Thompson School

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm gonna pass it along to you. Out in Lavaca County, south of a little town called Mont, there stood a school that had to earn its place in the world, and earn it more than once. That's the story of Thompson School, and it starts, like a lot of Texas stories, with a name change and a railroad.

The town down that way had gone by Dew-Cox, or Needmore, depending on who you asked. In 1894 it changed its name to Monseratte, which folks eventually shortened to Mont. When the rail line came through, a gin and a store went up nearby, and suddenly there was a community taking shape around something new.

Now, the old Rocky Creek School had been serving the area, but in 1891 it was torn down and moved closer to that new railroad. That left residents south of Mont without a school within walking distance of their children. Something had to be done.

Enter F.M. Thompson. He deeded a parcel of land to the trustees of school district number twelve, for the express purpose of establishing a school.

Thompson School came into existence because of that rail line, and because of that deed. The school opened in 1895, with Ruby Lay as the teacher. Children walked through fields and pastures to get there every morning, and when they arrived, the work wasn't done.

Students were responsible for the daily maintenance of the school. They were building something, even if they didn't quite know it yet. F.M.

Thompson died in November of 1896. His wife Mary died in August of 1918, and she left no will. With no will, the land reverted back to the Thompson family.

That might have been the end of it, except the school had already moved on, back in 1904. A second school came into existence on a parcel of land deeded by L. Jaresh.

That school kept growing. In 1919, a second classroom was added. Additional improvements followed in 1923.

Then in 1935, A.W. Jaresh deeded an additional half acre to the school, and the community kept building on what others had started. Eventually, that second school was torn down, and a third school was built on the same property.

Three schools on roughly the same ground, each one a little sturdier than the last. Thompson School operated until 1959, when it consolidated with Hallettsville Independent School District. What it leaves behind is something the marker puts plainly and well: a historical snapshot of the reason rural schools came into existence, and of their service to the community.

Children walking through pastures to get to class, a man deeding land so a school could stand, a family's name outlasting the building that carried it. That's not nothing. That's the whole thing.

What the marker says

Rural schools served as the major source of education for children outside of larger towns in Lavaca county. Thompson school served the community south of Mont in Lavaca county. The town of Dew-Cox, or Needmore, changed its name to Monseratte in 1894 which was later shortened to Mont. When the rail line came through the area, a gin and a store were built nearby. In 1891, the old rocky creek school was torn down and moved near the new railroad. Thompson school came into existence because of the rail line and no school existed within walking distance for residents in the area. F.M. Thompson deeded the school trustees of school district no. 12 a parcel of land for the purpose of establishing a school. The school opened in 1895 with ruby lay as the teacher. Students walked through fields and pastures to get to school and were responsible for daily maintenance of the school. F.M. Thompson died in November 1896 and his wife Mary died august 1918 without a will. The land reverted back to the Thompson family when the school moved in 1904. The second school came into existence on a parcel of land deeded by L. Jaresh. In 1919, a second classroom was added and additional improvements made in 1923. In 1935, A.W. Jaresh deeded an additional one half acre to the school. The second school was torn down and a third school built on the same property. The school operated until 1959 when it consolidated with Hallettsville independent school district. The school is a historical snapshot of the reason rural schools came into existence and their service to the community.