Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Juan Seguin School

Photographed by Larry D. Moore, July 28, 2020

1. Juan Seguin School Marker

Inscription. Guadalupe County was home to a number of rural schools for the area’s burgeoning population of students of Mexican descent. In addition to those already living here, immigrants came from Mexico in the early 20th century, fleeing for safety during that country’s revolution. In 1902, the local school board, under the leadership of the city of Seguin, passed a motion to establish a separate school for Mexican children. Juan Seguin School, opened in 1903, was an early model of a segregated urban school for children of Mexican heritage. Students first met in a home owned by William Greifenstein, whom the Seguin City Council paid monthly for the house’s use. In 1906, William Blumberg arranged with the city council to build a school house on North Pecan Street (later East Cedar Street).

By 1915, the city began to make efforts to secure a permanent site for the school. In 1916, an independent school district was established and along with this effort, a bond for raising money to purchase a site for the Mexican school was put to vote. Though defeated, a bond the next year was successful, and in 1918, Mexican Public School Ward #2, as it was then known, was built on the corner of Dolle and Medlin Streets. Grades one through six attended the school. More classrooms were added to the original one-room structure, and by 1948, the school had several rooms, an office, and an auditorium. Juan Seguin School merged with Lizzie M. Burges School in 1971, before the campus became one school again in 1975. Juan Seguin Elementary School closed in 2010. However, its impact remains felt through the generations of students that attended and its success as an institution where Hispanic students received an education.

Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16683.)

Topics. This historical marker is

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listed in these topic lists: Education • Hispanic Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1902.

Location. 29° 34.282′ N, 97° 58.34′ W. Marker is in Seguin, Texas, in Guadalupe County. It is on Dolle Avenue north of Taylor Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 450 Dolle Ave, Seguin TX 78155, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Hill Country

and in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Black Education in Seguin (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sebastopol (about 600 feet away); Joseph Sonka House (approx. ¼ mile away); Hugo and Georgia Gibson House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 0.3 miles away);

Juan Seguin School Marker Area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry D. Moore, July 28, 2020

2. Juan Seguin School Marker Area

The Ranger Oaks (approx. 0.4 miles away); Second Baptist Church of Seguin (approx. half a mile away); Moore House (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seguin.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2020, by Larry D. Moore of Del Valle, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,179 times since then and 122 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 30, 2020, by Larry D. Moore of Del Valle, Texas.