DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of the story as the official marker records it, out here on the roads of Houston County, East Texas. Now, there are schools, and then there are schools — the kind that become the beating heart of a whole community. Post Oak School was the second kind.
It all started in September of 1892, right here on this site, on property that belonged at the time to a man named Stephen Box. That first day of class, Post Oak opened its doors to African-American students from this community and the surrounding area — and it wouldn't stop opening those doors for more than sixty years. The school was built right next to Mt.
Olive Baptist Church, and that proximity was no accident of geography. Together, those two institutions became the focal point of the community — the place where neighbors gathered not just to learn and worship, but to live. Post Oak wasn't just handing out book knowledge; it was offering athletics, drama, music, dance, social events.
It was, in every meaningful sense of the word, vital. Now, that first building — don't let anybody tell you it was modest. It held a principal's office, a book room, seven classrooms, and a kitchen.
Ten grades of school offered under one roof. And students came to get it from as far as eight miles away. Eight miles in rural East Texas is not a short trip.
Those children made it anyway. Then came 1939, and Post Oak added something that showed this school was thinking about the future: a brand-new, well-equipped vocational building, purpose-built to house homemaking and agricultural departments. They were preparing students not just to pass tests but to go out and do things in the world.
And speaking of competition — those students won district championships in interscholastic league competitions. More than once, more than one event. Houston County ought to remember that.
But here's where the story turns, the way so many stories of rural East Texas schools do. After World War II, the population in the surrounding area began to decline. And when a community thins out, the institutions that served it feel the weight of that.
Post Oak first went through partial consolidation with neighboring schools in Lovelady and Crockett. And then, in 1955, the school closed completely. More than sixty years of classes.
Sixty years of students walking — or riding, or making that eight-mile journey however they could — to learn something, compete in something, belong to something. Post Oak School is gone now, but as the marker takes care to say, its history remains an important part of the educational record in Houston County. And out here on the road, that's exactly the kind of thing worth stopping for.
What the marker says
A lasting reminder of the importance of educational institutions in the heart of rural East Texas, Post Oak School held its first classes in September 1892 on this site, on property then owned by Stephen Box. It served African-American students in the community and the surrounding area for more than 60 years. Built adjacent to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church, the first Post Oak school building contained the principal's office, a book room, seven classrooms and a kitchen. In 1939, a well-equipped vocational building was completed to house the homemaking and agricultural departments. Students came from as far away as eight miles to attend the ten grades of school offered here. Along with the church, Post Oak School served as a focal point for the community, providing both educational and cultural activities for its neighbors. Opportunities to participate in athletics, drama, music, dance and other social events made the school a vital part of community life. The students often won district championships in various interscholastic league competitions. After World War II, a declining population in the rural area resulted in partial consolidation of Post Oak School with neighboring schools in Lovelady and Crockett. Post Oak closed completely in 1955, but its history remains an important part of the educational record in Houston County. (2002)