"In 1925, the Buffalo Valley School was built as a state project, built with the standard five-teacher community floor plan. The school doors closed in 1966. In 2006, the school building was officially listed on the National Historic Register. A group of interested citizens from Buffalo Valley officially unveiled a historical marker, signifying the school building being placed on the Register."
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"Located off of Buffalo Valley School Road in the unincorporated Putnam County community of Buffalo Valley is the 1929 Buffalo Valley School. Built by local volunteers and carpenters, the building is situated on five acres near Indian Creek. The one-story, asphalt-shingle gable roof, red brick building rests on a poured-concrete foundation and has banks of multi-light windows and inset entrances on the facade and two side elevations. Inside, the school retains historic baseboards, vertical beaded-board wainscoting, horizontal wood siding above the chair rails, wood window and door surrounds, auditorium chairs, transoms, wood flooring, and an intact floor plan. Now used as the Buffalo Valley Community Center and library, there have been a few changes made to the building, but it retains its architectural and historic integrity.
The west (front) facade of the T-plan school building is composed of three bays or sections, with the principal entry to the school being the projecting central section capped by a front gable roof. This front gable portion, slightly lower than the main roof, is flanked by two narrow brick chimneys and has a semicircular gable vent. Above the entry reads "BUFFALO VALLEY SCHOOL 1929" in hand-painted lettering. Paired 9/9, double-hung windows flank the inset entry. Although the multi-light sidelights and transom window are historic, the double-leaf door and vinyl siding sheathing the inset are recent additions to the building. Banks of five 9/9, double-hung windows flank the central entry projection. The central window of each band has a portable window air conditioning unit. All windows in the school are topped by concrete lintels and rest on concrete sills. The concrete foundation is capped by a water table. Circa 1970 concrete steps and a circa 1995 wood handicap accessible ramp are visible at the facade. Vinyl covers the narrow eaves on the front facade and all elevations.
A recessed centered entry is located on the south facade of the school. Replacement double-leaf glass-and-wood doors are capped by a multi-light transom. As on the front facade, the door is surrounded by modern vinyl siding. Paired 6/6, double-hung windows flank the entry. A portable air conditioning unit is in the westernmost window. There is a gable vent covered with vinyl at the apex of the gable roof and entry into the basement (now covered over with vinyl) on this elevation. Continuing around the main block of the building is the east or rear facade that contains a bank of what had been six 9/9 windows. Today, the second, fourth, and sixth windows have been filled in with vinyl. Projecting from the east side of the roof is a brick chimney.
The rear ell forming the leg of the "T" extends from the center of the east facade. Along the south side of this ell are two sets of three 9/9, double-hung windows and one smaller 6/6, double-hung window found on the east end of this elevation. The rear or east facade of the projecting ell originally had a door and two windows, but these have been covered over with vinyl. There is also smaller window in the rear gable that has been filled in with vinyl. The northern elevation of the rear ell is identical to the southern elevation and contains two sets of three 9/9, double-hung windows and one smaller 6/6, double-hung window. One removable air conditioning unit has been installed in the bottom half of the smaller window and another one in the 9/9 window closest to the main block.
Continuing around the building, the east facade of the main block on the north side of the rear ell contains a bank of six 9/9, double-hung windows. A brick chimney or flue is visible near the junction of the main roof and roof of the ell. The north elevation of the main block contains a recessed central entry. Replacement double-leaf glass-and-wood doors are capped by a multi-light transom. As on the other entrances, the door is surrounded by modern vinyl siding. Paired 6/6, double-hung windows flank the entry. There is a gable vent covered with vinyl at the apex of the gable roof.
The interior of the Buffalo Valley School retains a high degree of integrity of materials, design, and workmanship. Designed as a four-room school with auditorium, the banks of large windows, interior woodwork, and intact auditorium space are character-defining features of the building. Horizontal board wood siding and vertical board wainscoting are found throughout the school building. Ceilings and floors are also constructed of narrow wood boards. Until recently, the floors were covered with carpeting. Simple wood trim surrounds the interior doors and transom windows. Most interior doors are original and are five panel solid wood doors with their original hardware. The doorways are all topped by two-light, tilting transom windows.
Buffalo Valley School has a lot of similarities to a four-teacher plan (4A) and a five-teacher plan (5 A) seen in the 1928 Rural School Building Plans from the Department of Education, State of Tennessee, Bulletin No. l. The main block of the building contains the four classrooms — one in each corner of the building — with a hall running the length of a building connecting the north and south entrances. A ten-foot wide foyer leads from the main entrance into the auditorium. The ceilings throughout are twelve foot except the auditorium where they are thirteen feet high. The wainscoting is thirty-three inches high and the baseboards are eight inches tall throughout the building.
