker Series” focusing on Cowee School’s 82-year past. Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center (CSAHC) Board Member Susan Ervin served as moderator, and former Cowee School Principal Bill Dyar, Founding CSAHC Director Stacy Guffey, and current CSAHC Director Laura Brooks sat on the panel .
The site of the school is where multiple Cherokee villages once thrived. Further, the area has long been the cornerstone of the Cowee community.
In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built on the property; and, in 1943, the stone buildings formed the facility that still stands today. It served as an elementary school until the early 2000s, when a new elementary school was built. In 2012, in an effort to repurpose the building, Mainspring Conservation Trust joined with Macon County and the Cowee Community Development Organization.
What was an elementary school became a heritage center, which has as its mission to “promote the teaching and preservation of the cultural and artistic heritage of the Southern Appalachians and Cherokee people and to serve as a community resource and gathering place.” Activities, events, classes, exhibits, and monthly lectures are currently held at CSAHC.
Precious memories
The July panel held a lively discussion led by Dyar, who reminisced about his days as principal. He thanked Ronnie and Cissy Beale for being a driving force with the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization). “In 1987, so much needed to be done, and you guys did yourself proud to keep this school going,” said Dyar.
Guffey shared the school’s history and the establishment of the Arts and Heritage Center. Ronnie Beale and Bobby Kuppers served as commissioners when the school was purchased from the Macon County Board of Education for just $1. “It was the will of the Cowee community to preserve the school as the center, so the community drew up a plan,” remarked Guffey.
After the panel discussion, Ervin opened the floor for questions and recollections. Most audience members were former students, and they eagerly shared their memories of attending the school. Bill McGaha recalled that most boys came to school barefoot, and it was a contest to see who could go the longest without shoes once winter started. Several others recalled bringing produce or coal to help support the school’s cafeteria and heating.
Lisa Leatherman, Jane Gibson, and Bonnie Bennett represented the class of 1977. The three recited the names of all their teachers. They also asked Dyar if he remembered anything about a time capsule buried near the flagpole, though the exact location remains unknown. Several people volunteered to bring their metal detectors to try to find it.
The stories were both funny and sentimental. Discipline was noted as being handled differently “back in the day,” and many men in attendance recollected that a visit to the principal’s office as a boy resulted in a new perspective on their mischief. Grown men chuckled about their indiscretions and the punishment they received.
All in all, it was a joyful night full of stories and history. Photographs, report cards, school assignments, and more were brought to the event by former students, and some remain temporarily near the entryway for visitors to peruse.
Brooks intends to continue building on past successes and broaden the school’s outreach in the community. “All of the events we have here — from Cowee Christmas to [activities for] fourth graders, to free art days — speak to the track we are taking…”
To keep up with all that is happening at CSAHC, visit coweeschool.org or call (828)369-4080 to be added to the monthly newsletter.