Lockhill School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Lockhill School, out there in Bexar County. Now settle in, because this one's been runnin' a long time. A real long time.

We're talkin' about one of Texas' oldest public schools, and it has been operating continuously since 1868. Continuously. Not closed for a war, not shuttered in hard times, not lost to flood or fire as far as the marker tells it.

Just open. Year after year, decade after decade, since 1868. That alone deserves a moment of respect.

The school was named in honor of Wm. J. Locke, who donated the land.

A man gives land, a school gets his name. That's a fair trade if ever there was one. Now, in the early going, the school wasn't sitting in any grand schoolhouse.

Classes were held in a supply depot, about a mile to the southwest of where you'd find things later. You make do with what you've got. And here's a little wrinkle the marker drops on you quietly.

For some years, the school went by the name Shavano. Not Lockhill. Shavano.

The marker doesn't explain why it changed or when exactly, just that it was called that for a stretch, and then it wasn't. Some stories keep their secrets. The present structure, the one that anchored the school's identity, was built in 1923.

And then, in 1985, the marker itself, along with the gate structures and the archway, were moved from that earlier site, the one a mile to the southwest, to where they stand today. The school moved forward. The memory moved with it.

Since 1868, that's the headline, and it hasn't changed.

What the marker says

One of Texas' oldest public schools; operated continuously since 1868. Named in honor of Wm. J. Locke, who donated land. Originally school was held in a supply depot (1 mi. SW). School was named "Shavano" for some years. The present structure was built in 1923. SUPPLEMENTAL PLATE: Marker, gate structures, and archway moved from earlier site (1 mi. SW) in 1985.