Independence in Washington County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Site of Independence School
Photographed By James Hulse, September 9, 2018
1. Site of Independence School Marker
Although private schools were in operation in Independence as early as 1835, tax-supported public schools were not established until the 1870s. In September 1870, the County Court ordered that each of the five precincts in the County be divided into two school districts - - one for white students and one for black students. The first County School tax was levied in 1874, paving the way for school house construction.
Classes for white students were conducted in a small frame building and in former facilities of Baylor Female Academy until the first Public School building was erected on this site on the town square in 1889. By 1937 an average of forty-four students were attending the school, taught by three teachers. The 1889 schoolhouse was destroyed in a 1939 fire, and other building was erected on the same site.
Passed by the State Legislature in 1949, the Gilmer - Aiken Law had far-reaching effects on the boundaries and funding of school-districts in Texas. Because its enrollment did not meet the new minimum requirements, Independence School was closed in 1953. The last School building later became a private home.
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Erected 1989 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 8360.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1870.
Location. 30° 19.194′ N, 96° 20.687′ W. Marker is in Independence, Texas, in Washington County. Marker is at the intersection of La Bahia Trail (Farm to Market Road 390) and McKnight Road, on the right when traveling west on La Bahia Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Brenham TX 77833, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Site of Mustering of a Unit of Hood's Texas Brigade, C.S.A. (here, next to this marker); Independence Postal Service (here, next to this marker); Independence (here, next to this marker); Margaret Moffette Lea Houston (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Houston-Lea Family Cemetery (about 600 feet away); Old Baptist Church (about 700 feet away); Home Built in 1845 by General Jerome B. Robertson (approx. 0.2 miles away); A College Town (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Independence.
Also see . . . Independence Texas. TexasEscapes.com (Submitted on September 27, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed By James Hulse, September 9, 2018
2. The Independence School Marker is the first marker from the left.
The Independence Public School is in the background.
Photographed By James Hulse, September 9, 2018
3. Independence School
Photographed By James Hulse, September 9, 2018
4. Ruins of the Baylor Female College on Academy Hill
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 99 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 27, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
