Black Education in Chambers County

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Black education in Chambers County. Now settle in, because this is a story that starts with a single room and ends with an entire county walking through a new door together. The Texas Legislature formed Chambers County in 1858, and Wallisville became the county's first seat of government.

Not long after, the 1869 Texas Constitution called for the creation of free public schools for white and black children, to be partially funded by the state. That same year, the Freedmen's Bureau was instrumental in having a school for African Americans built right there in Wallisville. One room.

That's what they had. One room, and the determination to fill it with students. That little one-room schoolhouse later got used for other purposes, but for many years it served students who came to learn.

During the 1879 to 1880 school year, approximately sixty students attended classes there. Sixty young people crowding into one room, which tells you something about what education meant to that community. By the late 1880s, the county's African American students were being served by schools spread across several communities: Double Bayou, Wallisville, Black Branch, Turtle Bayou, Old River, and Cedar Bayou.

Six places holding that thread. Now, like many early Texas schools, each of those organized annually. The school year wasn't set by any grand calendar.

It was determined by how many months a community could pay a teacher. Think about that. The length of your children's education depended on what the community could scrape together.

And yet, they kept organizing. They kept showing up. By the turn of the century, Chambers County supported twenty-eight schools and more than eight hundred students, black and white.

Around that same time, the community of Anahuac began growing. Its black population sent students to classes at St. James Methodist Church, which organized in 1908, the same year Anahuac became the county seat.

As the twentieth century moved along, the county's education system improved with the organization of school districts and expanded state standards for educators. Two high schools in the county, George Washington Carver and Double Bayou, accommodated the older African American students. And then came 1966.

By that year, all of Chambers County's schools had been desegregated. The facilities and staff from the former black schools were absorbed into the new integrated system, as county residents moved into a new era of education. One room in Wallisville.

Twenty-eight schools. And finally, every door open. That's the arc this marker is tracin', and it's one worth remembering every time you pass through Chambers County.

What the marker says

The Texas Legislature formed Chambers County in 1858, and Wallisville became the county's first seat of government. The 1869 Texas Constitution called for the creation of free public schools for white and black children to be partially funded by the state. That same year, the Freedmen's Bureau was instrumental in having a school for African Americans built in Wallisville. The one-room schoolhouse, later used for other purposes, served students for many years. During the 1879-1880 school year, approximately 60 students attended classes there. By the late 1880s, the county's African American students were served by schools in Double Bayou, Wallisville, Black Branch, Turtle Bayou, Old River and Cedar Bayou. Like many early Texas schools, each organized annually, and the school year was determined by how many months a community could pay a teacher. At the turn of the century, Chambers County supported 28 schools and more than 800 students, black and white. At that time, the community of Anahuac began growing, and its black population sent students to classes at St. James Methodist Church, which organized in 1908, the same year Anahuac became county seat. Throughout the 20th century, Chambers County's education system improved with the organization of school districts and expanded state standards for educators. Two high schools in the county -- George Washington Carver and Double Bayou -- accommodated the older African American students. By 1966, all of Chambers County schools had been desegregated, and many of the facilities and staff from the former black schools were absorbed into the new integrated system as county residents moved into a new era of education. (2006)