The Gamble School

This was a school built by a Black community for its own children in the days of segregation. Erected in the nineteen twenties, it was named for A. G. Gamble, the local leader who led the fundraising. Much of the money came from area residents themselves, alongside public funds and a grant from the Rosenwald Fund, the philanthropy of Sears president Julius Rosenwald, which helped build nearly five thousand schools for Black children across the South.

Known at times as the Blount County Training School, it taught children through the tenth grade. Water came from a nearby stream, potbellied stoves provided heat, and the textbooks were hand me downs from the white schools. It later closed when a newer school opened. A historical marker now stands here.