DUANE
Duane's take
Now, I'm gonna tell you this one straight from the official marker — every word of it earned. Out in Bartlett, Texas, there was a school that outgrew itself before it ever had a chance to settle in. The African American school in the southwestern part of town was running out of room, and the Bartlett trustees weren't about to let the students suffer for it.
So they did something that takes a certain kind of practical Texas thinking — they bought four buildings, whole buildings, from Camp Swift over in Bastrop, and hauled them in to enlarge the facilities. Then a bond issue passed in 1948, and the plans took shape — a U-shaped building, right here, on the former site of the Bartlett Civilian Conservation Corps Camp. Otto Lange served as contractor, and that school went up.
Now, before the new building even opened its doors, something worth marking had already happened. In May of 1949, the school celebrated its first Junior-Senior Prom and its first graduation — because it had become a Class B Accredited 12-grade school the previous school year. That's the kind of milestone you don't forget.
Then came Fall 1949, and Gentry Powell, Sr. — known to just about everybody as Prof — moved with his wife and the students to that new building. Both of them had served at the original Bartlett Colored School, so this wasn't just a new address. It was a new chapter they'd helped write.
On September 16, 1949, the students and teachers celebrated the new building together. And the school kept growing. Students came in from Holland, from Granger, from Davilla — nearby communities sending their children to Bartlett because the school had earned that trust.
By 1957, it had climbed to Class A Accredited status, and with that, it took on a new name: the Booker T. Washington School, in honor of the famed black educator. And then it just kept reaching.
University Interscholastic competition — sports, debate, spelling, declamation, music. Coach Gentry Powell led his football and track and field teams to championship games, winning at both district and state levels. That's not a rumor.
That's on the marker. Marguerite C. Powell served as principal from 1947 to 1965, guiding the school through every one of those milestones — the new building, the name change, the Class A accreditation, all of it.
In 1965, Bartlett schools integrated, and the Powells moved with other dedicated teachers to Bartlett High School, where they kept right on educating. Today, an alumni group carries the memory forward — preserving the heritage of that early African American school and the role it played in building this community. Some schools just teach lessons.
This one was one.
What the marker says
With overcrowded buildings at the African American school in southwestern Bartlett, the Bartlett trustees bought four buildings from Camp Swift in Bastrop to enlarge the facilities. A bond issue passed in 1948, and plans began for a U-shaped building. Otto Lange served as contractor for the schoolhouse, built here, on the former site of the Bartlett Civilian Conservation Corps Camp. Gentry "Prof" Powell, Sr., and his wife, who had both served at the original Bartlett Colored School, moved with the students to the new school building in Fall 1949; earlier that year, in May, the school had celebrated its first Junior-Senior Prom and graduation, having become a Class B Accredited 12-grade school the previous school year. The students and teachers celebrated the new building on September 16, 1949, and for the next several years continued growing, as students from the nearby communities of Holland, Granger and Davilla transferred to the Bartlett Colored School. As a Class A Accredited high school, it became the Booker T. Washington School in 1957 in honor of the famed black educator. As the school grew, it gained success in all areas, competing in University Interscholastic events in sports and academic subjects, including debate, spelling, declamation and music. Coach Gentry Powell led his football and track and field teams to championship games, winning at both district and state levels. Bartlett schools integrated in 1965, and the Powells moved with other dedicated teachers to Bartlett High School, where they continued as educators. Today, an alumni group preserves the heritage of the early African American school and its role in the development of the community. (2003) 2nd plaque: Under Marguerite C. Powell, Principal 1947-1965, *New school built for African Americans *Name Changed to Booker T Washington School *Became Class A accredited school.