Refugio in Refugio County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Barefield School
Photographed by James Hulse, January 31, 2021
1. Barefield School Marker
African Americans were denied access to education while enslaved, but opportunities emerged after emancipation. The first African American school in Refugio was held in a shotgun building on the corner of Santiago and Osage Streets. The school, known as the Refugio Colored School, later moved to the corner of Alamo and King Streets. The school had no running water so the boys carried water from Osage Street for drinking purposes. The students also found and cut firewood during the winter months to heat the school and were responsible for maintenance of the building. In 1927, the school burned. Professor A.T. Barefield arranged for classes to be held at the Bob Button Dance Hall and then at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church.
Beginning in 1917, Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears Roebuck Company, began to provide matching funds for African American schools in the south. By 1929, a new two-room stucco building was erected on East Commons Street through the Rosenwald school building program. The school was later named Barefield School after Professor A.T. Barefield, an educator in Refugio from 1902 to 1949, who promoted education and good citizenship within the black community. As attendance grew, the board of trustees approved to move one of the two-room buildings from the white school to the Negro school grounds. The Rosenwald School no longer exists but the 1933 addition still stands at Commons and Bayou Streets. The Barefield School was the only Rosenwald School in Refugio County and was a symbol of vision and progress for the community during the early 1900s.
Erected 2013 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17647.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
Location. 28° 18.24′ N, 97° 16.059′ W.
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Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. 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: Refugio City Hall (approx. 0.6 miles away); Colonel A. M. Hobby/Hobby's 8th Texas Infantry Regiment, C.S.A. (approx. 0.6 miles away); Purple Heart Recipients (approx. 0.6 miles away); Refugio Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of the Home of Captain Ira Westover (approx. 0.6 miles away); Irish Immigrants in Refugio (approx.
Photographed by James Hulse, January 31, 2021
2. Barefield School Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. John and Virginia Linney House (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Education For African Americans.
The education of African American children during the late period of slavery, after 1800, was sporadic and unreliable in Texas as in other Southern states. Formal education was practically nonexistent for African Americans. Education most often consisted of on-the-job training in a variety of occupations. Before the Civil War most people believed education of African Americans would lead to discontent and rebellion. Source: The Handbook of Texas(Submitted on February 7, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, January 31, 2021
3. The view of the Barefield School and Marker from the road
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 899 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 7, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
