Van in Van Zandt County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Van Common School

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, September 1, 2024

1. Van Common School Marker

Inscription. In 1916, Swindall and Spring Hill Schools were consolidated to form Van Common School. Money raised with a bond election and state aid enabled the district to build a new school on five acres less than one mile east of Van. In order to reduce costs, community members agreed to haul at no expense 114 wagon loads of construction materials to the building site from the railhead at Grand Saline, 13 miles away. The school opened with 95 students and four teachers: Prof. E.C. Tunnell, Prof. E.R. Tunnell, Miss Eula Fowler and Miss Lucy Brawner. The school served the needs of the community until a May 1928 fire destroyed the building. A June ballot measure approved the issuance of bonds in the amount of $3,000. This amount and the $3,500 insurance payment enabled the district to rebuild a school that was ready for the start of the 1928-1929 school year at the same site.

The 1929-1930 school year began with 90 pupils. However, the discovery of oil on October 14, 1929, less than a mile from the school, dramatically changed the school district as well as the entire community. School administrators and board members knew that they

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needed to plan ahead for massive community growth. Another contribution to the disruptions in the school district’s operations was the oil drilling on school property, approximately 500 feet from the building. The school building was temporarily moved to an adjacent site, but an election was held in 1931 in order to secure funding for a greatly expanded school site to accommodate the population explosion that occurred as a result of the discovery of oil in Van.

Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16395.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education.

Location. 32° 31.516′ N, 95° 37.797′ W. Marker is in Van, Texas, in Van Zandt County. It is at the intersection of East Texas Street and Stadium Drive, on the right when traveling west on East Texas Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 549 E Texas St, Van TX 75790, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, September 1, 2024

2. Van Common School Marker

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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Van School, 1929-1947 (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); C.S. Nicks (approx. half a mile away); Van (approx. 0.6 miles away); Swindall School (approx. 0.6 miles away); Van United Methodist Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); Jarman No. 1 Discovery Well (approx. ¾ mile away); Pure Oil Company Camp (approx. 1.7 miles away); Marvin Chapel Cemetery (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Van.

The Faculty club informational plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, September 1, 2024

3. The Faculty club informational plaque

In front of school; next to marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 3, 2024, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 177 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 3, 2024, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.