Francis School

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in the southwest corner of Briscoe County, in 1898, a community decided it was time to get serious about schooling its young people. They organized Common School District No. 3, and they needed a name.

Well, a man named J.L. Francis stepped forward, offered up his land, and took on a good chunk of the building expenses himself. So the school got his name.

Francis School. And that was just the beginning of the story. Around 1915, the community made a decision, the kind that takes some doing, and moved the whole school to a more central spot in the community, on land owned by a man named Champ Blackwell.

Now that is a name that sounds like it belongs to a man who gets things done. The years rolled on, and Francis School kept growin. They added classroom space.

They added a teacherage. And the school became something more than a school. It was a community center, pullin people together for programs and fun events across the surrounding area.

Then 1934 rolls around, and here is where you get a real picture of what this place meant. Francis School was one of ten rural schools in all of Briscoe County that year. Two teachers.

Eight grades. An average daily attendance of thirty-two students. Two teachers carrying eight grades and thirty-two kids, out there on the southwest Texas plain.

That is not just a school. That is a community holding itself together with both hands.

What the marker says

Francis School (Common School District No. 3) organized in 1898 for citizens of southwest Briscoe County. The school was named for J.L. Francis, who offered his land and took on much of the building expenses. Around 1915, the school was moved to a more central portion of the community on land owned by Champ Blackwell. Over the years, the improvements included additional classroom space and a teacherage. As a thriving community center, the school brought several programs and fun events to the surrounding area. In 1934, Francis School was one of ten rural schools in the county, with two teachers serving an average daily attendance of 32 students in eight grades. (2018)