History of the Trinidad Public
Schools
By P. W. Lewis
Transcribed from the Malakoff newspaper dated
28 May 1954
Trinidad's first school and the first school taught in the
Trinidad district was the winter of 1888 and 1889. The school was
a small log hut located on part of the ground now included in the
Trinidad Cemetery. Miss Mattie Grady was the teacher and the
children of three families, the Airhearts, the Pulleys and the
Andersons, made up the student body. The school only lasted one
year. A year or two later the Trinidad and Mankin districts built
a log school a mile and a half North of town on the old river
road, this was called the Gadberry school. The first teacher was
Ned Grady. This school was opened in 1889. Records show the first
trustees for this district were J.P. Taafe and J.R. Per?. By 1892
they had 35 students enrolled with Steve Miller as teacher. He
was paid $50 for teaching a four-month term. Miss Paralee Reagan
was the last teacher. She taught four months in 1893-94. In 1894,
Miss Johnnie York taught a subscription or private school in a
one room box building in the hickory grove across from where the
Calvary church now stands. The Airheart, Douglas and Drexler
children made up most of the student body. That fall, the two
districts were divided and the Trinidad common school district
No. 6 was formed. Records are scanty but Lawrence Ranceville, Ned
Grady and Pearl Owens, now Mrs. Pearl Gentry, taught in the box
building that was then the Trinidad school. The county records
show that in 1900 to 1901 that R. L. Gilbert, Alex Airheart and
J. A. Grant comprised the school board and Miss E. Richeson,
teacher. She taught three months for $30 a month. Wooden benches
were used for seats. In 1902, D. C. Legg, Charles Wesley Airheart
and J. H. Johnson were the trustees and J. H. Shiflett, who had
moved here recently from Tennessee was the teacher. He taught for
four months at $40 a month. About 1903 a new building, a
combination school and Methodist Church was built on the same
site. It was larger, better built structure with a large rostrum
used for the pulpit and choir on Sundays and the teacher's desk
on week days. Double desks were bought for this building. When
desk mates talked, they sat on the edge of the rostrum. Mr.
Shiflett, Mr. Smith, Miss Lula Burns, Alice Finney and Mattie
Tidmore were some of the teachers who taught in this building. By
1812, the enrollment was outgrowing the building, so lots were
procured and a new three room school building was erected on the
ground which lies between the First Baptist Church and Mr. Tom
Johnstons. The trustees at that time and until 1920 were Tom
Johnston, Dr. L. C. Pulley and Leo Boatwright. Mr. Chester Owens
was the first principal. The new building was furnished with
single desks and jacketed stoves and had a large roomy cloak
rooms of which we were very proud. The Culberson brothers, A. B.
and Homer taught for several years during this period. When the
construction crews began to arrive early in 1925 to start work on
the new power plant it became evident immediately that a new and
larger school was a necessity. The Trinidad Independent School
District was createdd by an act of the 39th Legislature approved
and became effective March 24, 1925. It was created from Trinidad
Common School district No. 6. It took in 9320 acres or 14.9
square miles. Its northern boundaries extended along the north
boundaries of the Daniel Lacy G. M. Killian and N. Steele surveys
to Cedar Creek. East down Cedar Creek to its conjunction with the
Trinity River thence northwest up the east bank of the Trinity to
the Northwest corner of the Daniel Lacy Survey. The first
trustees for the Trinidad Independent school district were W. H.
Johnston, G. B. Johnston, W.B. Kesinger, T. J. Trotman Sr., J. L.
Matthews, Jeff Wolfe and L. W. Pulley. On July 10, 1925, Mr. John
W. Carpenter, then Vice-President of Texas Power and Light
Company, met with the school board and expressed the willingness
of TP&L to cooperate in every way in bringing about the
building, equipping and organization of a first class school for
the district. On Sept 8, 1925, at a meeting of the trustees in
the Guaranty State Bank Building, T. J. Trotman Sr. moved that
ten acres of land be bought in the northest corner of the Pulley
tract on the west side of the Trinidad Power Plant road for a
school building. G. B. Johnston seconded the motion, J. L.
Matthews and L. W. Pulley were then appointed to the building
committee. An election was then called for a $50,000 bond issue
which was held on December 21, 1925. The election carried and the
money was to be expended in payment of accounts legally
contracted in constructing and equipping a public free school
building, of brick material and purchasing a site within said
district. R. B. Smitherman, Tax assessor of Trinidad Independent
School district assessed valuation of said district at $837,777
on March 23 1926. Contract for super-structures was let to
Goodbar and Page for $23,258.00 on the 20th of April, 1926, The
Texas contruction company building the TP&L Power plant
agreed to build the superstructure on the basis of actual cost to
the construction company. The building was completed in time for
1926-27 session. Mr. K. B. Adair was elected Superintendent and
Miss Elizabeth Berry and Ester McGee were teachers. In the spring
of 1927 W. P. Crews succeeded G. B. Johnston as trustee and the
faculty was increased to eight for the 27-28 session and the
fight for high school accreditation began. C. H. Thurman, S. H.
Vaughter and A.W. Blair served successively as superintendent
from 1929 to 1937. In 1933 a $24,000 bond issue was passed for
constructing and equipping additional class rooms. The east and
west wings were added at that time. In 1935, Mr. Blair held the
first school clinic and on january 14, 1936, while he was still
superintendent, the enrollment of the Trinidad school reached
314, highest on record. E. B. Fincher, J. R. Yeager, Nathan
Chaney, C. D. Mercer and M. L. Hall served as superintendents in
the late 30's and early 40's. During this time a tennis court,
sterilizers for water system, a slide, swings, and climbing gym
for our playground and many other improvements were added. M. C.
Overall was superintendent from 1946 until 1951. Our present P-TA
was organized during this time. Trinidad's first Parent Teacher
Association was organized in 1930. Mrs. Archie Wood of Athens
assisted in the organization. It was active for 3 or 4 years and
then disbanded in the summer of 1948. Mrs. C. E. Yates and Mrs.
R. T. Craig asked the school board for permission to re-organize.
the organization was completed in September, with Mrs. C. E.
Yates as president. We are indebted to them for our motion
picture, pop corn popper, much of our new playground equipment,
and our cold water fountains. They have also operated our school
health clinics for the last 5 or 6 years. Lights for our football
field were installed in 1947. Bleachers for our football field
were completed in 1950 and a new school bus was bought in 1951.
The Gilmer-Aiken bill was passed in July 1949. The school met the
Gilmer-Aiken requirements for the 1949-50 session. H. G. Larkin
was superintendent in '51 and '52 and was succeeded by W.F. Story
who had already been in our system for two years, in the Spring
of 1952. On April of 1952 a $60,000 bond issue was passed for the
purpose of building a gymnasium, redecorating the main building
and making other needed additions. I can say that if you followed
the progress of the Trinidad schools from the one room frame
building in 1911 until the spring of 1954 as student and teacher
as closely as I have that you would be proud indeed of our
Trinidad schools.
Submitted by Mike Coleman
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