Baskins Creek is a stream that flows through the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The creek is named after one of the early settlers in the area, John Baskin, who established a farm near the stream in the early 1800s.

The Pi Beta Phi Centennial of Literacy Service Plaza is near Baskins Creek in downtown Gatlinburg. The plaza was established in 2012 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity's literacy initiatives and to promote education and literacy in the community.

The plaza features a statue of Pi Beta Phi's first national president, Elizabeth "Bettie" Williams Mitchell, a water feature and landscaped gardens. The plaza is also home to a Little Free Library, where visitors can take and leave books, and a "Story Walk" that features children's books displayed along a walking path.

The location of the Pi Beta Phi Centennial of Literacy Service Plaza near Baskins Creek highlights the importance of education and the area's natural beauty. Visitors can enjoy the scenic views of the creek while also learning about the history and mission of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity.

Pi Beta Phi was founded as a secret organisation under the name of I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. The founders of the fraternity were 12 women who were seeking to form a women's organisation based on the principles of friendship, scholarship, and personal and intellectual growth.

After the founding of the fraternity, the sisters had a jeweller design their official badge, which was a golden arrow with the letters "I.C." on the wings. When the name was changed to Pi Beta Phi in 1888, the Greek letters replaced "I.C." on the wings of the badge. The fraternity continued to grow and expand, with chapters being established at colleges and universities across the country.

In 1902, Pi Beta Phi was one of the founding members of the National Panhellenic Conference, which formalised cooperation among women's fraternities and sororities. The fraternity also established its first philanthropy, the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 1912, and created local Alumnae Advisory Committees to support its chapters individually in 1913.

Today, Pi Beta Phi has more than 150 chapters across the United States and Canada, with thousands of members who continue to uphold the fraternity's values of friendship, scholarship, and service. The fraternity has a rich history and legacy of supporting education and literacy initiatives and remains committed to promoting these values and initiatives in the community.