Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Cherokee Boarding School

  • wcu_cherokee_traditions-644.jp2
  • This photograph of the Cherokee Boarding School was taken in 1890. A school for the Eastern Band was instituted as a boarding and day school in 1884 and was operated for its first twelve years by the Society of Friends (Quakers). The school provided academic classes, like English and arithmetic, in the morning. The arts, crafts, and vocational training were taught in the afternoons. Domestic skills such as cooking, baking, sewing, and needlework were taught to girls; boys received training in agriculture, livestock management, industrial arts, smithing, and carpentry. In 1896, the school came under the direct supervision of the federal government. The Oconaluftee River is in the foreground of the picture. The name of the photographer who captured this shot is unknown.