Odem in San Patricio County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Early Odem Area Schools

Photographed by Steve Gustafson, June 11, 2010

1. Early Odem Area Schools Marker

Inscription. As population increased in south central San Patricio County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, independent schools were established in a number of communities, serving students in isolated areas before the construction of a good road system allowed easy travel between towns, the schools played an important role in county history.

The Meansville school (3 mi. SE) opened about 1860 and continued in operation in a combination school/church/lodge hall building until 1881. A school near the Baylor ranch (5 mi.SE), variously called Bonnie View, Valley, or Fair View, operated in the 1880s and 1890s until it was consolidated with the school at Kaleta (7 mi.SE), which was established in the 1880s and also served as a Baptist church. Opened in the 1870s, a one-room school served children in Sharpsburg (9 mi. W), and the citizens of Angelita (4.5 mi. W) established a school in a building shared with a church and community meeting hall in 1904.

The first school in Odem opened in 1911 in a warehouse. Improved county roads brought about a number of school consolidations, and by 1916 the schools at Kaleta, Sharpsburg, and Angelita merged with the Odem school to form Common School District No. 7.

Erected 1991 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 14759.)

Topics. This

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historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 27° 56.995′ N, 97° 34.988′ W. Marker is in Odem, Texas, in San Patricio County. It is at the intersection of Voss Avenue (U.S. 77) and West Humphries Street, on the right when traveling south on Voss Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Odem TX 78370, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and on the 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,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: White Point / Rosita (here, next to this marker); Odem Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Meansville and Kaleta (within shouting distance of this marker); Odem First Baptist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); First United Methodist Church of Odem (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bethel Baptist Church of Christ and Cemetery (approx. 1.4 miles away); Calallen (approx. 6 miles away); Nuecestown (approx. 6½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Odem.

Photographed by Steve Gustafson, June 11, 2010

2. Early Odem Area Schools Marker

James O. Gaffney's Road Map of 1903 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Steve Gustafson, June 11, 2010

3. James O. Gaffney's Road Map of 1903 Marker

San Patricio County, Texas Drawn by Randy S. King October 1986

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2010, by Steve Gustafson of Lufkin, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,214 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 28, 2010, by Steve Gustafson of Lufkin, Texas. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.