Mountain City, Tennessee
Created in 1836 from a portion of Carter County, Johnson County is the most Northeastern governmental formation of Tennessee, bordering Virginia & North Carolina.
Black families have a long history in this place, from early colonization to present, with the highest population being recorded just after Emancipation. In 1870, People of Color made up 7.1% of the population (or 418 individuals). Since that time, the Black population has steadily declined.
Shoun's Chapel School was the heart of Mountain City's Black community. The primary school acted as a feeder school for Douglas High School in Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee. The original building still stands today.
Shoun's Chapel School, Mountain City, TN, 1940
After attending primary school at Shoun's Chapel, many student went on to attend the nearest Black High School, which, at the time was Douglas School in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Black in Appalachia has digitized & cataloged the available school records.
They can be accessed, searched & downloaded here: