Rachel Hester brought this great photo by the office to share with our readers. It is the Holcut Basketball team taken sometime before 1960. Pictured are, top row, from left: Cleston Scruggs - Superintendent; unidentified; Bob Walden; Billy Studdard; and Coach Melvin Phifer. Front row, from left: Marion Crawford; Troy Pace; Virgil Hester; Randall Phifer; and Bobby Howie.

According to the history of Holcut School written by Jewel Lambert Nixon, the school began around 1893 and was called Lebanon. At one time it was called Nixon School because in 1900 W. A. Nixon gave some land for a two-room school to be built. Around 1915, it was necessary to enlarge the school, and the parents decided to build a four-room school. They called it Holcut, which was named for the landowners, John Holder and Eli Callicut. They put the first three letters of Holder, H-O-L, and the last three letters of Callicut, C-U-T, thereby making it “Holcut.” In 1932, Holcut had its first graduation with 19 people receiving diplomas.

February 18, 1949, the school building was destroyed by fire. Neighboring churches opened their doors to the elementary grades. The high school used the old plank building of four rooms that stood nearby to finish the term of school. A new brick building was built and the next 11 years the school grew. Tragedy struck again when the school burned March 10, 1960. The elementary went to the churches and the high school used the gym. This time a bond issue had to be voted county-wide to build a new school and the school lost.

When the Tenn-Tom Waterway was built, the entire town of Holcut was wiped away. Holcut does not exist anymore, but the memories of the town and school remain in the hearts of all those who lived there.