Wills Point Schools

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Wills Point Schools. Now settle in, because some stories don't need dragons or outlaws. Sometimes the most lasting thing a town can do is decide its children deserve a place to learn.

In 1886, the city officials of Wills Point, working under Mayor Thomas J. McKain, made exactly that decision. They established a public school system, rented a building on North Fourth Street, and handed the keys to Professor W.I.

Cowles, the first superintendent. Humble beginnings, sure. But watch what happens next.

Five years later, in 1891, the trustees went shopping for something more permanent. They purchased 6.1 acres, and not just any 6.1 acres. This was the homesite of John O'Neal, a pioneer settler of the area.

That land, rooted in the history of the place before the school ever existed, became the nucleus of everything that followed. School buildings rose on that site through the years, one after another, each one a statement that this community was not done growing. And the community itself kept growing too.

More than twenty early rural schools, scattered across the surrounding countryside, consolidated with Wills Point over time. By 1913, Wills Point was an independent school district, standing on its own. For over a century now, those schools have been a focal point and a source of pride for the people of Wills Point.

A rented room on North Fourth Street, a pioneer's homesite, a superintendent named Cowles, and a mayor named McKain. That's how a century of learning gets started. One decision at a time.

What the marker says

Wills Point city officials under Mayor Thomas J. McKain established a public school system in 1886. Classes began in a rented building on North Fourth Street with Professor W.I. Cowles as the first superintendent. In 1891, trustees purchased 6.1 acres of the homesite of pioneer area settler John O' Neal. The property became the nucleus of the district's later growth, and several school buildings have been constructed on the site through the years. Over 20 early rural schools have consolidated with Wills Point, an independent school district since 1913. For over a century, the local schools have been a focal point and a source of pride for the community.