Located off of Buffalo Valley School Road in the unincorporated Putnam County community of Buffalo Valley is the 1929 Buffalo Valley School. Built by local volunteers and carpenters, the building is situated on five acres near Indian Creek. The school was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under National Register Criteria A & C for its significance in Architecture, Education, and Social History. The building has been a center of community life in Buffalo Valley since its construction in 1929. Used as a school and community center until the school closed in 1966, the building still functions as a community center and library. Throughout its history the building has hosted a variety of activities including fairs, plays, movies, and musical performances. Over the years, the building was an important source of pride for the citizens of the community. In addition to education, the building functioned as a gathering place for the community. In the 1930s, movies were shown and prior to electricity they were powered by a dynamo run from a Model T Ford with cables fed in through the windows. The operators were Spurrel and Goldie Heflin from Lancaster, Tennessee. Throughout the 1940s, thanks to the efforts of a progressive principal, stars of the Grand Ole Opry regularly played the Buffalo Valley School stage. The procession of country stars stopping over for local performances en route to larger venues included Johnny Cash, Flatt and Scruggs, Uncle Dave Macon, the Carter Family, Chet Atkins and others.
All information above was taken from the original documents submitted to the NRHP for consideration and can be viewed at the link below. The school was later added to the register on July 5, 2006.
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/ffa8f707-90f0-4f2f-925...
The historical marker above erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission reads:
Built as the Great Depression began, Buffalo Valley School opened in 1929 and served continuously until 1966. It withstood flood and neglect as the once-thriving agricultural community gave way to urban consolidation. An important example of rural American school architecture, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and still serves as an anchor of community life.
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
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