Waelder in Gonzales County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Ralph Bunche High School

Photographed by James Hulse, July 17, 2025

1. Ralph Bunche High School Marker

Inscription. Waelder Colored School opened in 1948 as an institute to educate the black children of the city and surrounding communities. Principal Shelvin J. Hall (1916-2007), who also pastored Mt. Eden Baptist Church, suggested the school's name change to honor Ralph Bunche (1904-1971), the first African American to receive a nobel prize. Teachers who helped shape Ralph Bunche and its legacy include professors Taylor, Carrol, Poole and Evens, Myrtle Pettit, Willie B. Jarman, Dalphus Derry, Dorothy Derry, Elroy Marcee, Seth Dockery Jr. and E.L. Pryor. Though the school closed in 1967 after integration, the facility continued to be used for athletics and reunions.

Erected 2025 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 23912.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1948.

Location. 29° 41.338′ N, 97° 17.592′ W. Marker is in Waelder, Texas, in Gonzales County. It is at the intersection of South 1st Street and S Ave I, on the right when traveling east on South 1st Street. The marker is located in front of the former high school building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 210 South 1st Street, Waelder TX 78959, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Hill Country.

It is also in the American South.

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 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Waelder City Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hopkinsville Lodge No. 183, A.F. & A.M.

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(approx. 0.4 miles away); The Town of Waelder (approx. 0.4 miles away); Waelder Veteran's Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Leander C. Cunningham (approx. one mile away); Mt. Eden Community (approx. 6 miles away); Saturn Cemetery (approx. 6.8 miles away); Colony Cemetery (approx. 8.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waelder.

Also see . . . Ralph Bunche. Wikipedia

Ralph Johnson Bunche (August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement, who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine. He is the first black Nobel laureate and the first person of African descent to be awarded a Nobel Prize. He was involved in the formation and early administration of the United Nations (UN), and played a major role in both the decolonization process and numerous UN peacekeeping operations.

(Submitted on July 19, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Ralph Bunche High School and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 17, 2025

2. Ralph Bunche High School and Marker

The view of the Ralph Bunche High School and Marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 17, 2025

3. The view of the Ralph Bunche High School and Marker from the street

Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 266 times since then and 92 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 19, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.