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Our schoolhouse has operated since before 1890. The high schoolers attend Shelbyville Central, so the \u201clittle\u201d room is for younger students, and the \u201cbig\u201d room is for junior high. Close to 100 pupils attend. Though the county pays for most of the upkeep and our teachers\u2019 salaries, our parents pay \u201csubscriptions.\u201d A few barter chores to pay their portions, but everyone in Raus pitches in to do their part. The teacher said that\u2019s the definition of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Raus Community Improvement Club was formed in the 1930s. World War II halted the expansion of electrical lines by Duck River Electric, but electric poles sprang up quickly when the war ended. By the early 1950s, Bedford County pushed for the closure of rural schools, but the community fought the school board, which granted two more terms. In 1953, the bell perched high above the two-room schoolhouse went silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Board of Education intended to sell the hollow building. But the Raus community united. \u201cNo Man\u2019s Land,\u201d though owned by no one, was, in fact, owned by everyone. The Raus Community Improvement Club assumed responsibility. To provide for the upkeep, they planned their first ice cream supper. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, their mission is to \u201cprovide a community meeting place where members and visitors can touch and feel the history of early education while benefiting from the beauty in rural Tennessee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rebecca Parker said, \u201cOur annual ice cream supper began 70 years ago when the community began making homemade ice cream on the second Saturday in June to collect funds that maintain the schoolhouse during the year. That tradition lives on today. We typically serve 200 to 300 people with grilled burgers, homemade desserts, and ice cream. Without this fundraiser, and without renting the schoolhouse for events, we wouldn\u2019t be able to maintain the building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though listed on the National Register of Historic Places, by 2017, the wooden floors sagged. Locals raised $100,000 to restore the foundation; install a kitchen; replace windows, doors, and the roof; update electrical wiring; and repair the exterior. As the electricians shimmied through a scuttle hole in the ceiling, they discovered the original wrought-iron desks in the attic. A local woodworker, Paul Credle, volunteered to restore them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While contractors rushed to safety in December 2021, a tornado burst through the \u201clittle\u201d room and exited through the front. Linda Yockey, a lifelong resident and heir to the original settlers, said, \u201cOne-third of the restoration was completed when the twister hit. When I saw it, I was physically sick. Miraculously, the building survived.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following that day, the community raised $130,000. Parker, who helps with ongoing fundraising, said, \u201cThe entire community responded to our request for help. None of this would\u2019ve been possible without donations. It has been amazing to see the outpouring of love the community has for this old schoolhouse. Everyone who comes here says it\u2019s like stepping back in time. What we have here is a treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carol Roberts, Bedford County historian and owner of one of the five Century Farms in the community, said, \u201cRaus and Thompson Creek have a special history that began with Native Americans through current events like the tornado. Our history reflects how much we\u2019ve helped one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yockey added, \u201cMy passion is the preservation of families \u2014 like the Bomars, Brinkleys, Harrisons, Smiths, Glascoes, Parkers, Princes, Roberts, Holts, and others \u2014 who came before us. They built this community through hard work, values, and their treatment of others. To preserve their memory, we must have a place to house relics, or they get lost. This schoolhouse represents that place, and it allows us to come together in an old-timey fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/shelbyville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/10\/8-1-1024x683.png\")
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