Moore School

Duane's take

The official marker for Moore School up in Howard County — let me tell you how this one goes. North of Big Spring, out on the frontier, the year is 1906. A group of pioneers has just arrived, drawn by an offer from a rancher named Sid Moore — land for farmers, out where there wasn't much of anything yet.

Four acres got set aside, and before that first year was out, a one-room schoolhouse stood on that ground. The first school term ran six months. One teacher, fifteen students.

That's it. That's the whole operation. But it was a start, and out on that frontier, a start was everything.

By 1908, the school had grown enough that they brought in a second teacher. Now, two teachers in one room presents a problem, and the solution they landed on was — a curtain. Strung right down the middle of the room, dividing it into two classrooms.

Not elegant, but effective. That's frontier ingenuity for you. Both the school and the community took the name Moore, in honor of the rancher who'd opened the door for all of it.

And that school became the beating heart of community life. The trustees didn't just administer the place — they rolled up their sleeves and handled repairs and maintenance themselves. The school held community gatherings.

It held celebrations. On one occasion, a double wedding was held right there on the front steps. The years brought growth.

In 1933, a residence for teachers was added. Then in 1934, a bond election passed, and those funds went toward enlarging the school and building a gymnasium. Things were looking up.

But the marker doesn't let you forget the hard years. And the hardest, the one that people remembered above all others, was 1917. Young men were lost to World War I.

And as if that weren't enough, an influenza epidemic swept through and devastated the community. Nineteen seventeen. The marker names it plainly as one of the worst.

The community held on. The school held on. But February 26, 1945 — that date is burned into this story.

The school and its adjoining buildings were destroyed by fire. And here's the part that settles heavy: the school was never rebuilt. Never.

The district was discontinued, partitioned out under the Gilmer-Aiken School Law in 1949, and that was the end of Moore School. From a curtain strung down the middle of a one-room schoolhouse, to a gymnasium, to a double wedding on the front steps — and then silence. That's the full arc of Moore School, north of Big Spring, and the marker doesn't let it be forgotten.

What the marker says

In 1906 a group of pioneers arrived on the frontier north of Big Spring to take advantage of rancher Sid Moore's offer to sell land to farmers. Four acres were set aside, and a one-room school was built in 1906. The first school term, with one teacher and fifteen students, lasted six months. A second teacher was hired in 1908, and a curtain was used to partition the classrooms. Both school and community were named in honor of Moore. The school became the center of community activities, and on one occasion a double wedding was held on the front steps. The school trustees, besides serving as administrators, took care of repairs and maintenance work. A residence for teachers was added in 1933, and a 1934 bond election provided funds to enlarge the school and build a gymnasium. The school and community experienced some hard times, and the year 1917 is remembered as one of the worst. Young men were lost to World War I, and an influenza epidemic devastated the community. On February 26, 1945, the school and adjoining buildings were destroyed by fire. The school was never rebuilt, and the district was discontinued and partitioned as required by the Gilmer-Aiken School Law in 1949. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.