Ash Creek (Pelham) School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Ash Creek Pelham School, out in Navarro County. Now settle in, because this one's got a long road in it. Ash Creek School District Number 105 got its start in 1899, right there in the historically African-American Pelham community.

No dedicated schoolhouse yet, mind you. In those early years, the students gathered in Wesley Chapel Church, and that's where learning happened. Then came 1908, and the community built something to be proud of: a two-story schoolhouse, standing near the Pelham Cemetery.

Two stories. That wasn't a small thing. And the first principal to walk those halls was T.

J. Douglas. The Pelham School ran all twelve grades, every one of them, which meant that when a student walked across that graduation stage, they walked straight toward colleges and universities.

That was the whole point, and the community held to it. Then October of 1921 rolls around, and the trustees did something with real foresight. They bought three acres for a new school, and here's where it gets interesting: part of the funding came from the Rosenwald Foundation, all the way out of Chicago.

That new schoolhouse came up with four large classrooms and two smaller rooms. Not a one-room affair, not a converted church. A real school.

Years kept moving. In 1962, a brand new Pelham school building opened its doors. But 1965 brought the high school to a close, and three years after that, all the grades consolidated with Dawson Independent School District.

From Wesley Chapel Church in 1899, all the way to consolidation. That community built something that lasted, grade by grade, year by year, brick by brick.

What the marker says

Ash Creek School District No. 105 began in 1899 in the historically African-American Pelham community. School was held in Wesley Chapel Church until 1908, when a two-story schoolhouse was built near the Pelham Cemetery. The first principal was T. J. Douglas. The Pelham School operated for all 12 grades, allowing students to attend colleges and universities after graduation. In October 1921, trustees bought three acres for a new school partially funded by the Rosenwald Foundation of Chicago. The new schoolhouse had four large classrooms and two smaller rooms. In 1962, a new Pelham school building opened. The high school closed in 1965, and three years later all grades consolidated with Dawson Independent School District. (2009)