| Sources |
- [S47] Sevier County, Tennessee and its Heritage, Sevier County Heritage Book Committee, (1994, Don Mills, Inc.), 34, 229, 265.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 5 Dec 2010.
Upland Chronicles: McMahan a key player in public education here
by CARROLL McMAHAN The Mountain Press
Mary McMahan with her student, Robert McMahan, who won the Southern Appalachian Spelling Bee and placed 22nd in national competition in Washington.
Pleasant View School, where Mary McMahan was the only teacher for 38 years.
A firm believer in the power of education, Mary Bond McMahan encouraged her students “to open windows to see out, open doors to get out and open books to find out.”
Affectionately called Aunt Mary by several generations of African-American students, she was the only teacher at Pleasant View School for 38 years.
Born on July 7, 1896 in Williamsburg, Ky., Mary Bond met her future husband, Fred S. McMahan, while attending Knoxville College. Before they married, both of them earned master’s degrees; Mary from the University of Cincinnati and Fred from the University of Illinois.
Mary taught school in Blount Count and in North Carolina before she married Fred, who had returned to Sevierville to operate J.F.&N. Construction Company, along with two of his brothers.
Pleasant View School, located off Robert Henderson Road (formerly called Walnut Grove Road,) was a Rosenwald School. The Rosenwald Fellowship was an organization for issuing grants to further the education of African-Americans in the early part of the twentieth century.
When the school was constructed in 1924, the McMahan family donated the property and many men in the community cut timber and laid brick. The Rosenwald grant paid for other building materials and interior amenities such as books for the library.
The Rosenwald school program required matching funds which were donated as follows: $800 from the local black community and $2,200 from the Sevier County government. Floor plan No. 20 was chosen from a book called “Community Schools Plans.” The building had two rooms that were separated by a movable partition wall, enabling the structure to function as a community gathering place.
The water supply for the school was provided by a well with a large pump. Water was carried in by bucket and drawn with a dipper and each student had an individual drinking glass. During the winter season, a coal burning stove provided heat. Sadly though, the only rest room facilities were outhouses.
In 1950, one classroom was converted into a kitchen. During the summer months, parents canned soup mix from vegetables grown in their gardens so a hot lunch could be served throughout the school year. Florence Hodson was employed as the cook.
At the time Mary began teaching at Pleasant View School, she was only one of six teachers with a bachelor’s degree in Sevier County and the only one with a professional teaching certificate.
Mary taught all courses in the first through eighth grades. Besides academics, the students were taught sewing, woodworking and music. Since Mary was an accomplished singer and pianist, her passion for music was passed on to many of her students.
In 1955, a Pleasant View student, 12-year-old Robert Earl McMahan, won the Knoxville News-Sentinel‘s Southern Appalachian Spelling Bee, beating champion spellers from 33 East Tennessee and Kentucky cities and countiesby successfully spelling his way through 95 rounds. Mary, who spent countless hours tutoring Robert, was greatly responsible for his victory.
Mary accompanied Robert and his family to Washington to compete in the National Spelling Bee. Though Robert was eliminated in the 11th round, he placed 22nd overall and received acclaim from newspaper writers around the nation.
Mary taught by objectives. She delegated to older students tasks of helping the younger students with their lessons. Her tutelage provided the pupils with a rounded education, including lessons about music and culture.
The students were offered cultural and educational excursions to various places such as state parks, lakes, outdoor dramas and the Oak Ridge Museum of Science and Energy. Since most of the region was still not open to African-Americans, the students always packed their lunch and returned home before dark.
Mary donated her summer vacation to those falling behind in their studies and worked in vacation bible school. She and her husband, Fred, were very active in New Salem Baptist Church where she served as pianist for the church and both she and Fred helped with fund raisers and other church activities.
Interestingly, Mary was related to famed civil rights leader Julian Bond, who was one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The Pleasant View students, especially the young girls, were always delighted to see him when he visited Aunt Mary.
She retired once the Sevier County School System desegregated and black students were allowed to attend other public schools. Regrettably, Pleasant View School was converted into an apartment complex and, eventually, it was demolished.
In 1969, Mary was honored as an Outstanding Woman of the Year in Sevier County by the Sevierville Jaycettes for her contribution to the community through her work in education.
Mary Bond McMahan’s life was one of total commitment to her family, church and community. She was loved, revered and respected by all with whom she had contact and although she passed away at the age of 87, she lived long enough to see the achievements of many of her former students.
— Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; please contact McMahan at 453-6411 or e-mail to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-mail to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 11 Oct 2014.
Upland Chronicles: Sevier County student competed in 1955 National Spelling Bee
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Mary B Mcmahan
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1930
Event Place: District 05, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 35
Marital Status: Married
Race: Negro
Race (Original): Negro
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Wife
Birth Year (Estimated): 1895
Birthplace: Tennessee
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Fred S Mcmahan Head M 37 Tennessee
Mary B Mcmahan Wife F 35 Tennessee
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name: Mary B Mcmahan
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1940
Event Place: Civil District 5, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 45
Marital Status: Married
Race (Original): Negro
Race: Negro
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Wife
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife
Birthplace: Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated): 1895
Last Place of Residence: Same House
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Fred Mcmahan Head M 48 Tennessee
Mary B Mcmahan Wife F 45 Tennessee
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 13 Jul 1983.
Mc Mahan, Mary July 6, 1896 Williamsburg, Ky July 13, 1983
Father: Bond, Henry W.
Mother: Gibson, Anna
Cemetery: New Salem
Brothers: Fred, Howard
Sisters: Ruth Donahue
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 320.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Henry W. Bond
Groom's Birth Date
Groom's Birthplace
Groom's Age
Bride's Name Anna Gibson
Bride's Birth Date
Bride's Birthplace
Bride's Age
Marriage Date 27 Feb 1891
Marriage Place , Knox, Tennessee
Groom's Father's Name
Groom's Mother's Name
Bride's Father's Name
Bride's Mother's Name
Groom's Race
Groom's Marital Status
Groom's Previous Wife's Name
Bride's Race
Bride's Marital Status
Bride's Previous Husband's Name
Indexing Project (Batch) Number M71075-1
System Origin Tennessee-VR
Source Film Number 1020952
Reference Number 2:1S1HPMD
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