On the north side of the entrance hall are the men's and women's restrooms in the area that used to be used as the school library and a large cloakroom. Indoor plumbing was added in 1955. On the south side of the foyer is the kitchen. Originally, a cloakroom and storage room, this area was converted to a kitchen in 1936. The kitchen has been renovated and an electric range has replaced a wood-burning stove. In addition, running hot and cold water has been added to the building over its lifespan as a school. The conversion took place approximately 1955 according to school board records. The kitchen has wood cabinets with laminate counters, a center island, and linoleum floors dating to ca. 1977 according to Erlene Makitika. The kitchen has a pass through window that opens into the hallway.
Occupying the rear ell of the building, the auditorium is intact. It contains its original hardwood floors, stage, hand-painted screen, and historic chairs. The auditorium is entered by a large central opening from the entrance foyer or by doors flanking each side of the opening. Three fans and two rows efflorescent lights hang from the original wood ceiling. The auditorium currently has 112 seats, which are molded maple wood and are bolted to the floor. Originally, there were several more rows of seats, but these were removed at an unknown time. Although not the original seats, these features are historic and have polychromatic Art Deco detailing featuring an inverted sunburst. The circa 1948-49 American Seating Company seats replaced seats flooded out in 1948. There are two sections of seating separated by a center aisle. There are side aisles on either side of the seating. The stage is thirty-inches high and ten-and-one-half-feet wide. It has a skirt of bead board that is original. The ceiling height in the auditorium is thirteen-feet. Originally there was set of curtains on the cased opening of the stage but today the stage is open. The backdrop of the stage contains an outstanding hand-painted screen featuring advertisements for local businesses. These are the original advertisements by the community but they were re-touched by an area artist in the 1980s according to Ms Earlene Makitika. The stage is accessed on either side by three wood steps that lead beside either side of the stage via a five-paneled door. The areas on either side of the stage are lit by 6/6, double-hung windows mentioned in the exterior description. The old cakewalk outlines from past fundraisers are still faintly visible on the stage.
The room in the southwest corner of the building is accessed from either the south wall of the kitchen or through one of two doors from the main hallway. Originally a classroom, this room now serves as a meeting room and an exhibit space that contains memorabilia and photographs from when the building was a school. This room, like the other classrooms, contains wood floors (covered by carpet), baseboards, vertical beaded board wainscoting, wood walls, and a wood ceiling. A non-historic fan and fluorescent lights hang from the ceiling. Across the hallway is the southeast classroom, which is now used as the community library. It is accessed by one of two doors. It has its original wood floors, baseboards, vertical board wainscoting, walls, and ceilings. A fan and fluorescent lights hang from the ceiling. Three windows of the original band of six on its east wall have been filled in.
On the north side of the building are two more classrooms. The northeast classroom is now being used as storage. Its placement and access are the mirror image of the southeast classroom or library. This room contains its wood floors (covered by carpet), baseboards, vertical board wainscoting, walls, and ceilings. A fan, fluorescent lights, and a heater hang from the ceiling. The historic blackboard has been painted over. Formerly heated by a stove, the brick flue is still in the southeast corner of the room, although it no longer functions. All of the windows remain intact. On the east side of the hallway outside of the northeast classroom is a historic blackboard.
The northwest classroom is now used as meeting room or classroom. It has wood floors (covered by carpet), baseboards, vertical board wainscoting, walls, and ceilings. A fan, fluorescent lights, and a heater hang from the ceiling. The historic blackboards have been painted over. Formerly heated by a stove, the brick flue is still in the southwest corner of the room, although it no longer functions. All of the windows remain intact. Between this classroom and the restrooms is a small storage room accessed from the main hallway.
According to Mr. Bud Maddux, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) electrified the building in 1936. The original lights were a single light bulb hanging from a cord in the center of the ceiling of each room. Today, simple fluorescent lights hang from the ceilings in the auditorium, classrooms, and hallways. J.T. Askew recounted that the auditorium was originally lit by kerosene lamps. Originally the building was heated with individual potbellied stoves in each room. School board minutes indicate on July 17, 1950, a motion was made to solicit bids for a central heating furnace at Buffalo Valley School. These were replaced circa 1951 by two furnaces from Philips & Buttdorf, furnace fabricators. The basement is dry and houses these two furnaces that are now inoperable. Several interior gas heaters have replaced them. A propane tank is located on the northeast side of the school. Indoor plumbing was added in 1955.
The school is accessed from the main road by a circular gravel driveway. Just west of the school building are open fields that were used as a playground by the school children. Adjacent to the school building to the south, Putnam County has moved in some dumpsters and a portable shed. These are surrounded by a chain link fence and have not been counted in the resource count as they appear to be easily removed.
The area surrounding Buffalo Valley School is rural and agricultural. The topography is hilly with steep hollows and rolling hills."
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