LONE OAK SCHOOL 1878-1919 was located at the intersection of Baker Road and the Old Nashville Turnpike.
It was early known as ETTA’S CHAPEL SCHOOL and then as School 2 in District no. 6. The site is shown on the Beers Map of 1878 as Chapel and S.H.
In a deed dated January 1895, T. B. Jordan signed a quit claim for one acre of “Etta Chapel Church Ground” to School Directors Thomas Miller, R. H. White, and R. A. Mann. Other known Directors were Thomas Miller, chairman, Charlie Culbertson, treasurer, and Maggie Floyd, clerk.
No building remains but an abandoned well makes the site of the schoolhouse which at first had only one room. Later another room was added to make it L-shaped. Windows had wooden shutters. Three stone steps led to the front door.
Among the teachers were S. D. Hall in 1900, Warmuth Peebles in 1908-1911, Ruth Maddux in 1914, Amanda Miller, R. H. White, Willie Bennett, Lelia Osborne, Florence Hill, and Miss Gregory.
An early student was Texanna Seward Wade, b. December 31, 1860. Sam Davis Bell, whose father was an undertaker in Murfreesboro, was also an early student. It was said that “during Warmuth Peebles’ period of teaching, window panes were painted green so students would not be distracted by passing ‘motor buggies’.”
Richie Wade Ferguson remembers that when a picture was made, Miss Gregory, who thought “she was too old and would spoil the picture,” went indoors and sat in the window to watch. The photographer took a good picture of the group including Miss Gregory sitting in the window.
The school closed when FLORENCE SCHOOL opened.
On December 16, 1919, the Rutherford County Board of Education sold to N. C. Dunn the one acre of school ground and the two-room building.
SOURCES: Deed Book 36, p. 306; Book 62, p. 509. Hoover, p. 260. *Gene Sloan, “Exploring Early Smyrna Schools,” The Daily News Journal Accent, Nov. 20, 1977. *Louise Wheeler Hilliard. *Julia Snell Aiphin. *Richie Wade Ferguson, b. Oct. 27, 1891, a daughter of Texanna Seward Wade, and also a student herself.