DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Corsicana State Home — and it's a story worth slowing down for. Back in 1887, the 20th Legislature of the state of Texas put something into motion. They created the State Orphan Asylum — a place designed to take in orphans under the age of fourteen and give them a fighting chance.
Now, they had to pick a home for it, and Corsicana stepped up. Local citizens donated over two hundred acres right here at this site. Two hundred acres.
That's not a small gesture. That's a community saying, come here, we'll make room. The first students arrived in 1889.
Classes met in the chapel — no school building yet, just children and lessons and whatever space they had. That school building did get erected in 1889 as well, and the institution kept building from there. By 1890, enrollment stood at fifty-four.
By 1897, the place had grown enough to carry its own independent school district. That's a town within a town, really. Before 1899, it had already been renamed the State Orphan Home, and by 1900 the facility was housing around four hundred students.
Four hundred young people receiving academic instruction, vocational training, and out on those extensive farmlands — agricultural training too. The campus fed itself and taught at the same time. Then came the 1930s.
The Depression. And if you think hard times meant fewer children needing care, well — it was exactly the opposite. Residents during that decade numbered over eight hundred souls on this campus.
Eight hundred. Let that settle in. The campus school ran all the way through the 1955-56 academic year, and when it closed, the students transferred into Corsicana public schools.
Then in 1957, the home was placed under the jurisdiction of the Texas Youth Council and received the name it carries on this marker — Corsicana State Home. Thousands of children passed through here over the decades. Thousands.
And some of them went on to leave a mark. Robert W. Calvert, a former student of this very place, rose to serve as Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1950 to 1961, then as Chief Justice from 1961 to 1972.
A boy who came through these gates, and later sat at the highest bench in Texas. That's the thing about a place like this. You can count the acres donated, count the enrollment figures, track the name changes across the years — but the real ledger is the one that can't fit on a marker.
Thousands of lives. Started here.
What the marker says
Created by the 20th Legislature in 1887, the State Orphan Asylum originally provided care for orphans under age 14. State officials located the institution in Corsicana after local citizens donated over 200 acres at this site. The first students arrived in 1889, and by 1890 enrollment totaled 54. Classes met in the chapel before a school building was erected in 1889. By 1897 the institution had an independent school district. Renamed State Orphan Home before 1899, the facility housed about 400 students in 1900. Here they received academic and vocational instruction. The campus once had extensive farmlands to supply food and provide agricultural training for students. Physical facilities were enlarged as enrollment increased. During the Depression of the 1930s, residents numbered over 800. The campus school was phased out at the end of the 1955-56 academic year, and students transferred to Corsicana public schools. In 1957 the home was placed under jurisdiction of the Texas Youth Council and was renamed Corsicana State Home. Thousands of children have benefited from the care and schooling provided by the home. Prominent former students include Robert W. Calvert, Texas Supreme Court Associate Justice, 1950-61, and Chief Justice, 1961-72. (1977)