Pittman Center, TN Homes for Sale
Pittman Center, TN Homes for Sale
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Pittman Center is a town in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census and 502 at the 2010 census, showing an increase of 25.
Pittman Center is situated in Emert’s Cove, a broad valley along the Middle Fork of theLittle Pigeon River. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park borders Pittman Center to the south, and the town’s history and economy are largely intertwined with that of the Smokies.
The Pittman Community Center
In 1910, a survey of Tennessee found Sevier County to be most in need of educational facilities.[6] Pittman Center, TN Homes for Sale In spite of the establishment of a settlement school in Gatlinburg by the Pi Beta Phi fraternity in 1912, education in the region was still appallingly lacking. To help remedy this situation, Dr. John Burnett, a Methodistminister who visited the Smokies in 1919, envisioned the establishment a large-scale school in the area that would operate with virtually no tuition rates. Later that year, the Methodist Episcopal Church endorsed Burnett’s plan at its annual meeting, and with the help of Reverend Eli Pittman of Elmira, New York, Burnett secured $15,000 for the project. In 1920, Burnett purchased Garfield Scott’s farm just above the confluence of Webb Creek and the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River. This 135-acre (0.55 km2) plot of land would become the core of the new school’s campus.[7] Pittman Center, TN Homes for Sale
In late 1920, Burnett’s new settlement school, which he named “Pittman Community Center” in honor of Reverend Pittman, opened with an enrollment of 100.[8] Pittman Center, TN Homes for Sale The school eventually expanded to include 1,500 acres (6.1 km2), 15 buildings, and 240 students operating on an annual budget of $9,000. The buildings included a general store, post office, and a small hospital. The Pittman School supported itself by canning tomatoes and growing apples, with students doing all the maintenance work.[7]
In 1955, the Sevier County Board of Education purchased the Pittman School, and the school was combined with the Pi Beta Phi High School in Gatlinburg to form Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in 1963. The only building remaining from the Pittman school is the Home Economics building, which the Methodist Episcopal Church gave to the town after its incorporation for use as its city hall.[7][8] In 1996, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Pittman Center, TN Homes for Sale