PRINCIPALS DUNBAR: Father-son tenure at Martin Chapel extended 56 years

Editor's Note: This article first ran in The Erwin Record on Oct. 17, 2006. The main portion of Martin Chapel School survives only in memories, but the gym that stood with it lives on as Evergreen Freewill Baptist Church's teen center. As is pointed out in the book "Unicoi County, Tennessee, and Its People, 1975-1995," Martin Chapel was closed in 1988 after being consolidated with Love Chapel School, The building sat empty for two or three years before the church bought the property and in the mid-1990s demolished all but the gym. Land where the school was situated now provided Evergreen Freewill Baptist with a large parking area. The gym, which has continued to be used over the years by the church and other community groups, underwent a renovation project in 2006. Now serving as a teen center for the church, its features include central heat and air and new restrooms. Originally a frame school house was located at the site. That building was replaced in 1931 by a brick building. Among memorable figures in the school's history were J.R. Dunbar and his son, Warren. J.R. Dunbar, who previously had been in charge of Rock Creek School, took over as principal at Martin Chapel in 1926. Warren Dunbar, who had attended the school as a child, and later taught there, became principal when his father retired in 1951. The younger Dunbar's retirement on May 29, 1982, marked the end of a 56-year father-son tenure in the position. At the time he retired, Warren Dunbar estimated that 1,400 youngsters had attended the school while he was principal. "There never was really a bad kid among them," Dunbar told The Erwin Record.