Central Consolidated School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Central Consolidated School in Angelina County. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories where five become one, and one becomes something a whole lot bigger than anybody probably figured on. Back in the years before 1929, the Pollok-Central area had five small schools scattered across the countryside.

Union, Durant, Pollok, Clawson, and Allentown. Five little schools, each one doing its best, but each one running up against the same stubborn problem: not enough money to do the job right. So the people of that community put their heads together, and in 1929, those five schools consolidated into the Central Consolidated Common School District.

Now that is a name that means exactly what it says. Come September of 1929, a brand new brick building stood ready at this very site. About two hundred students walked through those doors, kids from first grade all the way through eleventh, and a superintendent named J.

W. Dunn presiding over the whole operation. Nine teachers on staff.

Eight students in that very first graduating class. Eight. You remember that number, because what happens next is the kind of growth that makes you wonder if those eight pioneers had any idea what they were starting.

Over the years, Central Consolidated didn't just grow, it became the focal point of the community. One building turned into several, separate buildings for primary, elementary, junior high, and high school classes. Then came three gymnasiums.

A cafetorium. Technology and agricultural buildings. And the school kept drawing others in.

In 1939 and 1940, Cordaway Springs and Simpson merged into the fold. Then in 1955, Central converted from a common school district to an independent school district. From five struggling little rural schools to an anchor of northwestern Angelina County's educational life.

That new brick building back in September of 1929 was just the beginning.

What the marker says

Central Consolidated School This school traces its origin to five small schools in the Pollok-Central area: Union, Durant, Pollok, Clawson and Allentown. An effort to solve the problem of inadequate funding for each of these rural schools led to their consolidation in 1929 as the Central Consolidated Common School District. A new brick building at this site greeted approximately 200 students in grades one through eleven when it opened in September 1929. With J. W. Dunn presiding as superintendent, Central Consolidated boasted nine teachers and had eight students in its first graduating class. Over the years, Central Consolidated became the focal point of the community. Its growth led to the construction of separate buildings for primary, elementary, junior high and high school classes, three gymnasiums, a cafetorium, and technology and agricultural buildings. Additional schools, including Cordaway Springs and Simpson, merged with Central Consolidated in 1939-40. In 1955, central converted from a common school district to an independent school district. Providing a strong educational foundation and extracurricular activities for students in the northwestern part of Angelina County, Central Consolidated has played a significant role in the county's educational history. (2002)