The Council Bluff School was erected in 1903 near the top of Sand
Mountain on the Valley Head Road. The land was donated by several
prominent men in the community. Mr. Sam Cordell drove the first
nail and helped with the construction.
In 1924 Council Bluff joined with Stamp, Central and Hawkins
Chapel to form a new school at High Point. The county board minutes
of 1935 show that a delegation from Council Bluff met with the
county board to rescind their decision and remain the way they
were, but the school board elected to have the school remain with
High Point. After the consolidation,
Council Bluff School was used for sacred harp singings and school
reunions organized by Aileen Ott Hartzner and her brother Troy Ott.
Some of the teachers at Council Bluff included: Chris Crawford,
Hester Smith, Jenny Lowery, Annie Bell Rice, Arthur Igou, Joe
Keith, Tony Wilson, Ruth Dejarnette, Forest Stinson, Garfield
McCurdy, Gladys Vaughn, Inus Blake, Berry Summerour, Harvey E.
Elrod, Illa Wilks and Mollie Clemons.
The property has been deeded to Landmarks for restoration.
Progress is ongoing, but we need your help. Council Bluff has a new
roof and plans for preserving the rest of the building are
underway. Considerable work is needed, as you can see from the
photographs.