There were
three school districts built and operated schools in the
valley: Big Cataloochee, Little Cataloochee, and
Caldwell Fork. Out of the three schools Big
Cataloochee's Beech Grove School is the only one that
remains. The school was built in 1901 to replace
an older log building. The schools followed the
curriculum and laws that the state ordered. The schools
only operated two to five months out of the year. It
normally ran from November to January but if sufficient
funds could be found it continued through February and
March. The schools in the valley normally started at 8
a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. Children ate in family
groups with the older ones watching out for the younger.
The subjects
they taught are similar to the ones today, like writing,
reading, arithmetic grammar and geography. The school
had parents day every Friday. School days ended in
Cataloochee soon after the park was established. With
many of the families relocating to other communities
left the desks empty, the black-board dusty and the
building a lot quieter than it used to be.
