The job of a school teacher has never been easy, even under the best of circumstances.
This coming school year will be made all the more difficult, due to all the coronavirus restrictions that will be in place.
Teaching school in the earlier days of Graham County was certainly no bed of roses – per an article submitted by Mabel C. Orr, who taught school here beginning in 1924. She had graduated from East Carolina Teachers College – which is now East Carolina University – in Greenville, N.C.
After graduation at age 19, Mabel applied for a teaching position in Graham County. She was hired by Harve Moody and instructed to come to Robbinsville. She rode the train – which took two days to get to Topton, where she then rode a mail car on to Robbinsville. From there, she went to Stump Ford north of Robbinsville, which is now under the waters of Santeetlah Lake. There, she boarded with John and Lillie Orr.
Her teaching job was at Santeetlah School, which was six miles from where she was living with the Orr’s. To get to the school, she crossed a swinging bridge over the Cheoah River and farther on the trail, crossed another swinging bridge over Santeetlah Creek.
Santeetlah School had around two dozen children, ranging from second grade to seventh grade. Books and other teaching supplies were scarce. What few books there were had been used until they were falling apart.
The school had a large, wood-burning stove for heat. The men in the community supplied the fire wood, but it was left up to the teacher to supply kindling. One cold winter morning, there was no dry kindling to be had, everyone was cold, and the stove just smoked. One student – Fred Waldroup – told Mabel if she would “cuss” it, the fire would burn.
Mabel admitted that she had done so ... silently.
The following school year, she taught at Highlands School, (not to be confused with Highlands in Macon County.) This school was four miles or so north of Robbinsville off U.S. 129, between what was known as Bud Deyton Gap and Ground Squirrel Branch. This was a larger school, with around 40 students in grades 1-6.
Sanitation is a big thing in schools now, especially with the coronavirus issue. Back then, all the children drank with the same dipper from the water bucket.
Mabel taught school on a regular basis for three years, and substituted for several years after that.
She later married Tillman Orr, who was a Baptist minister.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star.