Euless School

Duane's take

The official marker's the authority here, and I'm just the one bringin' it to you on the road. Now settle in, because this one's got more chapters than you'd expect from a little schoolhouse sitting on flat North Texas ground. It starts in 1913, when the patrons of three area elementary schools, Euless and Tarrant in the Euless District, and Evatt, also known as Crossroads, in the Evatt District, walked up to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and said, in so many words, we've got a better idea.

They petitioned to merge all three and create the Euless Common School District. And the court said yes. Voters then elected John D.

Huffman, Thomas P. Huffman, and Dr. Luther F.

Rhodes as trustees, and approved a seven-thousand-dollar bond issue for a two-story brick schoolhouse. Seven thousand dollars, two stories, brick. That was serious business.

The building opened for the 1914 to 1915 school year, and right away it became something bigger than just a place to learn your letters. That schoolhouse became a community center. Farm and home demonstration programs, farmers' meetings, club work for boys and girls, social events, cultural gatherings, political meetings, patriotic occasions.

Out in the country, a building like that doesn't just hold children. It holds a community together. Then came 1925, and the voters of Euless did something unanimous.

Every last one of them voted to incorporate as an Independent School District, and they elected a seven-member board of trustees to run it. Joseph T. House became the first superintendent, and he didn't just administrate, he taught, right alongside four classroom teachers. 1932 brought high school drama, speech, and literary clubs, and electricity arrived on campus, which made possible proper lighting and a dependable water supply from a new well.

Small things on paper. Big things when you're living without them. By the 1940s, citizens of adjoining districts were meeting, more than once, talking about the possibility of merging, building something central, offering a broader high school curriculum.

Those conversations kept circling. Then the world outside came knocking. The Bell Helicopter Manufacturing Plant opened nearby.

So did Fort Worth Municipal Airport. People followed. Population grew.

In January 1955, residents voted to merge the Euless and Hurst districts. Bedford voters initially rejected consolidation, but they came around in 1958, and just like that, the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District was born, the one that exists to this day. As for the 1914 Euless School, it served until that 1955 consolidation.

Then it stood a while longer, maybe a little uncertain of its purpose. And in 1970, it was razed. South Euless Elementary School now occupies that same ground.

A different building, a different era, but the same patch of North Texas dirt where, back in 1913, a handful of ordinary people decided three small schools ought to become something greater. Turns out they were right.

What the marker says

In 1913, patrons of three area elementary schools - Euless and Tarrant in the Euless District and Evatt (Crossroads) in the Evatt District - successfully petitioned Tarrant County Commissioners Court to merge and create the Euless Common School District. Voters elected John D. Huffman, Thomas P. Huffman and Dr. Luther F. Rhodes trustees and approved a $7,000 bond issue for a two-story brick schoolhouse, which opened for the 1914-15 school year. The school building also became a community center, hosting many activities particularly useful for rural families, such as farm and home demonstration programs, farmers" meetings, and club work for boys and girls. Several social, cultural, political and patriotic events were also held here. In 1925 Euless voters unanimously incorporated as an Independent School District and elected a seven member board of trustees. Joseph T. House became the first superintendent and also taught along with four classroom teachers. In 1932, high school drama, speech and literary clubs organized, and electricity on the campus made possible proper lighting and a dependable water supply from a new well. Citizens of adjoining districts met several times in the 1940s to discuss the possibility of merging and building a central facility with a broader high school curriculum. The opening of the nearby Bell Helicopter Manufacturing Plant and Fort Worth Municipal Airport brought population growth, and in January 1955 residents voted to merge the Euless and Hurst districts. Bedford voters initially rejected consolidation but joined in 1958, creating the present Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. The 1914 Euless School, which served until 1955 consolidation, was razed in 1970. South Euless Elementary School now occupies the site.