Lovelady School Site

Lovelady School Site. On this site for almost a century, dedicated teachers, administrators and school board members served the youth of Lovelady and the surrounding area. In 1872, when the townsite of Lovelady was platted, local residents established a school, hiring private teachers to educate area children., The first schoolhouse, remembered as a long, one-room structure, was built on the north side of town and used until 1888. That year, school board members D.M. Gantt, N.J. Mainer, W.J. Murchinson, W.J. Garner and W.F. Dent bought this lot and built a larger structure. The new two-story building housed the school on the first floor and the masonic lodge on the second floor. Starting with just one teacher, the school grew quickly, with four teachers by 1900. In December 1901, the schoolhouse burned, but a new one was completed by the following school year., In June 1903, the county created Lovelady School District; Frank M. Martin served as superintendent. In 1921, the Rev. T.N. Mainer became superintendent, a job he held until 1936. Under his leadership, the district built a brick schoolhouse and a gymnasium. In 1929, Center Hill School consolidated into Lovelady School District. Additional schools later merged with Lovelady, including Prairie Point, Holly, Rockland, Center, Weldon, Bruton, Pearson Chapel, Austonio and Post Oak. During the 1960s, the African American Center Grove School, built in the 1950s, integrated into the district system., Notable Lovelady graduates include Texas First Lady Myrtie (Mainer) Neff and former University of Texas president Homer R. Rainey. Today, Lovelady schools continue to serve the community's children.