Mineola Schools

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Mineola Schools, up there in Wood County. Pull up a seat and let's get into it. It all started with a crossing.

When the Texas and Pacific and the International and Great Northern Railroads intersected in 1873, the town of Mineola was created. Just like that, a town. And where you've got a town, you've got children, and where you've got children, well, somebody's got to teach them.

Settlers saw that need quickly, and private schools started appearing not long after the town itself did. One of them was taught by a Miss Billie Wren, who came from Ward-Belmont. And the schools weren't just for one part of the community.

Schools for the African American community also opened, and they did so under the leadership of a man named Robert Mason Jones. Now, a lot of these early schools didn't have grand buildings to call home. They were held in churches, with pastors stepping up as instructors.

T.L. Scruggs of the Baptist Church of Mineola ran a private school all the way until 1882, and he was also connected to the Powell Chapel School. That's a man who believed in the work.

The schools operated on tuition for a good while, with families paying their share to keep things running. But in 1881, the city of Mineola started collecting a tax to help support those local schools, and would occasionally chip in for repairs and maintenance too. The community was pulling together.

Then came August 1902, and a bond issue was approved. Two new schools were going up: one for African American students, one for Anglo students. A man named C.G.

Lancaster was hired to design them. Those buildings went up in 1902 and 1903, and here's the thing worth noting. They were the last school buildings the city itself funded.

Everything that came after was built by the trustees of the Mineola Independent School District. Funding the schools was never one person's burden alone. The city bought equipment like desks.

Citizens pitched in too. Mr. Lorenza Dow Callaway offered free housing for teachers.

And there were generous donations coming in from the Meredith Foundation. That's a community that understood what it was building. In 1968, the school district fully integrated, and McFarland High School closed.

It's a moment the marker doesn't dress up, and neither will I. It's part of the story. Through all of it, through vocational training and athletics, arts programs and core curriculum, and that deep well of community involvement, the Mineola schools built something that outlasted every bond issue and every building.

An exceptional education for the people of Mineola. That's what the marker says, and the history behind it makes it easy to believe.

What the marker says

When the Texas & Pacific and the International & Great Northern Railroads intersected in 1873, the town of Mineola was created. Settlers quickly saw the need for educational facilities for their children. Shortly thereafter, private schools were established, one of which was taught by Miss Billie Wren from Ward-Belmont. Schools for the African American community also opened under the leadership of Robert Mason Jones. Many of the early schools were in churches with pastors as the instructors. T.L. Scruggs of the Baptist Church of Mineola opened a private school until 1882 as well as the Powell Chapel School. While many of the schools were private and received tuition from the students, in 1881 the city of Mineola began to collect a tax to help support the local schools, in addition to occasionally funding repairs and maintenance. in august 1902, a bond issue was approved to construct two new schools: one for the African American students and one for the Anglo students. C.G. Lancaster was hired to design the schools. These buildings, constructed in 1902 and 1903, were the last city-funded school buildings, as all other school facilities were constructed by trustees of the Mineola Independent School District. Funding the schools was a combined effort within the community, with the city purchasing equipment such as desks and citizens, such as Mr. Lorenza Dow Callaway, offering free housing for teachers, and generous donations from the Meredith Foundation. In 1968, the school district fully integrated and McFarland High School closed. Through vocational training, athletics, arts programs and core curriculum as well as extensive community involvement, the Mineola schools have provided an exceptional education for Mineola residents.