Building Description Belview School - Underwood School, Underwood Tennessee
Belview School is located several miles north of Lafayette (pop. 3885) in the unincorporated community of Underwood. It is an intact example of a rural two-teacher schoolhouse. Built in 1936, it retains its original weatherboard siding, banks of windows, beaded board interior, and blackboards. The design of the school is consistent with other rural, one and two-teacher schools built throughout the county.
The school has its original metal roof, weatherboard siding, and concrete foundation. All the windows are original, although some are missing their panes of glass. On the exterior, original wood shutters hide the windows. The building has a side-gable metal roof with a projecting front-gable entrance bay. Exposed rafter ends are seen in the eaves. The interior has its original wall, floor, ceiling, and trim materials. The building also retains its original doors and windows.
The south facade has three bays. The central bay protrudes slightly and contains the main entrance. The original five-paneled wood door is surrounded by a plain wood surround. The entrance is flanked by two original six-over-six double-hung windows that are hidden behind wood shutters. A rectangular attic vent is located in the top portion of the gable field. The outer two bays each contain a paired set of six-over-six double-hung windows hidden by wood shutters.
The east and west elevations have the same features. Neither of these elevations has any doors or windows. Each has a rectangular attic vent at the top of the gable field.
The north elevation has two banks of four windows. The windows are original nine-over-nine double-hung sash and are hidden by original wood shutters. The windows have very simple wood surrounds.
The interior features its original wood floors, beaded board walls and ceilings, paneled wood doors, and blackboards. Immediately inside the front door is a rectangular entrance hall. The walls have vertical beaded board wainscoting. Above the wainscoting the walls are covered with horizontal beaded board. A simple piece of wood trim runs along the top of the wainscoting. The south wall has two six-over-six windows flanking the five-paneled exterior door. The north wall has two five-paneled doors that lead to the classroom.
The classroom is divided into two spaces by an open partition wall that runs down the middle of the building. The classroom has vertical beaded board wainscoting. The ceiling and walls above the wainscoting are also of beaded board. The floor is wood with some linoleum flooring on the east half of the room. The east wall has original blackboards that run the entire length of the wall. A shallow tray for holding chalk also runs the length of the wall. The north wall displays banks of nine-over-nine double-hung sash windows. Four windows are visible in the east half of the room and three windows are visible in the west half. The windows are set in simple wood surrounds. Centered in the north wall is a brick chimney formerly used by a heating stove. The chimney is no longer in use. The west wall is different from the other walls in the classroom. The lower portion of the wall is horizontal beaded board. The upper portion is finished with dry wall. Located in the south third of the wall, a small rectangular opening with a hinged door acts as a pass through to the former kitchen. The south wall has five doorways with original five-paneled doors. The westernmost door leads to a cloakroom. The two easternmost doors both lead to another cloakroom. The remaining two doors lead to the entrance hall. Small blackboards are located between these doorways. A small built-in cabinet with paired eight-pane doors is located at the east end of the south wall.
Unlike the other rooms the east cloakroom does not have vertical board wainscoting. However the lower portion of the walls is painted a different color than the top portion to give the appearance of a wainscot. The south wall has paired six-over-six double-hung sash. On the north wall the back of the classroom's built-in cabinet protrudes slightly into the room.
The west cloakroom is similar in features to the east cloakroom. It does not have wainscoting, rather the lower portion of the walls is painted a different color than the upper portion. Paired six-over-six double-hung windows are on the south wall. The west wall has an original paneled door that leads to a small closet. The closet has beaded board walls and simple wood shelves on its south wall.
A door on the north wall of the west cloakroom leads to the former kitchen. The former kitchen has vertical beaded board on the north, west and south walls. The east wall has horizontal beaded board on the lower portion of the wall while the upper portion is dry wall. A small rectangular opening that acts as a pass-through to the classroom is located in the southern third of the wall. A small cabinet is attached to the wall just north of the pass-through opening. A nine-over-nine double-hung window is on the east edge of the north wall.
West of the school is a rectangular concrete block structure with a flat roof built to shelter the hand dug well. The well was dug in 1936, at the same time as the school's construction. An opening on the north facade provides access to the interior of the structure. There are no other windows or doors.
The area around the school is very rural. A cemetery is directly east of the school and a few scattered houses are located to the west and south.