History of the Historic Bell Buckle School
The following details were taken from the Heritage Development Report Public Service Project of the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation
Introduction
The Bell Buckle High School officially opened on September 9, 1927. Bell Buckle High School was a great success for the town of Bell Buckle, and enrollment continued to increase throughout the years, making additions to the school necessary. In 1938, with New Deal funding via the Works Progress Administration, a new primary room and vocational home economics department were constructed on the south side of the school, and the following year the gymnasium was added. The most significant addition to the school came in 1953 with the grade school expansion. The school would now provide to grades one through twelve. The final change was made in 1963 with the addition of a laboratory and classrooms.
The End of Segregation in Bell Buckle
The African-American school was located in Wartrace, TN. The two separate schools integrated by 1967-1968. At that time there were 315 White students and 60 Black students for a total enrollment of 375.
Tragedy in Bell Buckle
Bell Buckle School's trajectory changed in 1972. Tragedy struck in the early hours of the morning on April 18, 1972. A fire broke out in what is thought to be the gymnasium of the Bell Buckle School at around midnight on April 18, 1972. It was reported that the fire alarm sounded at 12:30 am following the conclusion of a PTA meeting at 9:30 pm the night before. Billy Crosslin, a resident of Bell Buckle, was returning home from work when he observed the smoke from the burning school. Crosslin stated that "the gym was already on fire and going fast. Flames were already coming from the roof.” After the fire was extinguished, only the elementary classrooms survived, leaving the 350 students who attended grades one through twelve without a school. Jack Montgomery, chairman of the Bedford County School Board, quickly responded with a temporary solution to run two shifts at the nearby Wartrace school. Bell Buckle residents faced a devastating event, with many students grieving the loss of their beloved school.
Bell Buckle School Officially Closes Doors
On April 25, 1972 members of the Bedford County School Board of Education unanimously voted to build a new school, but not in Bell Buckle. They located Cascade School between Bell Buckle and Wartrace to accommodate grades kindergarten through 8 and a high school for grades 9 through 12 with the new addition of a county-wide vocational program. With the building of Cascade school, the remaining parts of the Bell Buckle School would remain empty and abandoned, leaving the community of Bell Buckle with an absence in their beloved town.
