Original Sam Houston School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Original Sam Houston School in Cameron County. Now, Harlingen in the spring of 1912 was a town still figuring itself out, still deciding what kind of place it wanted to be. And one of the things a town needs, if it's going to be anything at all, is a school.

So in April of 1912, the Harlingen School District opened a new public school right here at this site, one of the city's first permanent school buildings. They called it, simply, the main school. No fuss, no frills in the name.

Just the main school. And it was. It handled everybody, elementary grades clear on through high school, all under one roof.

Now picture those early graduating classes. Ten students, maybe fewer. Some years, fewer.

You could fit the whole graduating class in the bed of a wagon and still have room for the good wishes of the entire town. But towns grow. Schools grow with them.

As enrollment climbed, Harlingen started building out, adding facilities in other parts of the city to keep up with all those young minds showing up and needing somewhere to go. Eventually, a new Sam Houston School Building went up at 301 East Taft in 1960. The original site had done its work, laid the foundation, sent generations out into the world.

And the marker notes, with that particular kind of understatement that tends to carry real weight, that over the years, the school produced some outstanding graduates. Ten or fewer at a time, back at the start. Turns out that was enough.

What the marker says

The Harlingen School District opened a new public school at this site in April 1912 in one of the city's first permanent school buildings. Originally known as the main school, it served Elementary through High school grade students. Graduating classes of the early years usually were made up of ten or fewer students. As school enrollment grew, additional facilities were built in other parts of Harlingen. A new Sam Houston School Building was constructed at 301 E. Taft in 1960. Over the years, the school has produced some outstanding graduates.