DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the Sam and Will Moore Institute. Two brothers — Sam and Will Moore — did something you don't see every day. They gave the land.
They covered half the costs of putting up the building. And then the community looked at what those brothers had done and said, we're not going to let them carry that alone — and matched their donation dollar for dollar. That's how a school gets a name worth keeping.
The architect who drew up the plans was H. Struve, and the contractors who swung the hammers were Joel Meyer and Company. Now, when it came time to set the cornerstone, nobody in Lavaca County was going to let that moment pass quietly.
The Order of Sons of Hermann laid that cornerstone on July 31, 1901, and they did not do it in a modest fashion. There was a parade. There was a band concert.
There was barbecue — this is Texas, of course there was barbecue. There was a ball. And there were orations delivered in not one, not two, but three languages: English, German, and Czechoslovakian.
That cornerstone-laying was less of a ceremony and more of a full-blown celebration of a community that had decided, together, that education was worth every bit of the fuss. The building grew with the years — a north wing was added in 1923 — and here's the part that lands the story square: the building still houses a school. Sam and Will Moore gave a site, a community gave its match, and what they all built together is still standing, still doing the work.
What the marker says
Name honors brothers who gave site and half costs of building; the community matched their donation. Architect: H. Struve. Contractors: Joel Meyer & Co. Order of Sons of Hermann laid cornerstone July 31, 1901, in a gala celebration including a parade, band concert, barbecue, ball, and orations in English, German, and Czechoslovakian. North wing was added in 1923. Building still houses school. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973