Kendleton in Fort Bend County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Powell Point School
September 2, 2006
1. Powell Point School Marker
William E. Kendall, an Anglo lawyer from Richmond, Texas, subdivided his plantation here into 100-acre farm tracts in 1869. He sold the land exclusively to Freedmen and by the 1880s a distinctly African American community named Kendleton had developed here.
In 1890 local A.M.E. churches built three one room schools to form Common School District No. 4, an all-African American district which included the original land grant of Elizabeth Powell. Tellie B. Mitchell, a Kendleton native and graduate of Wiley College (1903), returned to Kendleton and established Powell Point School in 1904 in a two-room schoolhouse. The school prospered and in 1918 graduated six students, five of whom went on to college and became educators.
In 1923 Mitchell persuaded the Rosenwald Foundation to grant funds to build a Powell Point School facility here with six classrooms, a library, and an auditorium. The school became a model institution and entry into its student body was an advantage sought by African Americans throughout southeast Texas. T. B. Mitchell served as school principal until 1954.
Powell Point, today an elementary school, is a locally revered institution which symbolizes Kendleton's unique cultural heritage and promise for the future.
Erected 1995 by Texas Historical
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Rosenwald Schools series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 29° 28.768′ N, 96° 1.268′ W. Marker is in Kendleton, Texas, in Fort Bend County. It is on State Highway 2919 near Powell Point School Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Beasley TX 77417, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Houston Metropolitan Area. It is also on the American 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, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kendleton (approx. 2.4 miles away); Terry v. Adams (approx. 2½ miles away); a different marker also named Kendleton (approx. 2½ miles away); K.J.T. St. Wenceslaus Society No. 40 (approx. 4½ miles away); Holy Cross Catholic Parish (approx. 4½ miles away); Hope Lutheran Church (approx. 6.3 miles away); Beasley (approx. 6.3 miles away); Site of Quinan Community (approx. 6½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kendleton.
Additional keywords. African Methodist Episcopal
Photographed by Samuel Collins III
2. Eagle Scout Project
This is a photo taken by the Powell Point School marker in Kendleton. Jarren Small has taken on as an Eagle Scout project the task of cleaning the THC markers in Kendleton. Kendleton, TX is rich in history and it is great that Jarren decided to go back to the small town and help clean up the markers. Congrats Jarren on a great project and the best of luck to you.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2008, by Samuel Collins III of Hitchcock, Texas. This page has been viewed 3,358 times since then and 97 times this year. Last updated on July 11, 2022, by Joe Lotz of Flower Mound, Texas. Photos: 1. submitted on January 27, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 2. submitted on January 21, 2008, by Samuel Collins III of Hitchcock, Texas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
