Site of Katy's First Schoolhouse

Site of Katy's First Schoolhouse. . , The first public schoolhouse in the new town of Katy was built on this site in 1898 to serve the children of local farmers, ranchers, and railroad workers. That wooden one-room school building was destroyed in the 1900 hurricane, and rebuilt. As the town grew, a permanent two-story red brick schoolhouse was constructed in 1909, complete with a bell. The Katy Independent School District was established in 1918, incorporating several of the one-room schools in the area. Grades 1-10 were taught at the 1909 building, and an 11th grade was added in 1920. Heat, indoor plumbing and electricity were added in 1927, and an additional elementary school building was added, replacing the original wooden schoolhouse. A gymnasium was added in 1934, followed by a football field and cafeteria in 1939. A 12th grade was added in 1940. The first Katy rodeo was held behind the school on the football field in 1943, and Katy High School FFA members maintained farm animals here., In 1947, junior and senior high school students moved to a new Katy High School located on Highway 90 at FM 1463, and in 1951 a new elementary school was built on that campus and the 1909 and 1927 buildings were razed. The 1934 gymnasium remained standing and was used for community events including Halloween carnivals, banquets, local civil defense activities, and roller skating before it was replaced during renovations in 1988. Part of the 1960 Hollywood film "Tomboy and the Champ" was filmed in the gymnasium. A new Katy Elementary School was built on this site in 1965, and the bell from the 1909 schoolhouse was placed above its entrance.