Site of Truby School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the place they call the Site of Truby School, out in Jones County, Texas. Now, before Jones County was even Jones County, people out here were already trying to educate their children. Educational efforts in this area date back to the 1870s, and the county itself wasn't organized until 1881.

So let that sink in for a moment. The schoolhouse came before the county did. The rural community of Truby took shape around School District No. 14.

That arrangement held until 1916, when Truby consolidated with Bitter Creek Schools and the two became District No. 56. And here's a detail worth savoring: by the time that consolidation happened, Truby had already been through three earlier locations. Three.

The community kept picking up its school and trying again somewhere else, searching for the right spot. In 1916, they finally settled on this very site, and a new building went up. That building served children through grade nine.

For high school, students made the trip to Anson. It wasn't a small thing to ask of a family out here on the rural Texas plains, but that was the bargain, and families made it work. Then came World War II, and after it, the rural population began to decline.

The arithmetic of a farming community changed, and Truby consolidated with the Anson schools. The students followed the road to Anson for good this time. But the schoolhouse, it didn't just sit down and give up.

That building stayed in use as a community center all the way to the close of the twentieth century. From the 1870s to the end of the nineteen hundreds, this little patch of Jones County kept finding a reason to gather people together. That's not a short run for a school that was never the biggest name on the map.

What the marker says

Site of Truby School Early educational efforts in this area date to the 1870s, prior to the organization of Jones County in 1881. The rural community of Truby encompassed School District No. 14 until consolidating with Bitter Creek Schools in 1916 to become District No. 56. There were three earlier locations for Truby schools until this site was selected in 1916 and a new building was constructed. Truby School educated children through grade nine, with students traveling to Anson for high school. After World War II, as the rural population declined, Truby consolidated with Anson schools, But the schoolhouse remained in use as a community center until the close of the 20th century. (2002)