John M. Moore School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the John M. Moore School, out on Dilly Shaw Tap Road in Brazos County. Pull over if you can, because this one deserves a moment.

It starts, as a lot of good Texas stories do, with somebody deciding that what exists just isn't good enough. In 1940 and 1941, Brazos County Superintendent of Schools Amy Neeley, born in 1887, sat down with a group of teachers, including Pauline Watkins, and they talked about a problem. African American children in that part of the county were spread across five separate schools.

Five. And the people in that room believed they could do better. So they made a plan.

In 1941, those teachers joined with Tabor School District Trustee William P. Presnal and a man named John M. Moore, who was both an educator and a County Commissioner, and together they purchased four acres.

Four acres, right alongside one of those five existing schools on Dilly Shaw Tap Road. That land was going to hold something new. And what they built on it was not small in spirit.

The main building had five rooms for academic subjects: math, English, social studies, homemaking instruction. Out back, there was an equipped farm shop and a vegetable garden for agricultural classes. And stretching out beyond that, a large athletic field.

This wasn't a bare-bones compromise. This was a school. One hundred and thirty-four students transferred in that first year.

By 1944, that number had climbed to 166. And somewhere along the way, the school became more than a place of learning. It became a gathering place for the whole community.

Folks came together there. That matters. Then 1950 arrived, and the main building burned.

Just like that, the heart of the campus was gone. The students transferred temporarily to an elementary school in Bryan, along with several teachers and the principal, Fred B. Batts.

But the story wasn't over. In 1952, a new brick building was completed. Same year, Kurten District Number Ten assumed management of the school.

The students came back, the school educated children through eighth grade, and community events resumed. A setback met, and then answered. But the 1950s brought consolidation across Brazos County, a tide that was hard to hold back.

In 1960, the school reopened under the name John Moore School, now serving as a junior high for grades seven through nine. Two years later, it closed again, and the teachers and students transferred to Neal Junior High School in Bryan. The community kept using the site for events for a little while longer.

But in 1965, it was permanently closed. And eventually, the buildings were demolished. Every last one of them.

Amy Neeley, who lived until 1979. Pauline Watkins, who lived until 1980. William Presnal.

John M. Moore. They bought four acres and built something that mattered to a community for more than two decades.

The buildings are gone. The marker is what remains. And now, out here on the road, so is this story.

What the marker says

In 1940-1941, Brazos County Superintendent of Schools Amy (Barron) Neeley (1887-1979) and a group of teachers, including Pauline Watkins (1902-1980), discussed plans to enhance educational opportunities for African American children in the area by consolidating five existing schools. In 1941, the teachers, Tabor School District Trustee William P. Presnal, and educator and County Commissioner John M. Moore purchased four acres adjoining one of the five existing schools, located on Dilly Shaw Tap Road, to accommodate the consolidated school. The new site's main building consisted of five rooms for academic subjects, including math, English, social studies and homemaking instruction. An equipped farm shop and vegetable garden served agricultural classes. A large athletic field completed the site. 134 students transferred for the first year, rising to 166 in 1944. The site also became a gathering place for the community. The school's main building burned in 1950, and the students were temporarily transferred to an elementary school in Bryan along with several teachers and the principal, Fred B. Batts. A new brick building was completed in 1952. That same year, Kurten District #10 assumed management of the school. The school educated students through eighth grade and resumed community events. In the 1950s, officials consolidated Brazos County's schools further. In 1960, the John Moore School opened as a junior high serving grades seven to nine. Two years later, the school closed, and the teachers and students transferred to Neal Junior High School in Bryan. The community continued to use the site for events, but in 1965, it was permanently closed. The buildings were later demolished. (2023)