The Webb School is a

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coeducational college preparatory boarding and

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

Bell Buckle, Tennessee Bell Buckle is a town in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 500 at the 2010 census. The downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Bell Buckle Historic District. Geography Bell Buckle is ...

, USA, founded in 1870. It has been called the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the South. Under founder Sawney Webb's leadership, the school produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other secondary school in the United States.

Mission

As expressed by William R. Webb, the school's mission is "To turn out young people who are tireless workers and who know how to work effectively; who are accurate scholars, who know the finer points of morals and practice them in their daily living; who are always courteous ithout the slightest trace of snobbery" (Bracketed text was removed from the official mission of the school in the late 20th century but is commonly added to oral recitations by faculty and students.)

History

William R. "Sawney" Webb started the Webb School as a school for boys in

Culleoka, Tennessee Culleoka is an unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Mos ...

, in 1870. He was joined by his brother, John M. Webb, in 1873. After

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

was founded in 1873, Webb School's "oldest and best boys" were able to enroll. Webb moved the school from Culleoka to its present-day location, a 145-acre campus in the small town of Bell Buckle, in 1886 after Culleoka incorporated and legalized the sale of alcohol in the new city.William R. "Sawney" Webb
in the ''

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture ''Tennessee Encyclopedia'' is a reference book on the U.S. state of Tennessee that was published in book form in 1998 and has also been available online since 2002. Contents include history, geography, culture, and biography. The original print e ...

''Maury County (TN) Public Schools
The History of Education in the Culleoka Area
/ref> Sawney Webb's son W. R. Webb Jr., known as "Son Will", joined the school as a teacher in 1897 and became co-principal of the school with his father and uncle in 1908, unable to establish his own career. After their deaths (John Webb died in 1916 of a stroke and Sawney Webb in 1926 of old age), he became headmaster and remained in that position until his retirement in 1952.Webb School
in the ''

'' Webb began admitting girls as boarding students in 1973, but earlier in its history Webb had allowed local girls to attend as day students.

Notable alumni

* L. Desaix Anderson: career

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officer specializing in East Asian affairs, and former American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to Vietnam * Byron De La Beckwith, Ku Klux Klansman convicted of the assassination of civil rights leader

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William West Bond William West Bond (March 8, 1884 – May 9, 1975) was an American lawyer and politician in the state of Tennessee. He served as the Speaker of the Tennessee Senate from 1921 to 1923. Bond was born in 1884 in Brownsville, Tennessee to Judge John ...

: architect and designer for

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hotels * Lewis M. Branscomb: professor ''emeritus'' at

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* Hayne D. Boyden: Naval aviator and Brigadier general, USMC * Edward Ward Carmack: attorney, newspaper editor, and U.S. Senator (Tennessee) *

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and

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: governor of Tennessee, 1939-1945 * Frank Constantine: chief of

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at the

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singer-songwriter * Scott Crichton (class of 1972): judge of the 1st Judicial District Court in Shreveport, Louisiana, since 1991 *

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: chairman of the Federal Trade Commission * Norman H. Davis: chairman of the American Red Cross; U.S. diplomat at 1918

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and 1933 Geneva Conference * Harold Earthman: member of the U.S. House of Representatives *

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: photographer * William Yandell Elliott: Rhodes Scholar, Vanderbilt ''Fugitive'', Harvard government professor, mentor of Henry Kissinger *

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, clinical pharmaceutical scientist, academic, author and researcher * Robert J. Gilliland: pioneer of American aviation, chief test pilot and first to fly Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. * Andrew Glaze: award winning American poet and writer. *

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* Walter W. Manley: attorney, distinguished professor of business. * William F. McCombs: chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1912-1914) * Raymond Ross Paty: president of the

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system, 1946-1948 * John Andrew Rice: co-founder and first rector,

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on ''

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''; investment analyst for

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network * Vermont C. Royster: editor of the ''

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'', winner of two

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and the

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* Paul Sanger: pioneer in cardiology and thoracic surgery, founder of the Sanger Clinic * Manny Sethi: physician at

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. *

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: Governor of

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: first Rhodes Scholar from Tennessee,

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(1921–1928), third president of the

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(1928–1947), member of the College Football Hall of Fame * Paul Trousdale: American real estate developer best known for developing

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in Beverly Hills, California * Elton Watkins: U.S. Congressman from

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1923-1925 * Michael Tate Westbrook: commanding officer of the USS ''Spruance'' (DDG-111) 2010-2012 * Fielding L. Wright: governor of

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, 1946-1952

Related schools

Sawney Webb's son and grandson later established

The Webb Schools The Webb Schools is the collective name for two private schools for grades 9-12, founded by Thompson Webb, located in Claremont, California. The Webb School of California for boys was established in 1922, and the Vivian Webb School for girls in 1 ...

in Claremont, California, and the

Webb School of Knoxville Webb School of Knoxville is a private coeducational day school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was founded in 1955 by Robert Webb (1919–2005), grandson of Webb School of Bell Buckle found ...

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

, respectively.

References

External links

The Webb School
*

' * '' ttps://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467103411 The Webb School of Bell Buckle' {{DEFAULTSORT:Webb School Boarding schools in Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1870 Preparatory schools in Tennessee Private high schools in Tennessee Schools in Bedford County, Tennessee 1870 establishments in Tennessee