Cotulla's First School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Cotulla's first school. The International and Great Northern Railroad developed Cotulla in 1881, and just four years later, in 1885, a school opened right here on this very site: classes for primary, intermediate, and advanced students, with J.M. Gunning and E.A.

Williams as the first teachers. Now, you'd think that would be a straightforward beginning. You'd be wrong.

Lightning struck that first schoolhouse. Struck it dead, and it burned to the ground. So Cotulla did what Cotulla had to do; somebody found a former house, pulled the porch clean off, added a bell, and moved the whole thing to this site.

That became the next school building. Not glamorous. But it had a bell, and a bell means school's in session.

During the summer months, the site hosted county teacher institutes and summer normal schools, so the work of education kept right on going even when the regular year let out. The site served Cotulla's Caucasian schoolchildren (and the marker is plain about that distinction) until a new brick school was built on Tilden Street in 1908. From a lightning-struck ruin to a repurposed house missing its porch, this ground did its job for over two decades before Cotulla finally got the building that matched its ambitions.

What the marker says

The International and Great Northern Railroad developed Cotulla in 1881, and the first school opened on this site in 1885, with classes for primary, intermediate and advanced .J.M. Gunning and E.A. Williams were the first teachers. Lightning struck the first schoolhouse and it burned to the ground. A former house, with the porch removed and a bell added, was moved to this site and used for the next school building. County teacher institutes and summer normal schools were held here during summer months. The site served Cotulla’s Caucasian schoolchildren until a new brick school was built on Tilden Street in 1908. (2009)