Concrete College

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Concrete College, out in DeWitt County. Now settle in, because this one's got a rise and a fall to it, and the ending hits harder than you might expect. From 1865 to 1881, Concrete College stood as one of the most respected schools in all of Texas.

That's not me embellishing — that's the record. Founded by the Reverend John Van Epps Covey, born 1821, died 1898, noted educator and minister. The man built something serious out in a place called Concrete, and for a stretch of years, it hummed.

The college embraced primary through collegiate levels, though if you wanted to do college work, you had to be over twelve years old. And what they offered — well, it wasn't your bare-bones frontier schoolhouse. Classical and modern languages.

Penmanship. Music — piano, guitar, violin, flute. Homemaking and etiquette for the girls.

And a well-attended business school that covered bookkeeping, banking, commercial law, and letter-writing. These weren't people guessing at what the future might need. On a weekday, students rose at five in the morning — five — took a brisk walk before breakfast, sat through devotional services, and then went to class.

Nights were for study and discussion, and lights went out at nine p.m. sharp. Gambling, liquor, smoking, and profanity were strictly forbidden. Students wrote their lessons on slates, because paper was expensive, then stood up and recited what they'd learned straight to the instructor.

No hiding behind a piece of paper. June graduation was something else entirely — public speeches, oral examinations, a ceremonious occasion by all accounts. Enrollment averaged a hundred students, boarding and day students combined, and in 1873 it peaked at two hundred and fifty.

Two hundred and fifty people in a town called Concrete, learning Latin and violin and commercial law at five in the morning. Now here's where the story turns. In 1881, the college closed.

Epidemics broke out, and the railroad bypassed the town of Concrete. Two blows, and that was that. But the ending — the ending is what stays with you.

Years later, the rock walls of the main building were crushed and used to surface roads. The school that taught bookkeeping and flute and etiquette, that had two hundred and fifty students rising before the sun — it got ground up and paved over. Today, only rubble marks the site.

Somewhere out on a road in DeWitt County, you might be driving right over it.

What the marker says

(1865 - 1881) One of most respected schools in Texas in its day. Founded by the Rev. John Van Epps Covey (1821-1898), noted educator and minister. Embraced primary through collegiate levels, accepting only students over 12 years old for college work. Broad course offerings included classical and modern languages, penmanship, music (piano, guitar, violin, flute), plus homemaking and etiquette for girls. A well-attended business school taught bookkeeping, banking, commercial law, and letter-writing. Enrollment, including boarding and day students, averaged 100; peaked at 250 in 1873. On weekdays pupils rose at 5 a.m., took a brisk walk before breakfast, heard devotional services, and went to classes. Nights were reserved for study and discussion, with "lights out" at 9 p.m. Gambling, liquor, smoking, and profanity were strictly forbidden. Students wrote their lessons on slates, as paper was expensive, then recited them to the instructor. June graduation was the ceremonious occasion of public speeches and oral examinations. In 1881 the college closed after epidemics broke out and the railroad bypassed town of Concrete. Years later rock walls of main building were crushed and used to surface roads. Only rubble marks site today.