Site of Booker T. Washington High School

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to honor every word. By 1886, Wichita County was already running at least one school for African American students in the Wichita Falls area. We know that because records show a woman named Cora Robinson was chosen as a teacher that year.

Other early teachers followed, A.L. Hedrick and M.E. Hunter among them, and the students moved around, attending classes at different times in facilities on Mill Street, Park Street, and Sullivan Street.

It wasn't the most settled of arrangements, but the community kept showing up. Walter Downing and C.C. Trimble both served as principals for many years.

Then came H.D. Robinson's principalship, and something changed. A three-story brick school building went up right here on this site.

Three stories. Brick. That is a statement.

In 1921, former Wichita Falls mayor Jim Marlow sold eight acres in this section of town, and the vision was to create a new African American business and social center. The community chose this spot for the school, and they named it for the noted educator and author Booker T. Washington.

That name carried weight, and the school grew into it. Businesses developed around it, and it settled in as the beating heart of Wichita Falls' African American community. In 1922, A.E.

Holland became principal. He stayed until 1946, and in that stretch he guided the school to becoming a Class A accredited campus. A cafeteria went up.

A lighted football field got built. These weren't just facilities. They were signs of a community investing in itself.

Then came C.E. Jackson, acclaimed by the marker's own word, who served as principal from 1946 to 1963. Under Jackson, the district added a gym and built an adjacent elementary school, also named for Washington.

In 1963, the high school moved to a new site on Harding Street. The district integrated in 1969, and in 1971, the former Washington High School building was razed. That's a hard sentence to say, and it ought to be.

A three-story brick landmark, gone. But here is where the story doesn't end the way you might expect. The community kept coming back.

Other buildings on that campus stayed standing and stayed useful, including that cafeteria, which now serves as a gathering place for the school's proud alumni. The building that fed generations of students is still feeding something, the memory of what was built here, and the pride of the people who built it.

What the marker says

Records indicate that by 1886, when Cora Robinson was chosen as a teacher, Wichita County operated at least one school for African American students in the Wichita Falls area. Other early teachers included A.L. Hedrick and M.E. Hunter, and students attended classes at different times in facilities on Mill, Park and Sullivan streets. Walter Downing and C.C. Trimble served as principals for many years, but it was during the princaipalship of H.D. Robinson that a three-story brick school building was constructed at this site. In 1921, former Wichita Falls mayor Jim Marlow sold eight acres in this section of town to create a new African American business and social center. The community chose this site for the Booker T. Washinton School, named for the noted educator and author. The school became a neighborhood focal point, and businesses developed around it that further placed it at the center of Wichita Falls' African American community. In 1922, A.E. Holland became the school's principal. He served until 1946, and under his leadership the school became a Class A accredited campus, and additional facilities, including a cafeteria and lighted football field, were constructed. The acclaimed C.E. Jackson served as principal from 1946 to 1963, during which time the district added a gym and an adjacent elementary school, also named for Washington. The high school moved to a site on Harding Street in 1963, and the district integrated in 1969, razing the former Washington High School building in 1971. Since that time, the community has continued using other buildings on the campus, including the cafeteria, which now serves as a center for the school's proud alumni. (2006)